School Library ScenarioThe school district has been seeking additional cuts in its budget, following three years of reduced revenue. It is proposing to close the libraries in two schools near the town’s public library.

AudienceSchool Library Board

Probable ScenarioBoth school libraries will stay open, but they will share one librarian. There will be a partnership formed with the local public library to fill in gaps.

Possible ScenarioBoth libraries will close and no formal relationship gets established with the local public library to supplement services.

Preferable ScenarioWe are able to increase library revenue and decrease expenses through a partnership with the local public library, allowing both school libraries to stay open.

Ways to Increase Library Revenue Book fairs through Scholastic or Anderson Books Book sales - selling donated books Increasing fines for overdue books Private donations Apply for the Department of Education’s new Innovative

Approaches to Literacy Program Grant via www.grants.gov (there are about 30 grants available in the $150,000 to $750,000 range)

Bonds? Forming partnerships with local businesses?

Ways to Decrease Library Expenses Build up a team of volunteers Decrease redundancies with local public library by

cancelling database and periodical subscriptions, ie: Novelist K-12 subscription $400/year

For in-school reading programs, instead of buying the books for the kids, borrow them from the public library (may need to use interlibrary loan as well)

Collaboration with other school districts to leverage purchases

Buying paperback books instead of hardcover books Reduce collection acquisition and rely more on the public

library Email overdue notices to students and/or parents instead of

mailing them to save on postage

Ways to work with the public library Have a librarian from the public library come to each of the

classrooms at both schools to speak to the kids about the various programs and resources that are available to supplement what is available at their school library

Create marketing materials to be sent home to parents letting them know about the complementary services the public library offers and encouraging them to get their kids to the library as often as possible

Sign all the kids up for public library cards Establish a fun and engaging reading event at the public

library for the kids at the public schools Deliveries of public library materials to supplement the

public school collections Middle school booktalks Outreach to school groups Shuttle busses between schools and libraries Homework support

Bibliography

Farmer, Lesley and Marilyn Shontz. Despite the recession, media specialists are making the best of a bad situation. SLJ. April 1, 2009. Web. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6648082.html

Ham, Stephanie. Tag-Team Librarianship: Partnerships between public and school libraries work well sometimes, but not alwaysSLJ. http://www.slj.com/2012/07/opinion/letters-to-slj/tag-team-librarianship-partnerships-between-public-and-school-libraries-work-well-sometimes-but-not-always-letters/Miller, Rebecca T. and Laura Girmscheid.  It Takes Two: The Need for Tighter Collaboration Between School and Public Librarians. SLJ. May 1, 2012. Web. http://www.slj.com/2012/05/budgets-funding/it-takes-two-the-need-for-tighter-collaboration-between-school-and-public-librarians/

Whelan, Debrah Lau. DOE Finally Opens Federal School Library Grant Application Process. SLJ. July 12, 2012. Web. http://www.slj.com/2012/07/budgets-funding/doe-finally-opens-federal-school-library-grant-application-process/

Article Link

http://www.tandfonline.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/doi/abs/10.1080/1072303X.2011.580646

Hi guys, Sorry I missed the first meeting. Meantime I talked to our library director who teaches School Library coursework and emailed my friend who is a school librarian. Here are their thoughs.

The School Librarian: Although the shared library scenario seems a great deal, it is a LOT of work for the librarian.  In the position I’m currently in, I operate two small school libraries (both about the size of the curriculum library at VCSU) and teach classes to grades PreK-5. I know you know how hard running a library is (even a small one), so I don’t need to tell you running two is a great deal of work.  For a while, in my two schools (before I came here), they also tried a Bookmobile for the smaller of the two schools. Truthfully, if I were in such a situation, I would research like crazy to find some facts proving how very important libraries are to a student’s success, get some parents on board, and speak at as many School Board meetings as possible to keep the libraries and librarians and look for other ways we can save some money—maybe each teacher gets a little less for supplies or we come up with a fundraising activity like a book fair to cover some of the expenses.

