The SLJ Spending Survey

While funding takes a hit, libraries expand their services

By Marilyn L. Miller and Marilyn L. Shontz -- School Library Journal, 10/1/2003

Media specialists are feeling the effects of the nation's economic downturn, according to School Library Journal's latest survey on spending, resources, and services. Median library spending from all sources, which was $14,047 for 1999–2000, fell to $13,341 in 2001–2002 (see Tables 1 and 2). And while book expenditures per pupil have doubled in the last 12 years—rising by nine percent since 1999–2000 to $8.89—the increase is not enough to keep pace with higher book prices and aging collections. Similarly, total median book spending per school has inched up to $6,000, a paltry increase of less than one percent since our last survey two years ago (see Tables 3–6). Despite the sluggish figures, there are reasons for guarded optimism in other areas of the profession.

Library media specialists continue to provide valuable services, using their information acumen to influence the school's purchase of other resources (see Table 7). Eighty-six percent of respondents, for example, keep teachers abreast of new resources on the market, and more than two-thirds say they offer information-literacy or computer-skills programs that are integrated with the school curriculum. Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed also assist their school curriculum committees, recommending resources and programs. More media specialists are also providing students and teachers with interlibrary loan services—63 percent in the present survey, compared to only 57 percent in 1999–2000. While increases are reported in many library services, two areas have seen a significant decline in activity. Only 36 percent of librarians help parents understand the importance of showing their children the benefits of lifelong learning and reading, a drop of 13 percent, and just one-third plan or conduct workshops to help teachers evaluate, select, and use resources, a decrease of 11 percent.

Since developing quality services and programs involves a great deal of thought, creativity, and planning, the increase in the amount of cooperative planning between librarians and teachers is encouraging (see Table 8). Media specialists in elementary, middle, and high schools report a 13-percent increase in the total number of weekly hours spent planning, from 3.42 hours in 1999–2000 to 3.94 hours in 2001–2002. During this same period, there was also an upturn in total hours spent on formal planning, from .97 hours to 1.24 hours. And school librarians at all levels spent more time in informal planning last year, except in high school media centers, where they spent slightly less time with this activity.

Cooperative planning in elementary schools has increased from 79 percent in 1999–2000 to 87 percent in 2001–2002 for those with flexible schedules. However, those with combination fixed and flexible schedules report a drop in planning time from 82 to 52 percent during the same period. Sixty-seven percent of all elementary library media specialists report formal and informal planning with teachers, an increase from 49 percent in 1999–2000.

Many library media specialists are also participating in leadership activities, which are essential to increasing their influence on the school's instructional program (see Table 9). Almost all respondents say they informally communicate with their principals each week, and 18 percent say they formally meet with them once a week. Of the 77 percent of school librarians who participate in their own professional development leadership activities, 63 percent serve in leadership roles in state, regional, and national associations, and 59 percent serve on state, district, or school curriculum and/or planning committees. Nearly half of respondents prepare and distribute annual reports for the library media program, up from 44 percent in 1999–2000. A total of 19 percent report having established and maintained a library media advisory committee, a key component in collaborating with teachers and cultivating their understanding of the media program.

The growing cooperation between school and public libraries is another noteworthy trend (see Table 10). When asked which, if any, of seven joint public-school library activities they participate in, 25 percent or more of school librarians say they're involved in five out of seven (see Table 10). Sixty percent of respondents indicate that they promote and support summer reading club activities, and one-half say they maintain ongoing communications with the public library through e-mail messages, phone conversations, or faxes. About one-fourth say they distribute and exchange newsletters and promote visits to the public library.

Although a modest 12 percent of schools and six percent of media centers currently use wireless technology, 54 percent of schools and media centers access their online resources via local area networks and 58 percent through wide area networks (see Table 11). The commitment to funding communications tools and software remains strong: purchases of CD-ROMs and software increased by $125 to $800 per media center since 1999–2000 (see Table 12). Online resources are now nearly ubiquitous at most of our nation's schools: nearly 100 percent of students have access to state-funded databases and 91 percent of school librarians say the Internet is available for teaching and learning (see Table 13). Another 87 percent of media specialists use the Web when searching for references or information. At the same time, 81 percent say they seek online help with reading and book selection. The use of distance education and videoconferencing has held at a steady five percent, and audiovisual spending rose by only $51 per school. Even cable television has seen an increase, with 45 percent of media centers and schools using the service to supplement instruction, a 12 percent hike from 1999–2000. By comparison, local broadcast television use among schools and media centers is down to 27 percent, from 55 percent in 1999–2000. The biggest drop on the local level, however, was in Web product spending, which dipped from $2,000 in 1999–2000 to $1,737 in 2001–2002. Although local building funds for online resources have declined, it is important to note that it is now common for districts to purchase many of these resources for local schools. Some 96 percent of all students have access to state-funded electronic databases. In addition to these databases, many students also have access to EBSCO, SIRS Researcher/Discoverer, and InfoTrac (see Table 14).

