Sizing Up America’s School LibrariesHighlights from the SecondAASL Longitudinal Survey of School Library Media Centers
Outline
• 2008 response details
• Results– By topic– 50th, 75th, 95th percentiles
• school level, enrollment
– Related factors• region, metro, poverty, public-private
Overall Response
• 6,998 responses
• 6,477 regular public schools
• 242 independent schools
• Preponderance of responses generated by AASL membership (directly or indirectly)
Response by Level
LevelAll survey
respondentsPublic school
universe
Elementary 44% 58%
Middle 19% 18%
High 25% 17%
Combined 12% 7%
Total 100% 100%
Response by Enrollment
Enrollment rangeAll survey
respondentsPublic school
universe
2,000+ 5% 2%
1,000-1,999 16% 9%
700-999 18% 13%
500-699 23% 20%
300-499 26% 28%
< 300 13% 28%
Total 100% 100%
Response by Region
Census RegionAll survey
respondentsPublic school
universe
Northeast 17% 16%
Midwest 25% 28%
South 40% 33%
West 18% 22%
Other 0% 2%
Total 100% 100%
Response by Metro Status
Metro statusAll survey
respondentsPublic school
universe
City 26% 26%
Suburb 42% 34%
Town 8% 10%
Rural 24% 30%
Total 100% 100%
Other Responses
• Public-private status– 93% public, 7% private
• Poverty status– Range: 0-100%, median 31%
Low Response Groups
• Charter schools
• Other school types– Alternative– Magnet– Special education– Vocational-technical
• Note: All respondents included in overall results. Numbers insufficient to provide detail.
Results by Topic
• Staffing (LMS and total hours)• Staff activities (planning, instruction, budget)• Collection (volumes—total & per capita,
periodicals, average copyright)• Technology (library & networked computers,
remote database access)• LMC visits (individual & group)• LM expenditures (total & per capita)
SLMS & Total SLMP Staff Hours per Typical Week, 2008
37.5
40
40
74
65.2
117
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
LMS Hours
Total LMC Staff
Hours per Typical Week
95th
75th
50th
Total Staffing: Notable Factors
• School Level: HS, 1.5 FTE; others 1.0 FTE• Enrollment: 1k+, 2+ FTE; <1k, 1 FTE; <300, ½
FTE• Region: W, 50 hpw; others, 56-57 hpw• Poverty: 58 vs 48 hpw less poor• Metro: 54 vs 51 hpw non-metro• Public-Private: 53 vs 68 hpw
Weekly SLMC Staff Hours for Selected Activities, 2008
1
2
12.5
3
5
20
7
14
30
0 10 20 30
Planning withTeachers
OverseeingBudget
DeliveringInstruction
Act
ivit
y H
ou
rs
Hours per Typical Week
95th
75th
50th
Instruction: Notable Factors
• School Level: ES, 15 hpw; MS, 10; HS, 8• Enrollment: 1k+, 10 hpw; 300-999, 14; < 300, 8• Region: W, 12 hpw; NE & S, 14-16• Metro: 15 vs 12 hpw non-metro• Public-Private: 14 vs 11 hpw
SLMC Hours Open & Available for Flexible Scheduling, 2008
20
38
38
40
44
45
0 10 20 30 40 50
Flexibly ScheduledHours
Hours Open
Hours per Typical Week
95th
75th
50th
LMC Hours: Notable Factors
• School Level: ES, 35 hpw (8 flex); HS, 40 hpw (37 flex)
• Enrollment: 1k+, 40 hpw (35 flex); 700-999, 38 hpw (27 flex); <700, 35-38 hpw (14-15 flex)
• Poverty: 31 hpw (19 flex) vs. 33 hpw (23 flex) less poor
• Public-Private: 32 hpw (21 flex) vs 37 (27)
School Library Media Collections
18
19
11.7
30
28
15.2
65
51
23.9
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
PeriodicalSubscriptions
Books per student
Books (thousands)
Number
95th
75th
50th
LM Collection: Notable Factors
