This review, undertaken on behalf of the Australian School Library Association (ASLA), was conducted over a 4-week period in November-December 2002 with the purpose of: reporting on the nature and extent of the evidence that has linked school libraries to student achievement since 1990, identifying the strengths and gaps in existing data as it might relate to an Australian setting, and suggesting some strategies for developing further research in Australia. The review was conducted with the intention of providing a clear and accessible synthesis of existing research to inform subsequent strategic action and research directions in an Australian context. This report is based on a critical desktop review, which looked at a range of studies both overseas and in Australia since 1990, including earlier overviews of the research. In general, the literature confirms the need for local, evidence-based practice if the roles of the school library and teacher librarian in student learning are to be valued in the way that the research suggests they should be valued. Such research is an important strategic tool for raising the profile and prestige of library professionals and for reinforcing in the minds of policy-makers and school communities the crucial contribution that school libraries can make to student achievement. (Contains 81 references.) (AEF)