As far as the public library goes, it’s a great idea in theory and I DO use the public library a lot both for lessons and personal use. However, you have to take into account that either you’re going to have to bus or walk the kids to the public library or somehow get a list of the books the kids want and bring them back (which I do once in a while if there’s a book a student wants that we don’t have).  I wonder if it’s worth the extra stress on the person (this would create MUCH more work and headache for him/her) and extra time it takes to move kids.Director: She said that if she were the school librarian in this situation, she would fight to keep both libraries open and here are her key points to make the case:

Role of school libraries in a community and social economic balance.

o School libraries provide social economic balance by providing access & convinience to resources that some of the kids can’t afford. e.g Some families don’t

have computers at home, some families don’t have a car or time to drive the kid around.

Collections of school libraries is completely different than the public libraries. Similar to Academic libraries differ from public libraries.

These collections support the school curriculums and teachers

One important aspect is that school librarians are teachers too! They teach classes along with the other teachers. Sometimes they have to teach part time english in addition to Library literature classes and running the school library.

Student performance is tied to the school librarian “kids that school librarians help them do better”

If you close the libraries, who is going to help the students? Most of the time public libraries are not equipped to do what school librarians do. You still have to hire someone to fulfill the responsibilities

Merging libraries could cost you more because of the work & resources involved in it. You have to hire people to combine the collections, build relationship with schools. And you have to buy new materials to support the school curriculums. Someone has to build relationships with the school teachers

Suggested Readings for "defense" of school libraries!http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA377858.htmlWhy is that so important?“This is significant because the school library has been very clearly perceived to be a passive space where students go to get information. But libraries are more than a point of exchange to get books and Web sites. That's a passive notion. This study shows that school libraries are actively engaged as learning instructional centers to develop intellectual scaffolds for students and to help them engage with information meaningfully to construct their own understanding of the topic they're [studying]”Do school and public libraries need to collaborate more closely to get older students interested in reading?

School and public libraries are functioning as separate entities and need closer collaboration and dialogue to provide a much more holistic information service. Students should use public libraries in addition to school libraries as part of the information chain.

http://www.ilfonline.org/clientuploads/AIME/ILF_Position_Report_School_Librarians.pdf

What does a School Librarian Do? A School Librarian is a teacher, an instructional partner, an information specialist, and a program administrator.• As teacher, the library media specialist collaborates with students and other members of thelearning community to analyze learning and information needs, to locate and use resources that will meet those needs, and to understand and communicate the information the resources provide.• As instructional partner, the library media specialist joins with teachers and others to identifylinks across student information needs, curricular content, learning outcomes, and a widevariety of print, nonprint, and electronic information resources.• As information specialist, the library media specialist provides leadership and expertise inacquiring and evaluating information resources in all formats; in bringing an awareness ofinformation issues into collaborative relationships with teachers, administrators, students, andothers; and in modeling for students and others strategies for locating, accessing, andevaluating information within and beyond the library media center.• As program administrator, the library media specialist works collaboratively with members of

the learning community to define the policies of the library media program and to guide anddirect all activities related to it.

Hey all!

Here is an interesting article that I found that really relates to what we are doing for this project. Essentially, this article discusses “Getting the Story Out” to school administrators (jackpot!!)Foote, Carolyn. "Data Delivery: Getting The Story Out." Internet@Schools 19.4 (2012): 26-27. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.Some of the key points include:

Administrators do not want to be overwhelmed by data - they are short on time, so they just want the bottom-line, big picture facts.

Consider both what the data is trying to convey and the intended audience.  How does the audience prefer to receive the data - in a report, in a multimedia presentation, etc?  The data is truly only as relevant/important as the story that is behind it.  In this way, the author advocates for really examining the data and crafting the right message. Ask questions like: Do we want to focus on the entire school year, or a certain event or program? Is our data too overwhelming and not enough focused on the human side of our students?  How can school librarians use social media throughout the school year to continually publicize the library story?

Some administrators suggested that they would like to be involved from the ground up in creating the library story with the school librarian

The six criteria to utilize in order to make an idea stick with the intended audience and impact them: “simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotion, and

story.”  Also focus on boiling the data down to how it affects the average person.

