SLIDE: The School Librarian Investigation—Decline or Evolution? was a 2020-23 Antioch University Seattle project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Studies conducted as part of that landmark project included: statistical analyses of more than a decade of National Center for Education Statistics data to assess patterns and trends in school librarian employment at national, state, and district levels, and in-depth interviews of a school leaders nationwide to learn why they decided to add, cut back, or eliminate school librarians.
From 2024, support for the continuation of the SLIDE project is being provided by the School of Information at San José State University. With this move—and in recognition of varying employment patterns and trends from year to year and state to state—the project title is now The School Librarian Investigation—Divergence & Evolution. SLIDE will continue to monitor school librarian employment nationwide and provide access to state and district data via interactive data tools. It will also study available data about school libraries and librarians in California and other states served by the SJSU School of Information.
Photo credit: Supporting the Infrastructure Needs of 21st Century School Library Programs, IMLS National Leadership Grant project, 2011-12.