There are somewhere around 80 thousand schools with library media centers (SLMC) according to the latest published data. These are important libraries but we know little about them from these data. There are under 10,000 public libraries and under 4,000 academic libraries so a universe survey is possible: that is, each can be surveyed. With the SLMC, it is necessary to draw samples from the population and those samples will results in estimates of the characteristics of all SLMCs in the US from those samples and resultant calculations. The publications listed here are those published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES.) The dates of the formal publications focused on the SLMC here range from 1974 through 2013. The 1974 publication was another found at the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and was published under the Library General Information Survey (LIBGIS) program, a predecessor library collection effort by NCES but the only one I have found so far. That means there are earlier data from NCES not available via their Website. Their job is not to archive library data, that should be up to librarians and perhaps the ICPSR. LIBGIS is the past; what about the present?
Here is a brief description via NCES [accessed on November 19, 2022] on the Library Statistics Program (in part:)
Elementary/secondary public school library media centers data and information from 1993-94 through 2011-12 can be accessed on the Schools and Staffing Survey website. More recent data can be found in this National Teacher and Principal Survey table.
The Schools and Staffing Survey Website is currently here: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass/ and the National Teacher and Principal Survey table mentioned is here: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/tables/ntps1516_20180119002_s1n.asp. This latter link is to a table available in two Excel formatted spreadsheets that can be downloaded, one is the estimates of a number of variables and the second is a spreadsheet of the standard errors of those estimates. Those two tables are included below in the first listed item.
The data on these libraries, then, now appear in larger publications and it looks like a table here or a table there. However, the National Teacher and Principal Survey has a search block and one can search for school libraries, say, and find detailed drill downs on these larger publications. The Excel tables mentioned were found this way. So, this might be a way to find newer data. It is not ideal but it is not bad as far as I can see. It may be a reasonable compromise if the search mechanism is as good as my brief experience suggests.
Surveying all the School Library Media Centers is a difficult problem and typically, NCES has sampled them and issued reports. These are the publications I have found or identified.
| Type of publication | File type | Title | File name | File size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extracted Table | .xlsx | Table 701.10. Selected statistics on public school libraries/media centers, by level of school: Selected years, 1999-2000 through 2011-12 | tabn701.10.xlsx | 32.8 KB | SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Library Media Center Questionnaire," 1999-2000, 2003-04, 2007-08, and 2011-12; and "Charter School Questionnaire," 1999-2000. (This table was prepared September 2023.). I received a warning that “The data could not be loaded completely because the maximum number of columns per sheet was exceeded.” That warning may be a quirk of my set up or maybe a problem for anyone. |
| Extracted Table | .xlsx | Table 701.15. Number and percentage of public and private schools with libraries/media centers and average number of staff per library/media center, by staff type and employment status...: School Year 2020-21 | tabn701.15.xlsx | 33.2 KB | SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School Data File,” 2020-21, and “Private School Data File,” 2020-21. (This table was prepared April 2023.) I received a warning that “The data could not be loaded completely because the maximum number of columns per sheet was exceeded.” That warning may be a quirk of my set up or maybe a problem for anyone. |
| Extracted Table | .xlsx | Table 24. Number and percentage of private schools that had library media centers, by school level and selected school characteristics: United States, 2017–18 | TABLE24fl1718.xlsx | 23.2 KB | SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 2017–18. |
| NCES Handbook of Survey Methods | SASS School Library Media Center Survey (SLS) | sls.pdf | 27.0 KB (total) | Updated August 2018 | |
| Extracted Table | .xls | Table 701.30. Selected statistics on public school libraries/media centers, by state: 2011-12 | tabn701.30.xls | 70.1 KB | SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Library Media Center Questionnaire," 2011-12. (This table was prepared December 2013.) |
