SLJ’s Spending Survey: As the economy limps along and federal dollars dwindle, school librarians are turning into resourceful survivors

Via Scoop.it – Student Learning through School Libraries

The 2010 data collected as part of School Library Journal’s annual survey of school expenditures and collections for 2009–2010 shows that “librarians have used a variety of coping techniques to weather this economic storm, whether it’s servicing more than one school, using additional volunteers, taking on more tasks, or seeking outside funding.” Researcher and author, Lesley farmer also presents some interesting insights into the way our work in school libraries is changing as per these final concluding comments: “We discovered that technology is an integral part of most libraries in terms of collection development and retrieval, teaching and instruction, and program administration. Increasingly, collection development didn’t seem to quibble between access and ownership. Nor is the book format sacred: rather, the ideas are what are central, and the format accommodates learners. Technology acquisition decisions seemed to be site-based and student-centered. Both site and districts shared in resources and administrative functions relative to technology. Multiple teaching strategies incorporated technology, and facilitated student generation of knowledge products… Furthermore, school libraries are having to address schoolwide technology efforts such as one-to-one laptop programs and open textbook initiatives, which can impact access to information.”
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