نبذة مختصرة : This report presents selected findings from the school library media center data files of the 2007-08 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is a nationally representative sample survey of public, private, and Bureau of Indian Education-funded (BIE) K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The public school sample was designed so that national-, regional-, and state-level elementary, secondary, and combined public school estimates can be made. Public schools include both traditional public and public charter schools. The private school sample was designed so that national-, regional-, and affiliation-level estimates can be produced. BIE schools on the 2005-06 CCD were sampled with certainty, and thus national estimates for BIE schools can be produced. The School District data file includes responses from school districts to the School District Questionnaire along with the "district items" taken from the Public School Questionnaire (With District Items) completed by the subset of public schools that were not associated with "traditional" school districts. These schools include state-run schools, traditional public schools in single-school districts, and independent charter schools. Selected findings reported in tabular form include: (1) In the 2007-08 school year, 80,100 of the 87,190 traditional public schools had a library media center, while 1,820 of the 3,560 public charter schools had one. Of the 180 BIE-funded schools 160 had a library media center (table 1); (2) The majority of all public school library media centers had at least one full-time, paid, state-certified library media center specialist (62 percent). Additionally, 11 percent had no full-time and at least one part-time, paid, state-certified library media center specialist and 27 percent had no full-time or part-time, paid, state-certified library media center specialists (table 2); (3) In traditional public schools, 57 percent of paid professional library media center staff had a master's degree in a library-related major, which is a higher percentage than in public charter schools (29 percent) and BIE-funded schools (27 percent) (table 3); (4) During the 2006-07 school year, BIE-funded library media centers spent an average of $7,800 on books, traditional public school library media centers spent an average of $6,630 on books, and public charter school library media centers spent an average of $6,210 on books (table 4); (5) Technology to assist students and staff with disabilities existed in 24 percent of traditional public school library media centers and in 21 percent of public charter school library media centers. About 18 percent of BIE-funded school library media centers had technology to assist students and staff with disabilities (table 5); (6) About 97 percent of library media centers in traditional public schools, 88 percent in public charter schools, and 92 percent in BIE-funded schools had computer workstations (table 6); (7) Ninety-eight percent of all public school library media centers had space for a full class of students at one time; of these library media centers, 82 percent could accommodate other activities concurrent with a full class (table 7); (8) Thirteen percent of public school library media centers in rural areas and 9 percent of public school library media centers in each of the other three community types (cities, suburbs, towns) had been used as a classroom due to classroom shortage during the most recent full week of school (table 8); and (9) Family literacy activities were supported by 53 percent of BIE-funded school library media centers, 42 percent of traditional public school library media centers, and 33 percent of public charter school library media centers (table 9). Four appendices are included: (1) Standard Error Tables; (2) Methodology and Technical Notes; (3) Description of Data Files; and (4) Description of Variables. (Contains 24 tables and 13 footnotes.)
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