About SLIDE

THE SJSU PROJECT, 2024-PRESENT

The work of the SLIDE project continues with the support of the School of Information at San José State University. Acknowledging the findings of the IMLS project, the acronym now stands for The School Librarian Investigation–Divergence & Evolution. SLIDE will continue to monitor school librarian employment trends over time, from state to state, and in different types of districts. It will also continue to provide interactive data tools that enable users to access state and district level data.

The continuing SLIDE project will also analyze data about school libraries and librarians in California and other states served by the SJSU School of Information.

Revised project goals and research questions will be posted here in due course.

THE IMLS PROJECT, 2020-23

SLIDE: The School Librarian Investigation—Decline or Evolution? was an exploratory project submitted by Antioch University Seattle and funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services for $348,905, to be conducted from September 2020 through August 2023.  (See Grant Announcement.) The research determined patterns in the continuing, national decline in school librarian positions and how school districts decide to staff library, learning resources, and instructional technologies programs for K-12 students. The SLIDE project:

  1. Determined trends over time in school library employment from the National Center for Education Statistics, factoring in school district characteristics and student demographics;
  2. Interviewed decision-makers in school districts that have reported the greatest librarian gains and losses over the past five years; and
  3. Compiled related state contextual data regarding school librarian certification, requirements, and support for school library programs.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

  1. How equitable is the distribution of school librarians by enrollment, district setting (urban, suburban, rural), race/ethnicity, poverty, and per pupil spending?
  2. What job titles, skills, and responsibilities are valued and sought by school leaders who decide staffing patterns that provide students and teachers with access to and instruction about learning resources, including library and educational technologies?
  3. What factors affect how school decision-makers choose to staff learning resources?
  4. What advantages do decision-makers perceive in their chosen models for achieving district goals compared to other alternatives they considered?

PROJECT GOALS

  1. Analyzed school librarian employment trends since 2014-15 in NCES data, assessing geography, enrollment, district setting, race/ethnicity, poverty, and per pupil spending.
  2. Created a website with interactive tools allowing users to select various geographic views of school librarian staffing and associated variables. 
  3. Identified staffing patterns chosen by decision-makers—including school librarians and related positions—and factors that influence their thinking.
  4. Interpreted and shared findings with LIS educators, library and education associations, school librarians, and school leaders who make difficult K-12 staffing choices.