Public library funding and tech access survey

New report: Technology demands are up, budgets are down
A pervasive “new normal” of increased demand for library technology resources, paired with decreased funding at state and local levels, is affecting service to millions of Americans, according to a report released June 21 by the Office for Research and Statistics. The 2011 Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study reports that more than 87% of U.S. libraries provide technology training for patrons, but 55% of urban libraries are reporting operating budget decreases during the current fiscal year, followed by suburban (36%) and rural (26%) libraries. The report appears as American Libraries’ Summer 2011 Digital Supplement.

Number of librarians census

The U.S. Census first collected data on librarians in 1880, four years after ALA’s founding. They only counted 636 librarians nationwide. Indeed, one respondent reported on his census form that he was the “Librarian of Congress.” The U.S. Census, which became organized as a permanent Bureau in 1902, can be used to track the growth of the library profession.
Librarians in the United States, 1880–2009. (2011). Cambridge: Oxford University Press.
http://blog.oup.com/2011/06/librarian-census/

Public libraries future report

A strategic vision for 21st-century libraries
This ALA latest policy brief breaks down the formidable challenges in store for libraries during the next few decades. The brief explores how emerging technologies combined with challenges, such as financial constraints, require libraries to evolve rapidly and make strategic decisions today that will influence their future for decades to come.
ALA. Office for Information Technology Policy. (2011). Confronting the Future: Strategic Visions for the 21st Century Public Library. Chicago: ALA.
http://tinyurl.com/3hldqmo

Public libraries future report

A strategic vision for 21st-century libraries
This ALA latest policy brief breaks down the formidable challenges in store for libraries during the next few decades. The brief explores how emerging technologies combined with challenges, such as financial constraints, require libraries to evolve rapidly and make strategic decisions today that will influence their future for decades to come.
ALA. Office for Information Technology Policy. (2011). Confronting the Future: Strategic Visions for the 21st Century Public Library. Chicago: ALA.
http://tinyurl.com/3hldqmo

LA Teacher Study

This report examines how Los Angeles Unified School District and state policies on teacher assignment, evaluations, tenure, compensation, and work schedule facilitate or hinder improvements in quality. Lists recommendations, including removing seniority preference.
National Council on Teacher Quality. (2011). Teacher Quality Roadmap: Improving Policies and Practices in LAUSD. Washington, DC: National Council on Teacher Quality.
http://www.nctq.org/tr3/consulting/docs/nctq_lausd_06-07-2011.pdf

Teacher quality report

A US-Asian report outlines discussions and emerging lessons from around the world on how to strengthen the teaching profession. Four overarching themes emerged: Teacher Recruitment and Preparation; Development, Support, and Retention of Teachers; Teacher Evaluation and Compensation; and Teacher Engagement in Education Reform. The summit, which was the basis for the report, marked the first-ever convening of education ministers, teachers, and union leaders from high-performing and rapidly improving countries and regions.
U.S. Department of Education, and Asia Society. (2011). Improving Teacher Quality Around the World: The International Summit on the Teaching Profession.
http://asiasociety.org/education-learning/learning-world/worlds-education-leaders-support-teachers.

Study Public Libraries and Technology

This study records the landscape of web technology adoption in public libraries across the country and examines the characteristics of libraries that are leading the way in adopting those technologies.
Library Research Service, Zeth Lietzau & Jamie Helgren (2011). U.S. Public Libraries and the Use of Web Technologies, 2010
http://www.libraryworks.com/ByNumbers/By_Numbers_Library_Use_of_Web_Tech.pdf

Reading at 16 Linked to Better Job Prospects

Reading books is the only out-of-school activity for 16-year-olds that is linked to getting a managerial or professional job in later life, according to study. Researchers asked more than 17,000 people born in 1970 about how they spent their downtime when they were 16 years old and their careers when they turned 33. The findings show that girls who had read books at 16 had a 39 percent probability of a professional or managerial post at 33, but only a 25 percent chance if they had not. For boys who read regularly, the figure went up from 48 percent to 58 percent. None of the other activities surveyed were found to have a significant effect on their careers.
University of Oxford (2011). Reading at 16 linked to better job prospects
http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2011/110804.html

Library Spending Ups Test Scores

A review of studies in 22 U.S. states and one Canadian province found when spending for school libraries rises, better reading scores follow. Researchers examined and summarized the results of 23 U.S. and Canadian studies mostly done in the last decade and concluded that there are positive links between library support and learning. A 2008 California study, for example, established a strong positive relationship between school library budgets and test scores in language arts and history. The findings showed socioeconomic conditions could not explain away the impact of school library programs in the states studied.
Debra E. Kachel, Mansfield University (2011) More library spending ups test scores
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/05/10/More-library-spending-ups-test-scores/UPI-43741305084306/

Report: School Librarian First for Digital Content

The survey found that the role of the school librarian is increasingly focused on the use of digital content in the classroom. In many schools, the school librarian has the responsibility for identifying, evaluating and recommending digital resources to teachers. Of the 2,125 school librarians surveyed, 78 percent identify websites for classroom use, and 47 percent find specific digital content, podcasts and videos to support classroom lessons. The study also found that librarians are also enabling and empowering teachers’ skills with digital content. Nearly 66 percent of school librarians participate with teachers in professional learning communities, and 33 percent train teachers how to locate and evaluate digital content.
Project Tomorrow (2011). The New 3 E’s of Education: Enabled, Engaged, Empowered
How Today’s Educators are Advancing a New Vision for Teaching and Learning
http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SU10_3EofEducation_Educators.pdf

Young Children Media Habits

Today’s parents, academics, policymakers and practitioners are scrambling to keep up with the rapid expansion of media use by children and youth for ever-larger portions of their waking hours. This report takes a fresh look at data emerging from studies of independent scholars, foundations, and market researchers on the media habits of young children, who are often overlooked in the public discourse that focuses on tweens and teens. The report reviews seven recent studies about young children and their ownership and use of media. By focusing on very young children and analyzing multiple studies over time, the report arrives at a new, balanced portrait of children’s media habits.
Sesame Workshop and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center (2011). Always connected: The new digital media habits of young children
http://joanganzcooneycenter.org/upload_kits/jgcc_alwaysconnected.pdf

Researchers find higher screen time among minority children

Researchers find higher screen time among minority children
Children from minority groups watched television, listened to music, used computers and played video games for an average of 13 hours per day, logging almost 4.5 hours more screen time than white children, according to data on children ages 6 to 18. Researchers also found that more blacks and Hispanics had TV sets in their rooms and dined in front of the TV. The study noted that 8- to 18-year-olds were most likely to use computers more often for playtime than for homework.
Northwestern University (2011). Minority kids spend most of their waking hours plugged in
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/parenting-family/story/2011/06/Minority-kids-spend-most-of-their-waking-hours-plugged-in-/48172486/1

Public Library Statistics

The Public Library Data Service Statistical Report Digital Database has been updated with 2011 results. Compiled from surveys submitted by U.S. and Canadian public libraries, the 2011 edition includes data from 1,462 public libraries on their finances, resources, annual use figures, and technology. It also features a special, in-depth section on public library finance that details independent taxing authority, cash reserves, services charged for, library foundations, and governmental and alternative sources of income for public libraries.