Employing School Librarians: What Decision-Makers Tell Us

Authors

Keith Curry Lance
Debra Kachel
Caitlin Gerrity

Abstract

• Although research has shown that having a school librarian benefits students, positions are being cut in schools across the U.S.
• SLIDE: The School Librarian Investigation: Decline or Evolution? examined federal data on school library staffing and interviewed 49 district leaders about their decisions to eliminate or add librarian positions.
• The interviewees reported 54 total decisions related to changes in librarian staffing, 28 of which resulted in librarian increases and 26 of which resulted in librarian decreases.
• Decisions to add or eliminate positions generally related to changes in district priorities.
• Leaders value librarians' role in providing information literacy instruction and support, but some had to allocate resources to other positions.
• When making staffing decisions, leaders need to consider what benefits librarians offer and how to meet student and staff needs for information and media literacy.

Recommended Citation

Lance, Keith Curry; Kachel, Debra; and Gerrity, Caitlin (2024) "Employing School Librarians: What Decision-Makers Tell Us," Learning Hub: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/learning-hub/vol1/iss1/1