From Books to Bytes: Building Literacy Skills through School Libraries, an Examination of Effective Practice

This study investigates the influence of school library resources, services, technology integration, and librarian professional competence on students’ literacy competence in Nigerian secondary schools. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with a sample of 1,260 respondents drawn through multistage sampling from three purposively selected states in Southwest Nigeria. Data were collected using a validated instrument, the School Libraries and Students’ Literacy Competence Questionnaire (SLSLCQ), with a reliability coefficient of 0.91. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, means, and percentages were used to answer the research questions, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation and multiple regression analysis were employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that school library resources, services, technology integration, and librarian professional competence significantly enhance students’ reading, digital, and information literacy. Results further showed that the application of literacy frameworks provided structured approaches that improved students’ ability to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively. Based on these findings, it is recommended that schools strengthen library resources and digital infrastructure, improve librarian training, and embed literacy frameworks into curricula through teacher – librarian collaboration. These measures would ensure that school libraries continue to play a central role in fostering literacy competence and preparing students for lifelong learning. Keywords: School libraries, Literacy competence, Technology integration, Librarian, Professional competence,