Most money for school library resources comes from local districts. In addition, about half of the 593 media specialists who responded to our survey say their funding is bolstered by gifts or fund-raising projects, which totaled $1,161 per school last year, down from $1,305 in 1999–2000. About 96 percent of these outside funds help pay for Internet/telecommunications costs, while 70 percent go to Web products, 31 percent to AV/computer equipment, and 20 percent to computer software (see Table 15). Only 25 percent of respondents receive federal funds for media centers, but that money rose to $3,499, a $400 increase since 1999–2000.

While the number of media specialists working in schools remains relatively unchanged from previous surveys, there has been a modest $2,200, or five percent, median salary increase in the last two years (see Table 16). Elementary school librarians earn an average annual salary of $43,000, while those in middle school and high school earn about $48,000. Indeed, middle and high school library media specialists have fared somewhat better, with high school librarians earning $3,500 more than they did in 1999–2000 and middle school librarians earning $3,000 more. These two school levels earn almost $10,000 more than media specialists listed in our "other" category. Years of teaching experience has dropped to 14 years from 20 years in 1999–2000, probably due to the beginning stages of the baby boomers' retirement phase. During the same period, there was a one-year drop in the experience of school librarians, from 13 to 12 years.

Although the median number of media specialists per school remains the same, there are changes in the size of support staff. Middle and senior high school libraries have fewer student assistants than their elementary school counterparts and the same number of support staff and paid clerks as they reported last survey. However, support staff in elementary schools has increased from half time to full time in the typical school. Although all schools may use adult volunteers to some extent, only elementary and middle schools rely on them.

Conclusion

We are sympathetic with those library media specialists who must wince when they see the length of our present surveys—after all, our first report for l981–1982 was a much shorter document. We feel, however, that our research provides the profession with a great deal of information about library media specialists and their work. Many librarians write us notes, thanking us, criticizing us, (but, thankfully, they've filled out the surveys anyway), and sharing good and bad times. Some tell us about their dismal funding, the loss of clerical staff, and the diminution of media programs as their districts decide to assign one media specialist to a number of elementary-school library media centers. Others tell us how great their jobs are, how rewarding it is to be an active, viable part of their school's instructional program, and how good it is to have a job working with young people.

T. S. Eliot noted that he had measured his life in coffee spoons. We have measured a large, rewarding part of our lives for the past 20 years with SLJ's surveys. Thanks to all who have responded.

Would you like to share this survey with other members of your school or district? If so, you can sign up to receive a PDF file of this spending, resources, and services survey by sending an e-mail to sljspecialdelivery@reedbusiness.com. Include your title and the name, address, and phone number of your institution, and whether you are an SLJ subscriber.

Author Information

Marilyn L. Miller is a professor emeritus in the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Marilyn L. Shontz is an associate professor in the School Library Media Program at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ.

Methodology

The results of this nationwide survey are based on a questionnaire mailed in September 2002 to 1,496 school library media specialists selected from a random sampling from SLJ's subscription list. Five hundred ninety-three, or 41 percent, of the surveys were used for data analysis. The number of surveys from elementary, middle, and high schools were almost equally divided. Nine percent of the total number of responses were from private schools.

Each survey was checked for accuracy and then coded and entered into a computer data file. Analysis was done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 11.0 for the PC. Measures of central tendency (means and medians) were produced for all of the expenditures and collection items listed in the survey.

We applied the Chi-square statistical test to leadership activities in Table 9 to the joint public-school library activities listed in Table 10 and found that nine of the 13 leadership activities are statistically significant at the .05 level with the maintenance of ongoing communications with the public library. Our conclusion is that those library media specialists who are communicating with their local public libraries and librarians are also those who are instructional leaders in their schools.

The survey results almost entirely rely on median expenditures rather than on the mean or average expenditures, which can skew the results if some schools report an exceptionally high or low spending rate.

For More Data

Previous surveys have appeared in the following issues of School Library Journal: October 1983, May 1985, June/July 1987, June 1989, August 1991, October 1993, October 1995, October 1997, October 1999, and in October 2001 ("New Money Old Books," pp. 50–60). SLJ has also published specialized technology reports in April 1994, October 1996, May 1998, October 1998, and November 2000.

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