Why an excellent digital library is crucial to support International Baccalaureate students

Introduction

A few weeks ago, International Baccalaureate students around the world received their results, marking the end of their two-year-long Diploma Programme, and also six years since I completed my own IB diploma. Reflecting on the programme now, I can see that its emphasis on independent learning and research has served me well through university and beyond. It is a unique strength of the programme – but only when students are given the tools they need to fulfil its rigorous demands. 

IB schools wanting to give their students the best chance of success are under pressure to equip individuals with high-quality, trustworthy research tools that will enable them to thrive in the IBDP’s wide-ranging coursework components. In an increasingly online age, digital academic resources provide a unique opportunity to empower students in this way.

Enquiring learners

With the goal of developing well-rounded learners, the IB learner profile lists ten qualities in which IB students should aspire to grow. One such quality is ‘enquiring’.

Enquiry stresses independent thinking and discovery; it pushes students to ask questions and to engage interrogatively in real-world exploration.

Indeed, enquiry is woven into the very infrastructure of the IBDP. The 4,000-word Extended Essay is an expansive research project that leads students to grow subject knowledge beyond the academic curriculum; the ‘Internal Assessment’ coursework elements of each subject ensure independent thinking and research span the entire diploma programme. Moreover, the study of Theory of Knowledge requires students to consider how they acquire knowledge, prompting them to engage critically with current affairs and cultural narratives.

Equipping students for success

Aware of the high bar to which they call their students, the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) demands the provision of high-quality academic resources as part of its accreditation process for schools. Access to "current resources" and a "functioning and active library" are named as essential. The accreditation criteria are also distinctly outward-facing, with the IBO encouraging schools to consider whether they are helping students to access "external physical libraries" or "external virtual collections" which push students to real-world, contextual learning. 

Cautioning that “for deeper enquiry that requires analysis and multiple perspectives, search engines and algorithms can fail”, the IBO positions the library as “the most reliable place to find the information learners need”. In order to facilitate this culture of enquiry, then, the school library must provide resources for research that are trustworthy and thorough, whilst also topical and current. It is this gap that digital resources are well-positioned to fill.

My experience of enquiry 

When I set out to write my Extended Essay (EE) I can remember feelings of overwhelm and uncertainty as to where to begin. Without academic journals in my school’s physical library – and certainly no books on the niche, extracurricular area on which I had chosen to focus – it was difficult to envision how I would produce a well-researched, considered piece of writing.

A turning point arrived with my EE Supervisor directing me to JSTOR, a digital library of academic journals, books and primary sources. 

Suddenly, with 24/7 access to a vast range of texts and resources, I was able to consult the work of academics around the world.

Not only did this teach me to engage critically with secondary resources, but exposure to academic writing proved helpful in honing my own writing style. Once given the necessary tools, I found that my EE equipped me well for university-style research, and familiarity with JSTOR specifically gave me a reliable starting place in my early weeks of university assignments.

Enabling enquiry with digital resources   

By teaching and emphasising the value of enquiry, IB schools are investing in well-rounded, life-long learners who are prepared to engage critically with the world around them. Digital resources like JSTOR present a unique opportunity for schools to equip their students for success in this area. Since joining the team at JCS, I have discovered the wealth of online resources available to schools around the world, be it magazines and newspapers from PressReader, political commentary and analysis from The Economist, drama collections from Bloomsbury and more. 

Beneficial for schools aspiring to meet the IBO’s criteria as well as for student achievement, investment in a digital library holds the potential to transform the research experience of IB students.