From the article, “A collection of innovative reports can be found at http://schoollibrarywebsites.wikispaces.com/Reports. These examples provide an excellent jumping-off point for consideration, using various media, including video (Animoto), newsletters, charts, and infographies.”

Never forget that it is not so much about the library or librarian as it is about the student - and this should be evident in any message conveyed.

More research/statistics on the impact of school libraries on student achievement/performance:Lance, Keith Curry, and Linda Hofschire. "Something To Shout About. (Cover Story)." School Library Journal 57.9 (2011): 28-33. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.The article above uses facts/statistics to illustrate how the current recession and implications of cutting school library programs will affect the students.  Has some nice charts we can maybe use as well.Key findings include:

Based upon a National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Study conducted from In a 2004-2009,National Center for Education Statistics Study 19 out of 26 states that gained school librarians realized a 2.2% gain in National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading test scores of fourth graders, as compared to an average 1% gain in 9 of 24 schools that lost librarians.  The importance here is the ratio: gains in test scores are 2:1 between schools that gained librarians vs. those that lost librarians.

School libraries/librarians can be viewed as having a direct impact upon student learning and achievement upon considering that for some students (especially those at the poverty level), the school library is the only access they have to “books, instruction, and reading advisory”

“Our study showed that the percent change in the number of school librarians from 2004-2005 to 2008- 2009 was significantly and positively correlated with the percent change in the reading scores for all groups except for black students (see Table 3). This means that when the percentage of school librarians increased, a percent increase was also seen in reading scores for all students, whether poor, Hispanic, or ELL.” (p .31).

They were able to isolate the variable of school librarians, effectively proving that even when schools lose other teachers/staff, it is the loss of the school librarian that directly impacts student test performance.

Student achievement is cumulative, meaning that losses one year severely impact and put students behind in subsequent years.

Lance, K. C. “What Research Tells Us About the Importance of School Libraries.” Knowledge Quest v. 31 no. 1 (September/October 2002 supp) p. 17-22. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.This article examines the question: “how do improvements in school libraries contribute to such student progress?”Insights based upon studies in six states: Alaska, Pennsylvania, Colorado (2000) and Oregon and Iowa (2001) and New Mexico (2002).The original Colorado study indicated “that the size of the library in terms of its staff and its collection is a direct predictor of reading scores.  The amount of test score variation explained by this school library size factor ranged from five to fifteen percent across various elementary and secondary grades while controlling for a variety of other school and community differences.” In plain English, test scores increased by 5-15% in direct correlation with larger libraries, with all other factors being equal. (p. 17).“Indirect predictors of achievement included the presence of a professionally trained librarian who plays an active instructional role and higher levels of spending on the school library.” (p. 17).

In the six studies, Lance examined the following factors: school library development which is inclusive of “the ratios of professionals and total staff to students, a variety of per student collection ratios, and per student spending on the school library. When school libraries have higher levels of professional and total staffing, larger collections of print and electronic resources, and more funding, students tend to earn higher scores on state reading tests”(p. 18).Leadership - school librarians who are leaders (meet often with principal, participate in faculty meetings, help establish standards and curriculum, and engage with library colleagues in the building, district, and field) have more of a dramatic impact upon student achievement.Collaboration amongst school librarians and classroom teachers also positively affects student learning.Technology- “In our recent studies, we have found that in schools where computer networks provide remote access to library resources, particularly the Web and licensed databases, test scores tend to be higher” (p. 21).The above-mentioned research studies were purposefully designed to control for a variety of school and community differences including: “characteristics of teachers, such as their levels of education, experience, and compensation; the teacher-pupil ratio; and total per pupil expenditures (school differences) and “poverty, minority demographics, and adult educational attainment (community differences). (p. 22).

Krashen, Stephen. The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research. 2nd ed. Libraries Unlimited, 2004.

