http://www.lrs.org/ Research and Statistics about Libraries - School en-us http://www.lrs.org/blog/rss.xml From ALA:
CHICAGO and#8211; At every turn, news reports and research indicate fairly dramatic changes in U.S. library funding, services and staffing and#8211; most occurring in the last 18 months. According to a new report prepared by the American Library Association (ALA), libraries of all types are feeling the pinch of the economic downturn while managing sky-high use.

Compiled from a broad range of available sources, The Condition of Libraries: 1999-2009 presents U.S. economic trends (2009), and summarizes trends in public, school and academic libraries across several library measures, including expenditures, staffing and services. The report also highlights trends in services provided to libraries by library cooperatives and consortia.
[More at: http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2010/january2010/outlook_ors.cfm]


Report: http://www.ala.org/ala/research/initiatives/Condition_of_Libraries_1999.20.pdf
Reports by library type: http://www.ala.org/ala/research/index.cfm
http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=316 Thank you to all 710 respondents to the 2009-10 Colorado School Library Survey. Preliminary data is now available from our school library statistics pages (http://www.lrs.org/school_stats.php). If you responded to the survey, please take a minute to review your data and make sure it is accurate. Respond to us with any changes.

Thanks,
Zeth
-lietzau_z@cde.state.co.us http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=313 A new Fast Facts has been published! This Fast Facts (State's Collaborative Climate Fosters Interlibrary Loan in Colorado) examines interlibrary loan (ILL) use among Colorado's public and academic libraries, as well as how ILL use impacts circulation overall.

Read this Fast Facts by going to our Fast Facts page, or click the title above!

-Jamie http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=310 Letters have been sent to public school libraries throughout the state announcing the opening of the 2009-10 Colorado School Library Survey, open now at http://www.lrs.org/slsurvey. Login information is included in the letter, but if you haven't received your letter and would like to get started, feel free to call LRS at 303-866-6900 to get your information.

-Zeth http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=305 "This report presents selected findings from the library media center data files of the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is a nationally representative sample survey of public, private, and Bureau of Indian Education-funded (BIE) K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The public school sample was designed so that national-, regional-, and state-level elementary, secondary, and combined public school estimates can be made." [From the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)]

National findings from the study include:

* In the 2007-08 school year, 80,100 of the 87,190 traditional public schools had a library media center.

* The majority of all public school library media centers had at least one full-time, paid, state-certified library media center specialist (62 percent).

* In traditional public schools, 57 percent of paid professional library media center staff had a masterand#8217;s degree in a library-related major.

For more findings see the full report, "Characteristics of Public and Bureau of Indian Education Elementary and Secondary School Library Media Centers in the United States: Results from the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey."

Or visit the NCES website at: http://www.nces.ed.gov/
http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=301 Are you curious about the library job market in Colorado? Our latest Fast Facts, Library Jobs in Colorado: What Does LibraryJobline.org Tell Us?, analyzes the job postings on LibraryJobline.org since 2007. Some of the topics discussed are the total number of job postings, job postings by library type, and degree requirements. Read more about the changes (and similarities) over the past few years by clicking on the title above or by going to our Fast Facts page.

-Jamie
http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=295 We asked and you told us! In fact we heard from nearly 2,000 respondents from each of the 50 states and 6 continents when we launched the first 60-Second Survey: "The Value of an MLIS to You." In addition, more than 1,000 respondents left over 56,000 words worth of comments further explaining their thoughts and feelings about the value of an MLIS degree. Clearly, respondents were passionate about this topic and to do it justice we are publishing three Fast Facts: one about the data, one about the comments, and one from an LIS student's perspective.

No. 269 - Is it Worth It? The Perceived Value of an MLIS Degree
No. 270 - In Your Own Words: The Value of an MLIS
No. 271 - What I Learned About the Value of an MLIS Degree: An LIS Student's Perspective

What is the value of an MLIS to you? I encourage you to share your perspective in the comment field.

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=281 From the American Association of School Librarians:

AASL has just launched our third year of the longitudinal study "School Libraries Count!" All K-12 schools, public and private, are invited to participate on a voluntary basis. Past participant's continued involvement is crucial when examining trends over time, as well as new participants so that an accurate reflection of the U.S. educational demographics are represented.

Please spread the word now! Post to your Web site, listservs and blogs! The survey may be accessed directly at http://www.aaslsurvey.org. The last day to complete the survey is March 12.

Thank you for your support.

----------------
~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us
http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=275 The 2008-09 School Library Profiles have been created and are now available for all school libraries that responded to this year's survey. To access them, go to http://www.lrs.org/school/profiles08/index.php.

Thank you to all 830 schools who responded.

-Zeth
lietzau_z@cde.state.co.us http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=271 The 2008-09 School Library Survey closed a few weeks ago, and preliminary results are now available on our school library stats page -- http://www.lrs.org/school_stats.php

If you completed the survey, please take the time to review our data and let us know if you find any discrepancies. We're still working on the 2008-09 School Library Profiles, and will release those in January.

Zeth
lietzau_z@cde.state.co.us http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=266 How critical is reference to the survival of libraries? Should the library profession do more to promote reference services? In less than a minute you can tell us what you think about reference services.

Let us know what you think at: http://surveys.lrs.org/respond.php?sid=50

Why This Topic
The questions on this survey were inspired by a discussion on a national listerv for virtual reference librarians. It was a fascinating discussion with varied opinions being expressed on everything from usage to promotion. Of course, LRS staff were curious about what the folks in library land thought about these issues. So, here is the second LRS 60-Second Survey: Reference Service - Where is it Going?

About 60-Second Surveys
The 60-second surveys are intended to capture respondents' gut-reactions to questions about very specific topics. Intended to take less than a minute of the respondent's time, these are truly quickie surveys. This is not a scientific study, but rather a reader poll-style survey (think online magazine survey).

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=265 At the CAL Conference this week, the Colorado State Library booth will have a "Gaming Zone." Come play Wii video games with CSL staff. Not only will it be fun, but the LRS Research Fellows have compiled research on the connection between gaming and literacy, tips on how to create a gaming program at your library, and more. Come discuss and learn about the possibilities of gaming programs at the library.

Wii hope to see you there!

-Jamie
http://www.lrs.org/blog/viewitem.php?post=258