News

Zeth Lietzau new Associate Director of LRS

The Colorado State Library (CSL) announces the appointment of Zeth Lietzau as Associate Director of the Library Research Service (LRS). Lietzau has served as a Research Analyst of LRS since 2003, and has worked as Information Services Librarian at the Belmar Branch of Jefferson County Public Library since October 2004.

Lietzau received his Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Denver and his BS in Spanish from Macalester College, St. Paul, MN. He is a member of the American Library Association (ALA) and the Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL).

As an LRS research analyst, Lietzau has been instrumental in transforming the web presence, LRS.org, into a dynamic web site that offers interactive statistics, and in the redesign of the CSL’s LibraryJobline.org. He has also overseen projects such as the annual Colorado School Library Survey and the current Courier Cost Analysis Study, and has been involved in a number of LRS publications.

ALA’s State of America’s Libraries Report, April 2007

Released this month, highlights from the report include:

* The number of visits to public libraries in the United States increased 61 percent between 1994 and 2004…there were nearly two billion visits to U.S. libraries in fiscal year 2004.

* Circulation at public libraries in the U.S. rose by 28 percent during the decade, partly driven by significant growth in circulation of children’s materials, which grew by 44 percent.

* Attendance in library programs for children was also up 42 percent for this same period.

The complete report and press release is available on the ALA website:
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/march2007/stateoflibraries.htm or http://tinyurl.com/25j52b.

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us

Literacy in Everyday Life–The Latest Literacy Report from NCES

FROM NCES:
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) just released Literacy in Everyday Life, the most recent publication of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). This report provides extensive information on the literacy of American adults age 16 and older and changes in their performance since 1992. Furthermore, it examines the relationship between literacy and several demographic variables including education, occupation, and income.

Findings include the following:
* Women have closed the gap with men in Quantitative literacy. They are doing better than men in Document and Prose literacy.
* Younger and older adults have lower literacy than adults in other age groups.
* Median weekly earnings increased with each level of literacy.
* At each higher level of Prose literacy, more adults were employed full time.
* Approximately 51 percent of adults with Below Basic Document literacy and 43 percent with Below Basic Quantitative literacy believed their job opportunities were limited a lot by their lack of computer skills.
* The percentage of parents who never helped their school-age child with homework declined at each higher Prose literacy level.
* Approximately half of US citizens of voting age with Below Basic Prose and Document literacy reported voting in the presidential election of 2000 compared with 84 percent of citizens with Proficient Prose and Document literacy.

Full results are available at: http://nces.ed.gov/naal/

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us

Salaries of Staff Working in Archives

Take a look at the recent Fast Facts titled Salaries of Staff Working in Archives. This Fast Facts examines the salaries of several positions in archives. Salary information was gathered from ALA-APA surveys, the Society of American Archivists? (SAA) A*CENSUS survey and the U.S. Department of Labor ? Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The issue can be found in our Fast Facts at http://www.lrs.org/documents/fastfacts/249_Archivists.pdf

Jennifer
french_j@cde.state.co.us

Retirement of Keith Curry Lance and Appointment of Nicolle Steffen

Keith Curry Lance, Ph.D. has retired after 20 years at the Library Research Service (LRS) and 22 years at the Colorado State Library. While Director of LRS, Keith cultivated a center for library research that is one of only a few in the United States. LRS has developed a national reputation for groundbreaking studies about the impact of libraries on student achievement, as well as providing data and tools for public libraries to assess the value and use of their services to the public. Over the past 10 years, LRS has partnered with the University of Denver?s Library and Information Science program, enabling students to actively participate in the research process. Dozens of students have benefited from the mentorship provided by Keith and the staff at LRS.

LRS will continue under the leadership of Nicolle Steffen, MLIS, who was recently appointed the new Director. She has been the Associate Director since 2001. Previously she was with Regis University?s Dayton Memorial Library. Nicolle received her Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Denver and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Marketing. She is a member of the American Library Association (ALA), the Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL) and the Special Libraries Association (SLA). She has served as chair of the CAL Intellectual Freedom Committee and has just accepted an appointment to the ALA Human Resource Development and Recruitment Advisory Committee.

LRS will continue to provide the library community, educators, public officials, and the media with research and statistics about libraries.

Daphne
Eastburn_D@cde.state.co.us

Non-MLS Salaries in Public Libraries Disparate

The latest Fast Facts, Non-MLS Salaries in Public Libraries Disparate , has been posted. This issues focuses on the salaries of non-MLS positions in adult services for public libraries. This Fast Facts concludes that non-MLS positions in adult services are competitive with their peers and that the salaries of Associate Librarians(Non-MLS) are closing in on Beginning Librarians (MLS).

The issue can be found in our Fast Facts at http://www.lrs.org/documents/fastfacts/248_Non%20MLS_Public%20Libraries.pdf

Jennifer
french_j@cde.state.co.us

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Return-on-Investment Study

In April 2006, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh released the report on its return-on-investment study.

See the report, Economic Impact Study: Regional Benefits of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, at http://www.clpgh.org/about/economicimpact/.

