SLJ’s Technology Survey 2006

What’s hot in library media centers today? Electronic resources, according to School Library Journal’s 2006 national technology survey. Of 1,696 media specialists from 49 states who responded to the study, 88 percent reported that they subscribe to electronic reference tools, and virtually all (96 percent) train students to find information using these resources.

While the school library’s databases and other e-resources enable youngsters to access information 24/7 (something that today’s digital natives have come to expect), many media specialists don’t have enough money to purchase all the tools that students need. Moreover, school librarians often lack the time to provide students and teachers with adequate tech training.

Still, judging from the results of this survey—our second annual study of how K–12 librarians use technology—media specialists remain on the forefront of 21st-century learning. And they are forging new ground in their schools, notably through the use of emerging technologies, such as blogs and wikis.

You Can’t Have Too Many Tools

Respondents have an average of 198 computers per school, with 12 percent of this equipment residing in the media center. That’s an average of one computer for every four students, the same ratio that was reported in 2005. Of course, making the most of electronic resources requires that workstations are kept up-to-date. More than 60 percent of the computers in our survey are five years old or less. For 77 percent of respondents, every school computer is connected to the Internet via DSL or cable, while 54 percent boast wireless connectivity.

But Internet-wired computers are only a slice of the technology pie in today’s media center. Media specialists in our study use, on average, 11 multimedia projectors, three interactive whiteboards, two document cameras, seven digital cameras, three digital camcorders, 44 CD burners, 11 DVD burners, 25 flash media, and 14 PDAs for integrated instruction. Armed with multimedia projectors and whiteboards, for example, librarians are instructing entire classes in how to use the online public access catalog (OPAC) or a database, or how to evaluate a Web site—a big advance over working with a few students huddled around a single computer. Meanwhile, CD and DVD burners, as well as flash media have proved helpful tools in assisting students who are doing research or creating projects.

Despite the increase in computers and peripherals since last year—some technologies by as much as 56 percent—media specialists wish they had even more equipment. Janet Hogue from Highland Middle School in Medina, OH, says her biggest challenge in providing technology resources is not having enough hardware. “We need many more LCD projectors and SmartBoards she says. “We also could use more personnel so that our two computer labs can be staffed at all times.”

Going Up Against Google

Research tells us that most teenagers doing their homework turn to the Internet. And their favorite information source? Google. That means that it’s more important than ever for library media centers to have their own Web sites to provide around-the-clock access to the OPAC, as well as authoritative online resources. Among our respondents, 65 percent boast a library Web page. Of those, 82 percent designed and created their own, up from 72 percent in 2005. And 80 percent maintain their own sites, as compared to 74 percent last year. Easy-to-use tools such as Protopage and Google Page Creator, both of which are free, have enabled even the greenest tech novices to take their place in the online world, to the benefit of the entire school community.

So what electronic tools do our respondents use? Seventy-seven percent subscribe to online databases, while 50 percent receive streaming video. Karen Kearns, a media specialist at Still Elementary School in Powder Springs, GA, and one of the video users, says, “I use video streaming to put pizzazz in my lessons. Having been raised with visual stimulation, today’s students respond very well to videos as a learning tool.” Meanwhile, 16 percent in our study subscribe to eBooks.

Then there’s the vast range of general Web resources. Of these, media specialists choose electronic encyclopedias, services such as Noodletools, the bibliographic citation software, and turnitin.com, the Web-based antiplagarism product, and all manner of curricular links that address every subject in the K–12 sphere. Best books lists and quote- or word-of-the-day sites are other popular resources commonly available on media center Web pages.

Show Me the Money

Of those who are not currently providing electronic reference resources, seven percent say they are planning to purchase them next year and 15 percent say they can’t purchase these resources due to limited budgets. Little wonder, then, that many of our respondents identified a lack of money as their biggest challenge when it comes to providing technology (not having enough time to provide related training is another big hurdle).