Strikingly genius in its simplicity, Krashen compiles research from hundreds of studies all in support of free voluntary reading or FVR.  Effectively, Krashen has proven that FVR, or reading simply for the purposes of intrinsic enjoyment, entails the best way for students to amass a multitude of skills including reading

comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, spelling improvement, and overall increased literacy and command of language.  He argues that FVR leads to greater gains in language and literacy development than direct instruction focusing upon teaching phonics and phonetic awareness.In my opinion, it is up to school librarians to embrace this research and to share it with teachers, administrators, and parents.  It is evident that we are all living in a culture of assessment, so having comprehensible, unambiguous proof at our fingertips that quality school libraries are a direct link to improving testing scores remains an inestimable weapon in our arsenal. Reading is clearly a self-fulfilling prophesy; in actuality, it is an organic process that gives rise to its own reward. Furthermore, it only takes that one unforgettable reading experience, that one "home run book," as Krashen calls it, to create a lifelong reader.Here is some evidence from the text:Better school libraries (in terms of larger collections and longer hours) cause students to read more.  Case in point, in a 1984 study conducted by Houle and Montmarquette, “Increasing the supply of books by 20 percent…increases the number of books taken out by 10 percent, and increasing library hours about 20 percent increases loans by17 percent in high school libraries and about 3.5 percent in elementary school libraries” (Krashen, 59).However, simply providing access to library materials is not enough to ensure success - other factors are involved including physical environment and more importantly professional library staff.Children get a majority of their reading material from libraries.  In the following studies, the percent of books for 11-year old kids originating from the school library is staggering:Doig and Blackmoore, 1995, School lib= 63%Worth, Moorman, and Turner, 1999 Low SES, School lib=34%Ivey and Broaddhus, 2001, School lib=55% (Krashen, 64)According to Mellon 1987, “Almost 90%” of ninth graders reported the school library as their chief source for books (Krashen, 65).

“Elley and Mangubhai (1979; reported in Elley 1984) found that the most important predictor of English reading scores among children in the Fiji Islands was the size of the school library. ‘Those schools with libraries of more than 400 books produced consistently higher mean scores than those with smaller libraries or none at all…no school had high test scores without a large library’ (p.293)” (Krashen 66).School libraries, more bang for your buck!! Lance, Welborn, and Hamilton-Pennell (1993) discovered “that money invested in school libraries in Colorado was associated with higher reading scores, even when factors such as poverty and availability of computers were controlled. Lance and his colleagues have replicated these results in Colorado and in several other states, showing that library quality, defined in terms of number of books in the library and the presence and quality of library staffing is consistently related to reading achievement” (Krashen 66).Various other studies have indicated that school libraries are consistent predictors of success on NAEP reading scores.  The availability of a print rich environment, quality staff, and number of books in the library collection factor into this measure.Finally, Krashen advocates for diverting a small portion of funds earmarked for technology and testing to be spent on school libraries.  An interesting proposal that he makes concerns taking the $5.3B spent on No Child Left Behind between 2002 and 2008and “invest[ing][ it] instead in a trust fund for school libraries, dedicated to improving both books and staffing in high poverty area schools? The interest on this sum might be enough to guarantee a print-rich environment and adequate libraries for all children in the United States forever…” (Krashen, 77)…..Could we propose something similar?????

Courtney

Hi, I’ve been looking up budget numbers and am not coming up with too much that’s interesting. I’m not sure how much of the library’s overhead (space, utilities, etc.) is picked up by the school and how much is allocated in the library’s budget. Since we make up our own numbers, I think that we can use these just as guidelines. I’m still working these up but wanted to add a preliminary post.

