2013

How economic downturn changed carer plans for school library workers
September 2013

Image credit: Library Leadership & Management A new study published in Library Leadership & Management dives into results from a national survey of current library workers regarding their retirement plans, particularly after the economic downturn. Analysis suggests that while more than one-fourth of respondents ages 50-59 and almost three-fourths of respondents in their 60s and […]

Top 5 Unique Tools Loaned by Libraries

September 2013

Image credit: Ann Arbor District Library 1. Thermal leak detector – Ann Arbor District Library (Michigan) 2. Table saw – Berkeley Public Library (California) 3. Hedge shears – Fletcher Free Library (Vermont) 4. Wood carving tool set – Grosse Pointe Public Library (Michigan) 5. Energy meter – Jefferson County Public Library (Colorado) Libraries have been […]

The average copyright year of history/geography books in Colorado’s school libraries is 1995

September 2013

It’s difficult to imagine K-12 schools not teaching students about the tragedies that unfolded on September 11, 2001. Indeed, Colorado K-12 students attending public schools do learn about that day’s events during their history/social studies classes, but they will likely encounter problems if they try to search for additional information about the event in their […]

Kids using computers
September 2013

According to survey results from the 2011-12 National Center for Education Statistics Salary and Staffing Survey, two-thirds of US library media centers in traditional public schools and one-third of public charter schools had at least one paid full-time state-certified library media center specialist. About 20 percent of all public schools with library media centers operated […]

On average, each Colorado resident checked out 12 items from public libraries in 2012.
August 2013

We know that borrowing books is a very important service libraries provide – 80% of Americans say so. But how does this opinion translate into action? In Colorado last year, libraries circulated more than 66 million items, according to the 2012 Annual Public Library Survey. In other words, each Colorado resident checked out an average […]

August 2013

Image credit: Santa Clara County Library District What value does your library provide to users? A recent return on investment (ROI) study of Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD) examined how their community benefited from the library in 5 areas: Enhancing early literacy and youth education Promoting lifelong learning and personal growth Building and bridging […]

23% of U.S. teenagers have a tablet device

July 2013

  In March of this year, the Pew Research Center conducted a study on teenage technology use (http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Teens-and-Tech.aspx ), and found that mobile access to the internet among teens is “pervasive.” According to the study, almost half of teens (47%) own a smartphone, and almost 1 in 4 (23%) own a tablet (which is comparable […]

July 2013

Every year, we conduct a survey of Colorado public school libraries. The results of this survey, which include information about library instruction strategies, collections, web presence, staffing, usage, and budgets, help administrators, school library staff, and other stakeholders with planning and evaluation. These results are also used to market and advocate for school libraries; for […]