School Libraries Count! personalized reports available for AASL survey participants

For Immediate Release
Tue, 04/09/2013

Contact:

Jennifer R Habley

Manager, Web Communications

American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

800-545-2433 ext.4383

jhabley@ala.org

CHICAGO – Personalized reports are now available for participants in the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) School Libraries Count! longitudinal survey. Participants in the 2012 survey can access their reports by visiting www.ala.org/aasl/slcsurvey.

These personalized reports complement AASL’s suite of advocacy tools, including an online module for implementing AASL’s learning standards and program guidelines, “A Planning Guide for Empowering Learners.” By using the School Libraries Count! personalized report in tandem with the results generated, under the rubric in the Planning Guide, school librarians will be able to present a more complete case when advocating for their school library programs and community needs.

School Libraries Count! reports, provide a vehicle for school libraries to compare their library program with other programs across the country,” said Jody K. Howard, research and statistics committee chair. “Through this data, school librarians are able to provide evidence-based support for school-wide student learning in the areas of teaching, collaborative planning, and resource provision.  The data provided from these individualized reports also assist school librarians in lobbying for increased access to resources for the school library in the school and throughout the learning community. In addition, these data provide support for increased budget, staffing, and access issues. “

As an additional resource, the AASL publication “The Power of Data” discusses the use of data sets to establish goals for school library programs. The book guides school librarians in the effective use of existing data and in articulating the analysis of that data to the people who need the information, including principals, superintendents, school boards, parents, teachers and students. Participants are also encouraged to view the AASL webinar demonstrating how to use their data to advocate for their school library program and how to draw connections between the data outputs generated using the Planning Guide module and their personalized reports.

The School Libraries Count! National Longitudinal Survey of School Library Programs aims to gather data on changes in the field to gain understanding of the state of school library programs nationally. The 2012 survey had 4,385 respondents. Data on this and previous School Libraries Count! longitudinal studies can be found at www.ala.org/aasl/slcsurvey.

The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), promotes the improvement and extension of library services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library field.