Focus Paper: School Librarian Shortage
LIS 405LE, Fall 2000
Jennifer Haberkorn



Today's school libraries aren't what most people remember. Card catalogs have been replaced by computers and databases. The rows of encyclopedias have been replaced by CD-ROMS. Not only have the card catalogs and encyclopedias disappeared, but librarians are also beginning to disappear. "According to the latest research, the shortage of school librarians is becoming a national crisis." (Everhart, 2000) The impact of the shortage of school librarians is extreme. By the year 2005, some researchers project a need for nearly 25,000 media specialists. (Lord, 2000)  There are numerous factors contributing to the shortage, which have a dramatic effect on schools. School districts must be creative in their search for qualified librarians and in retaining them.

Many reasons contribute to the shortage of librarians, which include the following:

Unemployment for our country this year is 3.9% - a thirty-year low. Many students in library science are receiving job offers from private companies including Internet groups. Technological companies need people who can organize and access information. Who better to do this than certified librarians? More and more librarians are enticed by corporate jobs. Retirement of librarians is also a major factor contributing to the shortage of school librarians. "An estimated 40 percent of the nation's 190,000 librarians say they will retire in the next nine years or sooner, according to research by Library Journal magazine." (The Washington Times) Many librarians who were either hired to service in the 1960s during the baby boom growth or are baby boomers themselves are nearing retirement age. According to the ARL Annual Salary Survey "16% of the current ARL library population will retire by the end of 2000, and the rate of retirement will increase to 27% between the years 2010 and 2020." Astonishingly, the percentage of librarians who are 45 and older is about 75% higher than the percentage of the same aged employees in comparable professions. (ARL Annual Salary Survey, 1996)

Another reason for the shortage of school librarians is image. Many people do not realize the role of the librarian has drastically changed from the traditional view. Technology is a major contributor to this change. Many librarians are known as media specialists and assist students and teachers in locating resources on the Internet and CD-ROMS. Unfortunately, people visualize the stereotypical librarian, a stern, middle-aged, single woman with her hair in a bun, when they imagine a librarian. (Columbia News Service, 1999) Librarians are viewed as people who perform clerical tasks of circulation and shelving instead of professionals who must adequately train to perform their duties. Requirement of entrance into the field nowadays is quite often a master's degree in library and information science.

Fewer colleges are offering approved library programs. Twenty years ago there were approximately one hundred ALA-accredited graduate-level programs compared to fifty-six today at colleges in the United States and Canada (The Washington Times). Illinois State University cut its undergraduate librarian program in 1984. Many states are increasing the certification requirements for prospective librarians. School librarians in these states must acquire a degree in library media and another teaching area.

Researchers have found "a strong library media program helps students learn more and score higher on standardized tests." The studies go on to prove with adequately staffed libraries, test scores for fifth, eighth, and eleventh grades increased by up to 8 percent. (Everhart, 2000)  According to another study conducted by Colorado's Library Research Service, "students at schools with strong media centers scored significantly higher on standardized tests than students at schools with less-well-equipped and staffed libraries." This report shows the most important aspect of the media center is the media specialist. The library media specialist must have active participation in the curriculum development, student instruction, and teacher education to increase test scores dramatically. (Starr, 2000) All of the above research clearly and consistently points out that schools with a library media prgram and a full-time library media specialist lead to higher student achievement.

Knowing the importance of having media specialists/librarians in schools, there are many concepts that could be advanced to help alleviate the shortage of librarians. Some of the possibilities include the following:

Actively recruiting qualified college graduates is a solution for some school districts. The assistant superintendent for personnel in Springfield School District 186 travels to numerous job fairs each year to recruit librarians. Some districts even advertise on the Internet or in library journals.

A common solution to the shortage of librarians is to hire classroom teachers who agree to work towards a library media certification. This fall, Springfield schools hired two classroom teachers to fill library vacancies. Both new librarians are working toward their master's degree in Library Science.

Since few colleges offer a graduate program in Library Science, distance-education programs have become increasingly popular. Some institutions such as the University of Illinois - Urbana/Champaign offer online master's programs in library information science. This makes it much more convenient for people to pursue a degree in Library Science even if there are not any nearby colleges that offer the training program.

A notable example of an incentive scholarship program was designed in response to Delaware's shortage of librarians. It provides a merit- and need-based loan for students earning a Master of Library Science degree. If a person works for a Delaware public school, public library, or state agency library, he/she will be given preference for the scholarship. (http://www.doe.state.de.us/hig-ed/librar.htm)  Even though signing bonuses are not common, it does occur in extreme situations. One such school district in Kansas lures media specialists with a $1,000 signing bonus. (Lord, 2000)

Once qualified media specialists are found, the school/district should do everything in their power to keep them. Increased workloads are difficult for librarians. Most librarians in Springfield School District #186 travel between two or three schools and must maintain collections at each of them. Some school librarians are asked to also perform duties of technology coordinators. A school librarian must be skilled in all subjects and technologies to be efficient. By recognizing and modifying the increased workload for librarians, schools are more apt to retain librarians. According to Kaye and Jordan-Evans in Love 'Em or Lose 'Em, other suggestions for keeping qualified employees are to provide recognition for a job well done and to keep the lines of communication open. (Kaye, 1999)

Low unemployment, retirement, increased workloads, image, decrease of graduate-level programs, and dual certificate requirement are all factors contributing to the shortage of school librarians; therefore, many school districts are having difficulty filling vacant or soon to be vacant library positions. As mentioned above, research has proved the presence of a qualified media specialist in a school has positive effects on students. To help find qualified librarians various school districts are doing the following: actively recruiting college graduates, hiring classroom teachers working toward media certification, offering incentive scholarship programs and/or signing bonuses, and striving to keep current school librarians.

