The Prognosis, Doctor?: In Some States, School Library Staffing's on the Mend
Dr. Nancy Everhart -- School Library Journal, 9/1/1998
For states that did not respond, data are from Public School Student, Staff, and Graduate Counts by State, School Year 1995-96, U.S. Dept. of Education (NCES 97-541). States not responding were: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, and W. Virginia.
Starting a career? Relocating? Here's a national staffing check-up.
Today, landing a library media specialist position in the U.S. may be easier than in the past due to improved student-librarian ratios. On average, there is one school librarian for every 887 students. That's encouraging because in 1994, there was one librarian for every 927 students. But on a closer look, states vary in staffing health. In Alaska, for example, it's common for the third-grade teacher from New Jersey who gets off the plane to be tapped on the head with the proclamation, "Hello. You are also the school librarian." The ratio in 29 states wor- sened in the last four years, while it improved in 22.
To create this national report on school library staffing, SLJ asked me to survey school library media officials in state libraries or education departments in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. All but 15 responded.
States in Better Health
Which areas have the best student-librarian ratio? Arkansas, Kansas, Vermont, Montana, the District of Columbia, and Kentucky all have fewer than 500 students for each library media specialist.
There have been some slight shifts in position among states with the best ratios since 1994, most notably Kentucky, which rose to 6th place in 1998 from 11th in 1994. On the other hand, North Dakota dropped from 5th in 1994 to 12th in 1998.
But before you move to a top-ranked state, keep in mind that in some cases, small populations are helping to boost their ratios--not an abundance of jobs. For example, Kansas, with its 1,008 library media specialists, may offer better opportunities than a state like sparsely populated Vermont, where a certified librarian may supervise up to five small schools.
Not surprisingly, many of 1998's top-ranked areas have the most stringent state staffing requirements for full-time certified school librarians:
- Kansas and the District of Columbia require one in every school regardless of size
- Arkansas and Vermont call for one in schools of 300 or more students
- Montana requires one for all schools with more than 250 students.
Kentucky is the only state among top-ranked states without a requirement for school librarians. Dr. Kay Bishop, a professor in charge of school library media education at the University of Kentucky, attributes the state's solid showing to two other factors: a key person at the state level in charge of school library programs and strong advocacy for school librarians by the state association.
Nor are there state mandates for school librarians in North Dakota. Library media standards, which include staffing, are tied to accreditation, a voluntary process. Patricia Herbel at North Dakota's State Department of Education believes that, in part, spending on technology is to blame for a decrease in library media specialists. "School boards and administrators are beginning to question the merits [of staffed library media centers] when they have allocated significant resources [for] computers in classrooms and connections to the outside world. They also see the interlibrary loan system as a way of meeting student needs."
Quick! Send for a Doctor
If you're in California, Rhode Island, Utah, Massachusetts, Idaho, and New Mexico, you're in a state with the one of the worst ratios for 1998. The list is virtually the same as in 1994, except that Rhode Island's ratio slipped to 48th in 1998 from 44th in 1994.
Working in a state with a bad ratio is not necessarily a raw deal--depending on the reason for it. Poor statistical records may put some of these lower-ranking schools at the bottom, as seems to be the case in Rhode Island, a state that actually requires library media specialists.
The biggest success story may be California. Although it's the lowest ranked state, it appears to have cut its student-to-librarian ratio almost in half. But before you open a bottle of champagne, it's important to know that California's statistics are based on a sampling, and not considered completely reliable, according to Barbara Jeffus, School Library Consultant at California's Department of Education, who is working to improve data collection.
Another bright spot is Mississippi. Ranked 49th in 1994, the state has managed to significantly reduce its student-to-librarian ratio. (see "The Mississippi Miracle").
For Best Results, Hire a Full-Timer
Few states require full-time certified library media specialists regardless of school size, but they do exist (see "Prescription for Better Staffing".) With some variation, the same states require a full-time librarian in lower grades. Most states with requirements tie them to enrollment. Surprisingly, the number of students needed to require a full-time librarian are relatively uniform across grade levels, including elementary schools. One exception is Rhode Island, where elementary schools must have twice the enrollment--500 students--that middle/junior high schools or high schools need. But elementary librarians do slightly better in South Carolina, the only state where schools actually need fewer elementary students--375--to have a full-time librarian, compared to upper grades, which require 400. Persuading states to require certified staff in elementary schools is an ongoing problem, according to Carol Mauer at Idaho's State Department of Education. "Many of our schools do not employ certified people to operate their elementary libraries. At the state level we have been unsuccessful in making that a requirement."
SBM and Staffing Health
What happens to library staffing in a district that 1) is not required by the state to hire full-time certified librarians and 2) uses site-based management (SBM)? In some cases, it creates weakened library media centers. SBM has decreased professional staffing in library media centers in an alarming number of states-- eight to be exact, according to interviews conducted for this survey.
Under SBM, principals and SBM committees, made up of teachers and in some instances, school librarians, make decisions on spending, including staffing. Some SBM districts forgo certified librarians. "Without state requirements, some districts have chosen to reduce the staff in libraries," said Jane Kolbe, South Dakota's State Librarian. In Oregon, Alaska, and Arizona, for example, districts have filled positions with aides.