• School Level: – HS, 13k volumes; others, 11k– ES, 23 volumes/student; middle, 17; high, 12
• Enrollment: 2k+, 20k volumes; <300, 8k• Region: MW & S, 12k volumes; NE & W 13k• Poverty: 12k vs 13k volumes less poor• Metro: 13k vs 11k volumes non-metro• Public-Private: 12k vs 15k volumes
1st AIDS drug (‘95), Dolly cloning (‘97)
Average Copyright Year for Holdings in Health & Medicine, 2008
1995
1999
2002
1988 1992 1996 2000 2004
Average CopyrightYear (Health &
Medicine)
Year
95th
75th
50th
Copyright Year: Notable Factors
• School Level: MS, ’96• Enrollment: 2k+, ’96; <300, ‘94• Region: NE, ’93
Computers in SLMC & Networked Elsewhere in School, 2008
16
112
33
200
68
500
0 100 200 300 400 500
LMCComputers
NetworkedComputers
Number of Computers
95th
75th
50th
Computers: Notable Factors
• School Level: ES, 10 SLMC, 85 networked; MS, 22 & 149; HS, 34 & 200
• Enrollment: 2k+, 45 SLMC & 500 networked; <300 8 SLMC & 50 networked
• Region: SLMC, MW 27, S 22; networked, W 152, S 188
• Poverty: 20 SLMC & 147 networked vs 28 & 190 less poor
• Metro: 25 SLMC & 184 networked vs 23 & 138 non-metro
SLMCs Offering Remote Database Access, 2008
Available, 74.1%
Not Available, 25.9%
Remote Database Access:Notable Factors
• School Level: ES, 7/10; MS & HS 8/10• Enrollment: 2k+, 9/10; 500-699, 7/10; <300,
6/10• Region: S, 7/10; MW, 8/10• Poverty: 7/10 vs 8/10 less poor• Metro: 8/10 vs 6-7/10 non-metro
I ndividual & Group Visits to SLMCs, 2008
20
150
30
375
50
1,000
0 200 400 600 800 1000
Group Visits
Individual Visits
Visits per Typical Week
95th
75th
50th
LMC Visits: Notable Factors
• School Level: ES, 60 individual & 23 group; others 200-300 individual & 20 group
• Enrollment: – 2k+, 700 individual
– 300+, 20-27 group, <300, 13
• Poverty: 237 vs 357 individual; 25 vs 31 group less poor
• Metro: 314 vs 264 individual; 30 vs 24 group non-metro
• Public-private: 28 vs 19 group
School Library Media Center Expenditures, Total & Per Student,
2008
$12.06
$7.0
$21.02
$13.5
$48.02
$35.0
$0.00 $10.00 $20.00 $30.00 $40.00 $50.00
Per student
Total (thousands)
Annual Dollars (Thousands for Total)
95th
75th
50th
LMC Expenditures: Notable Factors
• School Level: ES, $5k; MS, $8k; HS, $11k• Enrollment: 2k+, $22k ($9/student); <300, $3500
($18)• Region: NE, $14k ($22/student); W, $9k ($14)• Poverty: $8600 ($15/student) vs $12k ($17) less
poor• Metro: $11k ($14/student) vs $9200 ($18) non-
metro• Public-Private: $11k ($16/student) vs $17k ($34)
Gearing Up for 2009
• Watch AASL website, e-newsletter, listservs, etc.
• Spread the word via your state / regional association, state library agency, LIS education program, etc.
• Help us improve returns from private & charter schools, other under-represented groups (magnet, special ed, vo-tech)
• Suggest 3-5 one-time questions on hot topics
• Plan to participate & encourage your colleagues
Gearing Up for 2009
• Communicate with us about– How you are promoting the survey– What you want to see from AASL
• Publications, products
– How you are using / want to use AASL data– What you want to see done with 2009 AASL
data
Contact Information
• Allison Cline, AASL Deputy Director: [email protected]
• Ann M. Martin, 2008-09 AASL President: [email protected]
• Marcia Mardis, Chair, AASL Research & Statistics Committee: [email protected]
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