Farmer, Leslie. 2012. Brace Yourself: SLJ’s School Library Spending Survey Shows the Hard Times Aren’t Over, and Better Advocacy Is Needed. School Library Journal, March 1. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/newsletters/newsletterbucketextrahelping2/893538-477/brace_yourself_sljs_school_library.html.csp“Fortunately, some materials and services, such as periodicals and technology, were funded from other budgets at the local, district, and state levels. In addition, almost all states provided school libraries with statewide database subscriptions.”2011 stats from the School Library Journal school library spending survey:Median middle school library budget = $7,500Median salary of head public school librarians = $55,000Average middle school enrollment = 753Expenditure per student = $9.57One-third of middle schools have adult volunteersTwo-thirds of middle schools use student helpers, average of 6 student volunteersMiddle school librarians’ top tasks: teaching (86%), tech troubleshooting (64%), faculty development (46%), tutoring (17%), managing textbooks (12%), network maintenance (5%), other duties (29%)Average 13,000 print titles (400 reference), add 243 annually, book budget of $6,000 a year>90% funding for online resources is from local school boardsComputer hardware = (average) $1,182, two-thirds of the funds came from local school boards; federal funding accounted for about 10%, and the rest was fund-raised.To advocate for funds, present “quantitative records of library usage (including records of circulation, individual and class visits, and space use), lessons taught, time spent on technology, staff requests, and student programs, links to library materials that support the school curriculum, evidence of the impact on student achievement, and a record of the increased cost of materials, items lost, extra duties performed, and tasks

that can’t be done because of limited staffing or funds”_____________Farmer, Leslie. 2011. “SLJ’s Spending Survey: As the economy limps along and federal dollars dwindle, school librarians are turning into resourceful survivors.”  School Library Journal, March 1. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/889109-427/sljs_spending_survey_as_the.html.csp

_____________________________American Library Association. 2011. School Libraries Count: National Longitudinal Survey of School Library Programs. Chicago: American Association of School Librarians. http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/researchandstatistics/slcsurvey/2011/AASL-SLC-2011-FINALweb.pdfQuantifies use of school libraries___________________Baltimore County Public Schools, Office of Library Information Services. 2004. Budget Planning Guide for School Library Media Specialists. www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin/budgetplanguide.doc

Budget should include (for example):SalariesLibrary books and media

Classroom supplies and equipment <$1000SubscriptionsFurniture and equipment (replacement)Furniture and equipment (additional )Contracted services (e.g., repairs to computer or audiovisual equipment)Software license fees_______________________Additional Resources

American Association of School Librarians crisis toolkit: http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslissues/toolkits/crisisSchool libraries’ impact studies: http://www.lrs.org/impact.php

--Maureen

Meuer, William G. “a jewel in the rough: resurrecting an elementary school library.” Teacher Librarian 32, no. 3 (February 2005): 62-63. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, EBSCOhost.

http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=16251599&site=ehost-live

This article provides a great narrative example of what a Chicago Public School library did in order to match the money they received in a grant. They started a Birthday Book Club, a program the school I work at also does, where students can donate to the library and pick a book off of a catalogue compiled by the school librarian. Alumni, families, businesses and community members also became involved (holiday gifts to school, made in memory of alumni or family members, made in pets or grandparents names) and the school was able to raise

thousands of dollars for the library and match the money given to them in the grant.

A birthday book club, or a similar program in our library could be a great way to fundraise for the library.

-julie

_______________________________________________________________

Hi,

I attended ISLMA’s (IL School Library Media Association) conference this weekend and got some good ideas.

IDEAS TO INCREASE LIBRARY FUNDS1. We need to get our PTOs (Parent Teacher Organization) involved. We should present all of the statistics about the importance of school libraries (like the ones Courtney provided) to the PTO and ask for their support. They often have decent sized accounts with money that needs to get spent (instead of sitting around collecting dust) and might be willing to off-set some of the library expenses to keep both libraries open. They also have a lot pull and might be able to persuade the school board to keep the libraries open after hearing about the importance of school libraries. Finally, they might be willing to create and operate a “Save Our Library” fundraiser with the resources (both financial and manpower) that they have available. So, we need to allign ourselves with the PTOs at both schools!

2. Another librarian I heard speak mentioned that she had practically no budget at all. So, she went around to local

businesses to get donations and it worked! We could create some marketing materials (brochures, bookmarks) and go around to the local businesses in the commmunity with some facts about the library and their importance and how the libraries at the two schools might close and what we feel those implications would be. We could ask for a tax-deductible donation of $100 from these businesses to increase funds.

