Filling the Void
Many states are taking steps to remedy the rising shortage of school librarians
By Nancy Everhart -- School Library Journal, 6/1/2002
Kathy Ruhmann lives in a part of southern Illinois where you can't find another certified library media specialist even if you hunt for one. Despite a state mandate, Ruhmann is the only certified school librarian in her district of Sparta, a rural town with five schools and about 1,800 students. She's convinced that an aide will replace her once she retires from the Sparta Lincoln Middle School. After all, that's what happened to two of her colleagues almost a decade ago. Now two aides without teaching degrees staff the town's primary and high schools.
Ruhmann, who's been a school librarian for 16 years, received her library certification from Southern Illinois University, but the program's no longer being offered. The only on-campus option is to drive 70 miles to Washington University in St. Louis or four hours to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Illinois's librarian shortage is classified as 'severe' in School Library Journal's 2002 staffing survey, and Ruhmann blames the problem on massive statewide budgetary cuts, coupled with a lack of universities that offer degrees in library science.
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The number of states with severe or extremely severe shortages of certified library media specialists has more than doubled, with 30 states and the District of Columbia reporting severe shortages this year, compared to just 12 in 2000, and 10 states have extremely severe shortages, compared to 11 two years ago (see map). In 2000, many state officials said the shortages were confined to the inner cities and rural areas. But now, affluent suburban and urban districts such as Fairfax County, VA, and Boulder, CO, are also reporting difficulties in filling vacant school librarian slots. Only four states-Utah, Iowa, Rhode Island, and Washington-say they have a sufficient number of library media specialists. Emergency certification-when administrators can't find certified librarians and are forced to hire teachers who agree to seek library certification-is also on the rise. Only 17 states reported the issuance of new and emergency certificates. Of those 17 states, 1,166 new and 686 emergency certificates were given out.
In response, many states have expedited the certification process. Many online library science degree programs have sprouted since 2000, and state directors of school library services say more in-state residents are signing up. Very few of these distance education programs require any trips to campus-a major plus for those who can't commute or have no library school nearby.
Meanwhile, the ratio between students and school librarians has improved over the past two years, perhaps because survey respondents didn't distinguish between certified and non-certified librarians. Nineteen states have mandates requiring certified library media specialists, 16 of which rank in the top 50 percentile of the ratio between students to librarian. Obviously, states with mandates for school librarians have better staffing ratios.
The economic downturn has hit school library staffing, particularly in those states with no mandate requiring a school librarian. Minnesota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Kansas, and Nebraska are facing severe budget cuts, and many staff have been laid off at both the state library agency and in library media centers.
The government hasn't turned a blind eye to the problem. Laura Bush, a former school librarian, earlier this year announced a $10 million initiative to recruit librarians as part of President Bush's proposed 2003 budget. The First Lady also plans to organize a White House conference on school librarianship in June. Meanwhile, 20 current and potential doctoral students in school library media were awarded scholarships from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to attend the Treasure Mountain Research Retreat in Excelsior Springs, MO. The goal is to attract more professors in school library media, says retreat organizer Dr. Daniel Callison, of the School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University in Indianapolis.
Efforts are also being made within the profession. Earlier this year, the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) set up two task forces solely to address the recruitment issue. The group has already identified recruitment strategies in specific states, such as New Jersey, Indiana, New York, Ohio, and Iowa. On the following pages, you'll find a complete list of each state's certification efforts, including what's being done to attract more personnel, and schools that offer online master's degrees in library science.
-- Go to Job Outlook: A State-by-State Guide --
| Author Information |
| Nancy Everhart is an associate professor and coordinator of the school library media program at St. John's University in NY. |
