State Survey

A survey of all 50 states and District of Columbia was conducted in Fall 2020 to gain state-specific information to provide context to the findings of the SLIDE study’s analysis of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) library staffing data and to the planned interviews of school district leaders who make staffing decisions. As part of the grant, a school library leader, some in a state government/agency position or in a state school library association, agreed to participate in the grant as a “State Intermediary” to help share project findings and assist with providing state-level information. The responses are shared in the following reports.

Report: State Contexts of School Librarian Employment  (including survey questions and state responses)

Report: Requirements for School Librarian Employment: A State-by-State Summary

Report: Appendix to the Contexts of School Librarian Employment

Use the interface below to see a map of how states responded to the survey. Note, when hovering over the states you can see their specific responses:

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Peer districts are initially selected based on matching geographic and demographic characteristics. Remove generated districts by clicking the X next to their name, add specific districts by searching with the box below the list, or use the selectors further below to identify districts matching specific demographic or geographic characteristics. When the peer group is ready, click view profile to see how your selected district stacks up.

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Use these options to determine your peers based on specific data elements.

Use the checkbox in the upper right to toggle whether the selected data element will be included in identifying your peers. To change the parameters of each data element, click inside the box and an interface will allow for adjustments.

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Choose Your Data

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Comparison Data

Here's how your chosen district stacks up against selected peers in current library staffing data:

Change Since 2009-10 in Selected Educator FTEs

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School Library
District Profile

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Students in a library Students in a library Students in a library

At a Glance
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National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data accessed from https://libslide.org/data-tools/

School Librarian FTEs, 2017-18 to 2023-24

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Today, the role of school librarian includes teaching students media literacy, Internet safety, and digital citizenship, assisting teachers in designing and delivering lessons and selecting resources and integrating technology into the curriculum, in addition to managing collections and encouraging reading.

How school librarian losses are impacting those students who likely need their services the most should be of major concern to education policy makers.

The School Librarian Investigation—Decline or Evolution?
Kachel & Lance, 2022

School Library Impact Research

Multiple studies have found that test scores tend to be higher in schools where librarians spend more time:

  • Instructing students, both with classroom teachers and independently;
  • Planning collaboratively with classroom teachers;
  • Providing professional development to teachers;
  • Meeting regularly with the principal;
  • Serving on key school leadership committees;
  • Facilitating the use of technology by students and teachers;
  • Providing technology support to teachers, and
  • Providing reading incentive programs.

Several library impact studies suggest test scores tend to be higher where administrators, teachers, and librarians themselves think of the school librarian as a school leader; as a teacher, co-teacher, and in-service professional development provider; as a curriculum designer, instructional resources manager, and reading motivator; and as a technology teacher, troubleshooter, and source of instructional support. (Lance & Kachel, 2018)

SLIDE REPORTS, WEBSITE & DATA TOOLS

K.C. Lance, D.E. Kachel, L. Breevoort, C. Gerrity, & D. Ellis. (2023, August). Voices of decision-makers: how district & school leaders decide about school librarian employment. SLIDE: The School Librarian Investigation—Decline or Evolution? https://libSLIDE.org/publications/voices

K.C. Lance & D.E. Kachel (August 2022). The COVID-19 Pandemic & Inequities in Access to School Librarians: A SLIDE Special Report. https://libslide.org/pubs/Pre-Post-COVID-Analysis-Special-Report.pdf.

K.C. Lance & D.E. Kachel (July 2021). Perspectives on School Librarian Employment in the United States, 2009-10 to 2018-19. https://libslide.org/publications/perspectives/.

K.C. Lance & D.E. Kachel (March 2018). Why school librarians matter: what years of research tell us. Phi Delta Kappan. https://kappanonline.org/lance-kachel-school-librarians-matter-years-research/.

The School Librarian Investigation—Decline or Evolution? (SLIDE) website. https://libslide.org.

Data Tools: https://libslide.org/data-tools/.

SLIDE is a 2020-23 project of Antioch University Seattle and was funded by a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services. From 2024, SLIDE continues under the aegis of the School of Information at San Jose State University.
slide
The School Librarian Investigation:
Divergence & Evolution

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Data

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