Rural High School Libraries: Places Prone to Promote Positive School Climates

Abstract

The multiple case study (Flyvbjerg, 2011; Stake, 2006) of three new rural high school libraries, located in two states in the U.S. Midwest, and the school communities they serve are part of a long-term research agenda grounded in a critical perspective (Anderson, 1989) and devoted to deepening the understanding of the relationships between teenagers’ student peer culture, in the U.S. commonly perceived as intrinsically problematic, and the contributions of informal learning environments and non-classroom spaces (NCS) to school social climate (Voight & Nation, 2016). We found that school libraries are places prone to promote positive school climates.