| First Look | Characteristics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Library Media Centers in the United States: Results from the 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey | 2013315.pdf | 947.7 KB (total) | [August 2013] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey |
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| Extracted Table | .xlsx | Table 7. Percentage of library media centers that reported having computer workstations for student and/or staff use and percentage that reported providing student access to online...: 2011-12 | sass1112_2013315_m1n_007.xlsx | 13.5 KB | This is Table 7 on page 12 of the Characteristics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Library Media Centers in the United States...here at: 2013315.pdf |
| Extracted Table | .xlsx | Table 8. Percentage of library media centers that were available for independent student use during specific times, and percentage distribution of library media centers with various types of scheduling for classes...: 2011–12 | sass1112_2013315_m1n_008.xlsx | 14.0 KB | This is Table 8 on page 13 of the Characteristics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Library Media Centers in the United States...here at: 2013315.pdf |
| Extracted Table | .xlsx | Table A-8. Standard errors for Table 8: Percentage of library media centers that were available for independent student use during specific times, and percentage distribution of library media centers..: 2011–12 | sass1112_2013315_m1n_008se.xlsx | 14.1 KB | This is Table A-8 on page A-9 (Appendix A) or page 51. of the Characteristics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Library Media Centers in the United States...here at: 2013315.pdf |
| Spreadsheet | .xlsx | Number of schools with a library media center and number of full–time and part–time school technology specialists and librarians/library media specialists, by selected school characteristics: 2015–16 | ntps1516_20180119002_s1n.xlsx ntps1516_20180119002_s1n_SE.xlsx |
17KB (total) | August 2013 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), "Public School Data File," 2015–16. |
| Extracted Tablet | .xls | Table 427. Selected statistics on public school libraries/media centers, by level of school: 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2007-08 | tabn427.xls | 42.5 KB | SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), “Public School Library Media Center Questionnaire,” 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2007-08; and “Charter School Questionnaire,” 1999-2000. (This table was prepared November 2009.) |
| First Look | 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 | 2009322.pdf | 1.2MB | June 2009 NCES 2009-322 |
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| Documentation for the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey | ED565839.pdf | 4.9 MB | June 2010 NCES 2010-332 |
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| First Look | 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 | 2009322.pdf | 1.2MB | June 2009 NCES 2009-322 |
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| Extracted Table | .xls | Table 1. Number of schools that reported having library media centers, by school type and selected school characteristics: 2007-2008 | sass0708_2009322_l1n_01.xls | 28.7 KB | This is Table 1 on page 6 of the Characteristics of Public and Bureau of Indian Education...here at: 2009322.pdf |
| Extracted Table | .xls | Table 2. Number and percentage distribution of library media centers that reported having full-time or part-time, state-certified, paid professional library media center specialists..:.2007-08 | sass0708_2009322_l1n_02.xls | 34.3 KB | This is Table 2 on page 7 of the Characteristics of Public and Bureau of Indian Education...here at: 2009322.pdf |
| Extracted Table | .xls | Table 6. Percentage of library media centers that reported having computer workstations and provided students access to online, licensed databases, by school type and selected school characteristics: 2007-08 | sass0708_2009322_l1n_06.xls | 32.8 KB | This is Table 6 on page 11 of the Characteristics of Public and Bureau of Indian Education...here at: 2009322.pdf |
| Documentation for the 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey | 2007337.pdf | 5.5 MB | January 2007 NCES 2007-337 |
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| Fast Response Survey | Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-2005 | 2007020.pdf | 659 KB | November 2006 NCES 2007-020 |
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| E.D. TAB | Characteristics of Schools, Districts, Teachers, Principals, and School Libraries in the United States, 2003-04 | 2006313.pdf | 1.3 MB | March 2005 NCES 2006-313 REVISED School and Staffing Survey |
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| America’s Public School Libraries: 1953-2000 | 2005324.pdf | 768 KB | March 2005 NCES 2005-324 School and Staffing Survey |
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| Fifty Years of Supporting Children’s Learning: A History of Public School Libraries and Federal Legislation From 1953 to 2000) | 2005311.pdf | 820 KB | March 2005 NCES 2005-311 School and Staffing Survey |
