Budgeting for School Libraries

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General information

ALA Library Fact Sheet 4 - Library Operating Expenditures: A Selected Annotated Bibliography

General information from AASL from their AASL Resource Guides for School Library Media Program Development


Benchmarking

References to assist you in benchmarking your library's budget and spending against current national school library surveys include:

  • The latest edition in this report series, School Libraries Count! 2012 Full Report, which is a longitudinal survey by AASL that asks questions about spending levels. See page 12 for its detailed findings on school library expenditures:

Library expenditures on information resources are consistent with previous years.

• On average, schools are spending $11,827 on information resources in 2012 compared to $12,937 in 2011, a slight down tick but not significant.


During the 2010–11 school year, public school library media centers spent an average of $9,340 for all information resources (table 4). This includes an average of $6,010 for the purchase of books and $490 for the purchase of audio/video materials.


  • Biennial (briefly annual) survey which appears in the magazine, School Library Journal; the newest installment of the survey appears in the April 2014 issue, titled, Spending Smarter, Stretching Further: Savvy librarians are doing more with less, particularly when it comes to tech, according to SLJ’s 2014 Spending Survey, by Lauren Barack, in the section, Shrinking Budgets: "School librarians work with media budgets that average $6,970 a year—or a spending allowance of about $10.64 per student annually, according to the survey. Elementary schools budgets are lower, with just $8.86 to spend on each student, with middle schools slightly higher, spending $9.55 on overall materials per student. High school budgets, however, are significantly better padded, at $13.47 per student."

See in the March 2012 issue, Brace Yourself: SLJ's school library spending survey shows the hard times aren't over, and better advocacy is needed by Lesley Farmer, in the section, Calling all collections: "What was the average expenditure per pupil? The total for all school libraries was $11 per student, which varied from $8 at the elementary level to $10 at the high school level, and ranged from $10 in the Midwest to $5 in the West. Private school libraries doled out $16 for each student, and public schools spent half that amount."

Compare to the survey results reported in the March 2011 issue as SLJ's Spending Survey by Lesley Farmer. Table 2: Student Enrollment, Median Library Books, Acquisitions, and Budgets 2009-2010 reported the Expenditure Per Student in that time period, indicating $9.59 for Elementary school, K-8; $8.05 for Middle school; and $9.84 for High school, K-12. Further compare results to those reported in the April 2009 issue's "School Library Journal's Spending Survey," by Lesley Farmer and Marilyn Shontz. Scroll down to the section labeled Budget constraints impact media center efforts and view Table 4. The survey indicates an average Total Materials Expenditures (TME) of $31.03 per pupil for elementary schools, $20.15 per pupil for middle/junior high schools, and $15.42 per pupil for senior high schools.


Technology

As education technology has evolved, so, too, have the kinds of digital tools that school librarians use with their students, as shown in School Library Journal’s 2013 School Technology Survey. Handheld tablets and devices are coveted items for classroom and instructional use, along with access to online sites and apps that school librarians believe can revolutionize the way they instruct—and the way students learn. More than 750 school librarians responded to SLJ’s survey, representing K–12 public and private schools across the country. According to the data, school librarians make the most of what they have, learning one day and sharing that knowledge the next. They not only make tech tools available for students and teachers, but teach them how to use the tools as well.


While the average number of computers in libraries remains steady, school computers with network access to library services is on the rise.

• While the average number of computers in libraries in 2012 is comparable to 2011 (29.29 and 27.9 respectively), the overall number of library and librarynetworked computers has increased significantly from 221.1 in 2011 to 237.5 in 2012.

• Additionally, the average number of computers outside of the library with networked access to library services has increased significantly from 193.4 in 2011 to 208.2 in 2012.


Public school library media centers provided technological services, including automated catalog(s) for student and/or staff use (88 percent), laptops for staff use outside the library media center (54 percent), laptops for student use outside the library media center (40 percent), and technology to assist students and/or staff with disabilities (31 percent) (table 6).

The percentage of library media centers with computer workstations for student and/or staff use was 97 percent in traditional public schools and 88 percent in public charter schools (table 7). Of the library media center computer workstations, 95 percent had internet access. Among all public school library media centers, 86 percent provided student access to online, licensed databases.



Book price information

The numbers you put to work every year are here—the list of average book prices for 2013 and 2014 to date, produced in partnership with Baker & Taylor. We know this data helps you make sound decisions.

The data, based on figures supplied by Baker & Taylor, shows average list prices for all books (including children’s books, young adult books, paperbacks and hardcover editions) that have been sold (not published) during the time frames listed. Separate calculations have been supplied for the school market and the public library market. Averages are calculated by total number of all book sales divided by the number of books sold.

Look for the next iteration in Spring of 2015.


Here at last, the numbers you’ve been waiting for—the list of average book prices for 2012 and 2013 to date—are ready, produced in partnership with Baker & Taylor. We know this data helps you make sound decisions. Look for the next iteration in Spring of 2014.

The data, based on figures supplied by Baker & Taylor, shows average list prices for all books (including children’s books, young adult books, paperbacks and hardcover editions) that have been sold (not published) during the time frames listed. Separate calculations have been supplied for the school market and the public library market. Averages are calculated by total number of all book sales divided by the number of books sold.


Following a longstanding tradition, our March editorial brings readers the list of average book prices. These numbers continue to be a critical piece in the growing data puzzle that we must solve as we plan for the future. Developed by Albert Greco, a professor at Fordham’s Graduate School of Business and senior researcher at the Institute for Publishing Research, the figures provide a key perspective as you engage in collection development and budget management. Since ebooks are an ever-growing segment, we have their average prices on the way—look for them later this spring.

With book prices creeping up, school and public librarians will be pinched even more as they strive to support kids’ learning. More than ever, we need smarter advocacy initiatives.


Opportunities for External Funding

AASL Resource Guides for School Library Media Program Development: Library Funding

ALA Library Fact Sheet 24: Library Fund Raising: A Selected Annotated Bibliography


See the main pages on Fundraising, and Sources of Grants and Grantwriting, which provide additional resources.
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