In Colorado and Maryland, in lieu of a school librarian, districts are adding teaching staff. Eugene Hainer of the Colorado State Library sees SBM as deprofessionalizing school librarianship in his state. With funds saved by not having library media specialists, districts are strengthening their teaching staffs, a move they believe will improve reading and writing test scores. With all the attention paid to literacy, however, library media programs are an unfortunate choice for elimination, said Hainer.
With no state mandates to prevent it, North Dakota is opting to wear out existing librarians. Most have multiple assignments; e.g., responsibility for libraries in several schools, serving as a classroom teacher, and so on. And principals in New York state have been creative in circumventing staffing mandates where schools base staffing decisions on a combination of SBM and state staffing requirements tied to student population. Sadly, there have been reports from library media center interns at my library school that some principals in large schools intentionally underestimate their student populations to state officials so they will not have to hire an additional school librarian.
The Spread of the Tech Coordinator
Are library media specialists at risk of being replaced by technology coordinators? While there's reason for concern, the practice can't be considered an epidemic.
Ten areas report that principals may choose to replace certified school librarians with technology specialists or coordinators since no state requirements exist to protect librarians. In addition to the District of Columbia, the states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas.
On a positive note, however, only Ohio labels it a trend. "When funds are short, certified staff have been replaced with [technology specialists]," reported Carl Carter. As Library Media Consultant at the state level, Carter bases his comment on anecdotal information since Ohio collects few statistics on school libraries.
Such replacements have also happened in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Florida. Sandra Ulm, Supervisor for School Library Media Services in Florida's Department of Education, reports that technology specialists have replaced certified school librarians in some elementary schools, primarily in one district.
While it's not a trend, there are cases in Colorado where a district has elected to staff schools with technology specialists and the library with aides, according to Eugene Hainer. But "technology is taking its toll as library media specialist roles become expendable in the move to tech-based teaching practices," he said.
Technology has affected district-level positions in North Carolina, where library media supervisors have been replaced by technology supervisors. Statistics, however, were not available.
Despite what it can do to one's workload, library media specialists in Maryland, Indiana, and South Carolina are becoming technology specialists themselves. Based on South Carolina's Educational Technology Plan, "school library media specialists are technology leaders in their schools," says Linda Bartone at South Carolina's Department of Education.
Signs of Health
Changes that could improve services to students, as well as your employment opportunities, are underway in a number of states.
Besides California's improved ratio of students to librarians, there are other encouraging signs, such as the addition of a permanent school library consultant position at the state department of education. Other good news includes expanded distance education at San Jose State's Division of Library and Information Science and a legislative initiative by the California School Library Association on the accreditation of schools and their libraries. A number of states are now proposing or revising standards, requirements, and guidelines that may have an impact on library media center staffing, including Alaska, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. Another interesting development is taking place in Ohio, where the state department of education has proposed standards for library media programs that could be adopted by the end of 1998.
Some 2,000 miles away, the Arizona Library Association is lobbying its state board of education to reinstate a requirement for a master's degree or a proficiency exam for school librarians.
And finally, Oklahoma's students will return this fall to newly mandated school librarians in their elementary and middle schools. Depending on enrollment, they will be either full- or part-time. By our next survey, we hope there will be more of the same.
Editor's Note
This survey updates previous SLJ reports published in:
June 1991, pp. 11-14, 20
June 1992, pp. 25-29
June 1993, pp. 34-36
June 1994, pp. 29-31.
For current state certification requirements, see The Knowledge You Need: Updated Requirements for Library Media Specialists, SLJ, June 1998, pp. 36-56.
| WHERE ARE THE JOBS? |
 If you're willing to relocate, there are states in dire need of certified personnel. Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Texas all have current shortages or anticipate future ones. The culprits? Retirement, limited access to library education, and a small pool of candidates. In some areas, such as the District of Columbia, school conditions and a high cost of living make finding staff difficult. Consequently, some schools now recruit nationally, especially since the District requires schools to staff their library media centers (see "Prescription for Better Staffing".) |
Prescription for Better Staffing:States That Require Full-Time Library Media Specialists |
| Full-time certified school librarian is required regardless of enrollment size: |
| High Schools | Middle/Jr. High | Elementary |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | District of Columbia | District of Columbia |
| Hawaii | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Illinois | Kansas | Kansas |
| Kansas | Rhode Island | Rhode Island |
| Rhode Island | Wisconsin | -- |
| Wisconsin | -- | -- |
| Full-time certified school librarian is required in schools with this many students or more: |
| State | High Schools | Middle/Jr. High | Elementary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| Rhode Island | 250 | 250 | 500 |
| Georgia | 251 | 251 | 251 |
| Montana | 251 | 251 | 251 |
| Arkansas | 300 | 300 | 300 |
| Vermont | 300 | 300 | 300 |
| Virginia | 300 | 300 | 300 |
| S. Carolina | 400 | 400 | 375 |
| New York | 500 | 500 | -- |
| Oklahoma | 500 | -- | -- |
| Nebraska | 750 | 750 | 750 |
| Missouri | 800 | 800 | 800 |