Bobbie Aguilar of St. Ignatius School in Los Angeles, CA, says that money to pay for database subscriptions is especially tight because the computer lab at her school gets first crack at technology funds. Betsy Hoffman, a media specialist for the Marine Academy of Science & Technology in Sandy Hook, NJ, has experienced similar belt-tightening, but at the district level. “The district does not give us annual budgets. So needless to say, planning is difficult,” she says. “The district has also refused to let us purchase electronic databases, yet readily supplies us with computers.”

Of course, budgets go further when expenses are shared. The majority of those who subscribe to electronic resources usually do so as part of a group. Sixty-four percent subscribe through their district, and 43 percent are part of a statewide consortium.

Despite their restricted means, media specialists are still spending a significant amount of money on technology. About 19 percent, or $3,457, is spent on technology, with high school librarians spending the most. That’s probably due to the fact that high schools purchase online databases and other big-ticket reference items, while elementary schools invest more in less expensive print materials.

It’s also interesting that rural schools spend a greater percentage of their budgets on technology than their urban or suburban counterparts. Most likely, urban and suburban schools are in districts having a large number of campuses, while many rural schools are often the only one in the district.

It’s All about Information Literacy

As technology use becomes increasingly integrated into day-to-day learning, everyone must know how to use it. And who better to do the instructing than school librarians? Since the days when they carted around 16-millimeter projectors, many media specialists have been the on-site tech experts, and they continue in that role today.

Braving Blogs and Wikis

With so many tech-savvy media specialists, it’s not surprising to learn how they’re taking on emerging Web-based tools. The interactive nature of blogs and wikis and the ability to customize information online are changing how we learn, and media specialists are catching on to this in a big way. About 29 percent of our respondents say that they are using or planning to use blogs. And it’s certainly never been easier, given the availability of simplified blogging software, such as WordPress. Another hot technology is wikis, an ideal format for collaborative projects that allow students to edit a collective work online. Then there are RSS feeds. Otherwise known as the information junkie’s best friend, these tools aggregate data from a variety of sources, such as blogs and Web sites, providing current information on any given topic at a moment’s notice—ideal for the library setting. As for podcasting, 15 percent of respondents plan to start using the digital audio tool within the next year.

Taking a Leadership Role

Because technology is such a vital part of school libraries, media specialists have become leaders in this area, at both the school and district level. Approximately two-thirds of those responding to our survey serve on their school technology team and over half help develop technology-use policies for their school. Meanwhile, 32 percent are part of their school district’s technology team.

When it comes to buying power, 64 percent of respondents say they are responsible for buying the hardware for the media center and 75 percent purchase its software. Sixty-eight percent make decisions about the databases to which they subscribe and 48 percent purchase software for their school.

Media specialists are also not afraid to roll up their sleeves and perform day-to-day IT duty at their schools. In their media centers, 45 percent maintain the hardware and 52 percent the software, while about 18 percent manage the hardware and software for the entire school.

The Big Picture

As this study demonstrates, technology continues to be a significant aspect of K–12 media centers. Despite restricted funding and schedules stretched to the limit, media specialists have risen to the challenge. Eighty-eight percent of our respondents provide students with authoritative online references, notably subscription databases, and a host of other valuable e-resources, too. Sixty-five percent of media specialists have their own dedicated Web sites, to help reach an increasingly Internet-wired young audience—and to counter the Google effect.

With such widespread use of education technology, media specialists have assumed a leadership role. As members of their schools’ tech teams, about two-thirds of our respondents have helped create their schools’ technology policies. Media specialists also wield purchasing power, with many making technology-buying decisions not only for the media center, but for the entire school.

Media specialists use their influence and the latest technological bells and whistles to serve a common goal, the same goal, in fact, that’s been at the heart of the school library’s mission: to teach information literacy. Indeed, the number-one activity among media specialists, according to SLJ’s survey, is training students and teachers in how to locate, evaluate, and use information resources. Fully 95 percent of media specialists report that they teach students to use electronic resources and 86 percent instruct their teachers.

In this age of data-driven student achievement, these findings make a powerful case for school librarians and their role in boosting student achievement.