For links to this and other similar studies, visit LRS.org’s Economic Impact topic on the Library Topics page at: http://www.lrs.org/topics.asp#econ2.

Also, stay tuned for breaking news about our own ROI study which is in progress. Eight libraries are participating, including: Cortez Public Library, Denver Public Library, Douglas County Libraries, Eagle Valley Library District, Fort Morgan Public Library, Mesa County Public Library District, Montrose Library District, and Rangeview Library District.

Keith
Lance_K@cde.state.co.us

School Library Survey Preliminary Results Available

The 2006 School Library Survey took place this fall. We are still going through the process of edit checks to ensure good data, but preliminary results are now available in spreadsheet form at http://www.lrs.org/documents/slmc06/School_Library_2006_Preliminary.xls

LibraryJobline.org Goes Live

Starting today, the CSL Jobline has a new name, new address, and new functionality.

New Name and Address
Library Jobline is the new name for the Colorado State Library’s online job posting service, which can be found at www.LibraryJobline.org.

New Functionality
By setting up an account, users will be able to customize their job seeking and job posting process. Both employers and job seekers will enjoy a newfound independence as they are able to post and search for jobs 24/7* using their customized profiles.

How does it work?
Library Jobline is a database of job openings in libraries and related organizations. Employers populate the database with their job postings and job seekers are able to search the database based on their personal criteria.

How do employers use it?
Their first time to Library Jobline, employers set up an account with their name, location, contact, and other basic information found in their typical job ad. This basic information will automatically populate that employer’s job listings from that point forward. Of course, every job is different, so each individual job posting has fields for describing that particular job. Employers can also create job profiles that can be used again and again for frequently posted job ads.

How do job seekers use it?
Job seekers will go through a similar procedure, except they will set up an account that includes specifications about the job they are seeking, like type of library and salary range. Or job seekers can bypass setting up an account and simply search the database to locate jobs of interest to them.

Why the change to a database system?
Two reasons, really. First, it was time to update the Jobline to include more interactive features that accommodate today’s library and information professionals, including searching and email alerts.

Second, as inveterate statistics geeks, the Library Research Service (LRS) staff wanted to capture all the valuable data that is generate by the online job postings. Mining Library Jobline for data will provide statistics about actual jobs in the library and information professions. Over time, consistent collection of this data will allow the LRS staff to track trends in the library job market in Colorado, providing valuable information to employers and library staff alike.

Why LRS?
Some of the most frequently asked questions at LRS concern salaries, job availability, and the status of library jobs. These issues strike very close to home for all of us. Obviously, we already have many sources of data to answer these types of questions. However, we are always looking for more information on this very popular and important topic. Library Jobline seemed too good a data source to pass up.

Library administrators and human resources managers should note that this project is not intended to gather data on a particular library. In fact, data will be reported in the aggregate in order to encourage comprehensive reporting by users.

What’s “old”?
Library Jobline will have the same 24/7 access* users now find so convenient and unlike some national websites, it’s a free service to both job seekers and employers.

*Note, to prevent spam and other misuse of the site, job postings are reviewed by LRS staff before going live online. Most jobs will be on Library Jobline the same day they are submitted. However, depending on the day and time, some job postings may take up to 2 business days to appear on the site (i.e., job postings submitted on the weekend or during holidays will take longer).

Questions? Need Help?
There is an online FAQ included on Library Jobline. Need more help? You can contact a member of the LRS staff at LRS@LRS.org or 303-866-6900, we?ll be happy to answer your questions and get you started.

The LRS staff would like to thank the terrific, hard-working Jobline Advisory Committee and the legion of testers from libraries across the state for their wonderful suggestions, repeated website testing, and good humor during the six-month development process.

We welcome your input, please contact us with your questions and suggestions at LRS@LRS.org or 303-866-6900.

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us

Annual Public Library Survey Opens

Starting today public library directors all over Colorado will be filling out their 2006 Public Library Annual Reports. Also known as the public library survey, the annual report is mandated by law and gathers data about Colorado public libraries for inclusion in national (NCES) and state (LRS) statistics. These statistics provide library professionals with important information for planning, evaluating, and budgeting. The report deadline is March 16, 2007.

For more information, please contact me at steffen_n@cde.state.co.us.

~Nicolle

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POPULAR RESOURCES

  • Public Library Statistics & Profiles
    Dive into annual statistics from the Colorado Public Library Annual Report using our interactive tool, results tailored to trustees, and state totals and averages.
  • School Library Impact Studies
    School libraries have a profound impact on student achievement. Explore studies about this topic by LRS and other researchers in our comprehensive guide.
  • Fast Fact Reports
    Looking for a quick rundown of library research? Check out our Fast Facts, which highlight research and statistics about various library topics.

LIBRARYJOBLINE

See more @ LibraryJobline.org

ABOUT

LRS is part of the Colorado State Library, a unit of the Colorado Department of Education. We design and conduct library research for library and education professionals, public officials, and the media to inform practices and assessment needs. We partner with the Library and Information Science program at University of Denver's Morgridge College of Education to provide research fellowships to current MLIS students.

This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Staff & Contact Info
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