Since more universities are beginning to offer distance-education programs, it will be interesting to see if this will assist school districts in locating media specialists. Since many dot-com companies are starting to struggle, media specialists might not be as enticed to accept a job with them as they have been in the past.

Good school libraries are an integral part of a good school. Staffing them with qualified librarians is vital to its success. The lack of school librarians is definitely a situation that school districts need to monitor. If library positions go unfilled for a long period of time, it is feared the program will phase out and resources will be spent on other programs. Schools run the risk of losing librarians altogether, and once again, students will lose out the most.  The challenge is obvious, but requires much effort.

 I look forward to staying abreast of the shortage of school librarians in Springfield schools and hope the district continues to be successful in recruiting librarians. My school librarian shares her School Library Journal and other journals with me. After this class, I will continue to read and discuss the journals with her. I am extremely interested in research and am entertaining the thought of meeting the requirements to become an information specialist. Whichever path I take, I have more understanding and a deeper appreciation for librarians.
 
 

Annotated Bibliography

Dougherty, Sarah. "From Buns to Bytes: Is the Image of Librarians Changing?", Columbia News Service, February 19, 1999.

The changing image of the librarian is discussed in this article. There are many myths about librarians.This article talks about some of the different people trying to dispel the myths and how they are going about it.

Jay, M. Ellen. "Where Have All the Librarians Gone?" U.S. News & World Report, June 12, 2000, p. 53.

The American Association of School Librarians President discusses the shortage of school librarians. She offers various for the shortages.

Everhart, Nancy. "Looking for a Few Good Librarians," School Library Journa, September 2000, pp. 58-61.

This article discusses this year's research findings of a school library staffing survey. It focuses on why the findings are causes to worry and future concerns. Methods to cope with shortages of librarians are also considered.

Hamilton-Pennel, Christine,  Keith Curry Lance,  Marcia J. Rodney, and Eugene Hainer,. “Dick and Jane Go to the Head of the Class,” School Library Journal, April 2000, pp. 44-47.

According to studies in Alaska, Colorado and Pennsylvania, students with strong library media programs helps students learn more and score higher on standardized achievement tests.

Kaye, Beverly and Sharon Jordan-Evans. Love 'Em Or Lose 'Em. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.: San Francisco, 1999.

This book offers various strategies to keep talented, committed employees.

Kernek, Lisa. "Illinois, Others Fact Shortage of School Librarians," Springfield Journal-Register. November 8, 2000.

This article focuses on the short supply of librarians in Illinois. It discusses how Springfield School District is in need of school librarians, and what they are doing to recruit them.

"A Lack of Librarians Is One For the Books; Retirements, Pay, Image Thin Ranks," The Washington Times. July 23, 2000, Sunday, Final Edition.

This article addresses reasons contributing to the lack of librarians. Booming technology, low starting salaries, and image are the main reasons for the shortage of librarians according to this article.

Lewis, Carol. "Hitting the Books - A Booming Economy Has Contributed to a Shortage of Librarians, Area Experts Say," Fort Worth Star Telegram, March 15, 2000.

Steve Hagstrom, director of library sciences at Tarrant County College Northeast Campus, addresses the issue of librarian shortages and attributes it to dot- com companies, image, and a shortage of library science training programs. He believes school libraries will be hardest hit by the librarian shortage.

Manzo, Kathleen Kennedy. "Study Shows Rise in Test Scores Tied to School Library Resources," Education Week, March 22, 2000, p. 27.

According to studies of school library programs in Alaska, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, students in school with sufficient library collections coupled with qualified library personnel perform better on standardized tests. This article presents the results of these studies.

Olson, Renee. "Start Spreading the News," SLJ Online: Opinion. April 1, 2000.

In this editorial, the Editor-in-Chief discusses new studies that tie higher reading scores to good school libraries.

Scholarship Loans: Librarian and Archivist Incentive Program. http://www.doe.state.de.us/high-ed/librar.htm

This web site examines an incentive program for scholarship loans for full- or part-time students enrolled in an American Library Association accredited graduate program.. Preference is given to employees of Delaware public libraries, public schools, or state agency libraries.

Somerville, Mary R. "Facing the Shortage of Children Librarians: Updating the Challenge," American Libraries. Vol. 29, No. 9, October 1998: 50-51, 53-54.

The author surveyed librarians across the United States about the training, retention, and importance of children's librarians. She also gives suggestions of how to improve the problem of the shortage.

Starr, Linda. "Strong Libraries Improve Student Achievement," Education World. July 11, 2000.

This article gives the results of a study done in Colorado that ties strong media centers with high student.achievement scores. It discusses how media specialists can provide educational resources to students and teachers.

Wilson, John. "Check This Out: School Librarians in High Demand," The Detroit News. July 30, 1995.

Several educational occupations are in high demand with school librarians joining math, science, language and special education teachers. It focuses on the smaller school districts that are hiring more elementary school librarians.