PUBLIC AND SCHOOL LIBRARIES WORKING TOGETHER1. So many of the schools at this conference were working together with their public librarians and discussed how important that relationship is. Many school use the public libraries for inter-library loan to supplement their collections and have the public librarians come to the schools to speak to their students about the databases and resources that are available for the kids to use to complete projects and assignements. Because most school libraries don’t stay open late into the evening, the kids are going to the public libraries to do homework and get information. Plugging into the resources that are available at the public library are in everyone’s best interest to supplement what happens during the day at the school library. Also, the public librarians like to know about upcoming school projects so they can reserve books on specific topics that might benefit the kids. For example, if there is an upcoming project on natural disasters if the public librarians know this in advance and know that they will have a large number of students coming in the evenings to get books they can pull out resources in advance for the students to choose from. Also, they can get interlibrary loan books in advance to have at the ready on this topic when the kids come in.

DATABASES THAT MANY SCHOOLS HAVE THAT “OUR” LIBRARIES COULD ELIMINATE TO SAVE MONEY (AND USE THEM AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY INSTEAD)

1. GALE CENGAGE LEARNING (LITERATURE RESOURCE CENTER DATABASE, CLIC: WORLD HISTORY DATABASE). I SPOKE TO ONE LIBRARIAN WHO TOLD ME THE SUITE OF GALE RESOURES (THERE ARE MORE THAN THE TWO I LISTED) COSTS ABOUT $1,300/YEAR. www.gale.com2. PROQUEST LEARNING DATABASE www.proquestk12.com3. EBSCO (Biography Reference Center, NovelList, eBooks on EBSCOhost, K-8 Resources Databases)

**All of these subscriptions are at least $1,200/year. So, our theoretical schools could have subcriptions to some of these that they decide to cancel because the public library has the same or something similar that the kids can use and will come to the schools to teach the kids during classtime how to use the different databases that are available when they come to the public library.

SCHOOL LIBRARY IMPORTANCE STATISTICSI got a whole book entitled “Powerful Libraries Make Powerful Learners: The Illinois Study from 2005. It is FILLED with statistics and information about the importance of school libraries. However, I think the stats that Courtney provided are great. If we feel like we need more, I can always pull some great things out of this study, but for now it seems like we are covered here.

NEW GRANT AVAILABLEThere is a new grant available to provide libraries with free nonfiction books that our libraries could apply for to reduce expenses on nonfiction books. It is called the LBSS Endowment Fund. www.lbssfund.org/index.htm

READING PROGRAM WITH THE PUBLIC LIBRARYThis idea is based on a program I implemented at a middle school I did my practicum at last semester. While I did it solely

within the public school I was working at, we could easily work the public library into the equation....

Create a peer book advisory program for the students of of our two schools in an effort to create tools for them to use in selecting books when they come to the PUBLIC library based on their peers' recommendations. Poll the students when they come to the school libraries, asking them to write down their favorite book along with three descriptive sentences stating why they would recommend this book to a friend. Compile the results of these inquiries and use them to create a variety of tools for the students to use when they go to the public library.These tools include:1. Bookmarks, by grade, with a list of the peer recommendations2. Displays, by grade, in the library with a list of all the books selected and who recommended each of them along with the actual displayed books and a description of the book along with the students' descriptive statements3. Bulletin boards outside the school and public libraries marketing the program and inviting the students to the public library to check out the books that their friends recommended.4. A PowerPoint presentation which will loop on the monitor in the YA section of the public library with a photo of the child holding up the book of their choice along with their descriptive sentences about the bookAt this developmental stage, children are very interested in their peers' opinions and ideas. Creating this program will give them an opportunity to learn about the books their friends like, get new book ideas and hopefully open up a line of discussion among friends about their various book suggestions and get them going to the public library so that, while there, they will check out peer recommended books plus utilize the other resources that are available at the public library (but no longer at the school libraries like databases for projects that were eliminated at the schools due to budget cuts).

For more information on collaborations between public and school libraries:

MacDonald, Cynthia. "Public Libraries + School Libraries = Smart Partnerships." CSLA Journal 30.2 (2007): 11-12.For tips on working with cooperatively with fellow librarians (School and Public together):

Ziarnik, Natalie Reif. School & Public Libraries: Developing the Natural Alliance. Chicago: American Library Association, 2003.

Leah