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| ED Tab | School Library Media Centers: Selected Results From the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002) The Education Longitudinal Study 2002 has a separate Website. This is one publication of many from that study and, I believe, the only one related to SLMCs. |
2005302.pdf | 882 KB | December 2004 NCES 2005302 |
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| 1999–2000 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) Data File User’s Manual. | 2004303.pdf | 1.4 MB | November 2004 NCES 2004-303 161 numbered pages, 180 total pages. |
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| Extracted Table | .xls | Table 46: Of schools with library media centers, percentage with space for a full class of students at one time, for other activities concurrent with a full class...: 1999-2000 | sass_2004_46.xls | 21.5 KB | I have not yet found the volume from which this table has been extracted. The note says: SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey, 2003-04, Public School, BIA School, Public School |
| ED Tab | The Status of Public and Private School Library Media Centers in the United States: 1999-2000 | 2004313.pdf | 611 KB | March 2004 NCES 2004313 |
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| Extracted Table | Table 418.—Selected statistics on public school library/media centers, by state: 1999–2000 | table418.pdf | 16.0 KB | SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), “Public School Library Media Center Questionnaire,” 1999–2000; and “Public Charter School Questionnaire,” 1999–2000, unpublished data. (This table was prepared October 2002.) | |
| Documentation | Documentation to the NCES Common Core of Data Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey, 1999-2000 | psu99gen.pdf | 333 KB | 92? pages no date of publication. |
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| Technical Report | Evaluation of Definitions and Analysis of Comparative Data for the School Library Statistics Program | 98267.pdf | 535 KB | September 1998 NCES 98-267 |
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| Technical Report | School Library Media Centers, 1993-94 | 98282.pdf | 1,068 KB | August 1998 NCES 98-282 |
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| Working Paper Series | Response Variance in the 1993-94 Schools and Staffing Survey: A Reinterview Report | 9802.pdf | 177.5 KB | January 1998 NCES 98-02 |
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| Extracted Table | .xls | Table 417.—Selected statistics on public school library/media centers, by state: 1993–94 | table417.pdf | 97.3 KB | August 1997 Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey, 1993–94, unpublished data. (This table was prepared August 1997.) NOTE: the next item has what appears to be the same data in PDF format. |
| Extracted Table | Table 417.—Selected statistics on public school library/media centers, by state: 1993–94 | Table417.xls | 16.0 KB | August 1997 Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey, 1993–94, unpublished data. (This table was prepared August 1997.) NOTE: the next item has what appears to be the same data in .xls format. |
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| Access, Participation. and Progress | School library media center resources | 98006.pdf |
112.2 KB | [1997] [from? The Condition of Education, 1997. Data seem to be from the 1993-94 school year. 12 pages |
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| Technical/Methodology Report | 1993–94 Schools and Staffing Survey: Sample Design and Estimation/td> | 96089.pdf |
1.4 MB | October 1996 177 numbered pages, 189 total pages |
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| User's Manual | Schools and Staffing Survey; 1993-1994 Schools and Staffing Survey: Data File User's Manual, Volume 1: Survey Documentation | 96142.pdf |
2.2 MB | October 1996 690 pages |
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| Issue Brief | Libraries/Media Centers in Schools: Are There Sufficient Resources? | 95779.pdf |
18.4 KB | July 1995 NCES 95-779 11 pages |
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| Statistical Analysis Report Schools and Staffing Survey |
School Library Media Centers in the United States, 1990-91 | Available from GPO? Ordering information. |
November 1994 NCES 94326 |
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| Data file? | Survey of Public and Private School Libraries and Media Centers, 1985 | Not available | Identified at ICPSR ICPSR 2227, 2002 |
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| Data file | PDF ASCII ASCII ASCII |
Library General Information Survey (LIBGIS) I: Public School Libraries/Media Centers, Fall 1974 (documentation) Data file SAS program SPSS program |
cb2225.pdf da2225.txt sa2225.txt sp2225.txt |
1,221 KB 1,847 KB 29 KB 31 KB |
ICPSR 2225 Mar |