SLJ’s Tech Survey Part Two

Library media specialists are gung ho on technology, but they often lack the cash to take advantage of it, according to SLJ’s first-ever tech survey. Earlier this year, we reported on the various ways that school librarians use technology—from creating Web sites to policy-making to training students and colleagues (see “SLJ’s Technology Survey,” June 2005, pp. 49–53). This time, we zero in on technology spending. Here are some of the prime findings.

According to our nationwide survey of 1,571 media specialists, the average budget for K–12 school libraries was $9,368 in 2004–2005—that’s $6,340 less than reported just two years ago in “The SLJ Spending Survey.” The dearth of greenbacks has many librarians wondering how they’ll make ends meet in the media center. “The enormous decline in funding for school library programs has reduced our budgets to where we can hardly buy anything—books or technology,” says Peter Milbury, a librarian at Chico (CA) High School and cofounder of LM_Net, an online discussion group for library media specialists.

The average library budgets for elementary, middle, and high schools are $9,418, $9,219, and $9,230, respectively. That works out to an individual student expenditure of $16.18 for elementary schools, $11.75 for middle schools, and just $8.22 for high schools. It’s interesting to note that elementary schools, which typically have lower student enrollments than their upper-level counterparts, received the largest amounts. Why the disparity in funding? Most likely it reflects the fact that grammar schools tend to receive more community support than other schools. For instance, 64 percent of elementary schools receive additional funds from community resources, such as parents’ groups, and 79 percent receive supplemental money from fund-raisers.

Library budgets ranged from a dismal low of zero dollars in schools in 11 states to a cushy high of more than $1.5 million—with the median amount at $6,300. Urban schools received the largest budgets, $11,463, followed by suburban schools, $10,459, and rural schools, $9,358. As for purchasing power, that’s another story. Since urban schools reported the largest enrollments, they recorded the lowest per pupil expenditure, $10.40. Similarly, suburban schools, which tend to have higher student enrollments than rural schools, lagged behind their country counterparts, spending $11.33 per student compared to $14.20. Differences in spending were also significant by regions, as shown in the above chart, “Average Budgets by Region.”

To pump up skimpy budgets, many school librarians like Deborah Hendrickson, a media specialist/technology leader at the Westernport (MD) Elementary School, rely on fund-raisers, grants, community resources, and district and state supplements. “I would have no budget if I did not do two fund-raisers, have community support via memorial books and PTA, and apply for grants,” she says. Forty-seven percent of survey respondents received funds from community groups such as the PTA, friends of the library, and booster clubs. Sixty-three percent of schools relied on fund-raisers, such as book fairs and raffles, and 23 percent received grants, ranging from $100 to $200,000 and averaging $7,044.

Despite the fact that budgets vary widely and tend to be inadequate, 35 percent of respondents spent a portion of their limited resources on materials for the entire school rather than just the media program. “When I’m spending money in the library media center for technology or A/V, I’m spending it for the whole school,” says Jean Gustafson, a librarian at Selah (WA) Junior High. “Who else would I be buying it for?” Some school librarians spent as much as $6,000 on a single piece of equipment, such as a projector, but tend to spend an average of about $700 annually on all of their library’s technology needs. Likewise, even the most cash-strapped librarians spent $362 on digital equipment for their schools, with some media specialists doling out as much as $5,000. Others reported outlaying up to $1,000 on assistive technology for students with special needs.

Some school librarians have had to stretch their budgets to replace outdated hardware and software. The most frugal librarians spent an average of 17 percent of their total budget on technology for the media center. And some, like Carole Koester, were forced to make Solomon-like decisions. “The districts do not provide enough money to buy current print materials and technology, too,” says Koester, a national certified media specialist at West Palm Beach High School in Florida. To make matters worse, the average cost of a hardcover book has risen to $20.52 this year, according to SLJ (see “2005 Book Prices,” March 2005, p. 11), and the average cost of a magazine subscription is $60, according to the April 15, 2005 issue of Library Journal.

Since support for school library programs varies significantly, it’s safe to say that “equal access” to technology is still far from a reality for large groups of students. Technology resources continue to demand increased time and budgetary commitments from busy school librarians. The demand for new media without adequate funds to purchase them can mean that other parts of the library’s collection are being shortchanged.

Indeed, many educators and parents turn to library media specialists to create and support technology that’s necessary for 21st-century learning—the only problem is there’s not enough money to do it. That’s why we need to continue to demonstrate our value and use this information to lobby district, state, regional, and national policy makers for the funding.