Continuing Education and Library Services

This report by Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is the result of a year-long national forum that took place from June 1, 2017 to May 31, 2018. These discussions took place both in-person and virtually and resulted in the following overarching recommendations to help improve the CE landscape for serving teens through libraries:

1. Commit to CE (continuous learning) that promotes deeper learning  
2. Connect with others to provide a richer learning experience 
3. Create an organizational culture that prioritizes staff learning   
4. Embrace effective models for CE

Young Adult Library Services Association (2018). Transforming library services for and with teens through continuing education. Chicago, IL: Young Adult Library Services Association. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/sites/ala.org.yalsa/files/content/YALSA_TransformingLibServicesThruCE_report.pdf

Non-English Speakers and Libraries

This is the first national study to consider the impact of specialized library services to non- English speakers both in terms of barriers to developing language-based services and regarding perceived success of these services as reported through anecdotal information by library staff. This study also looked closely at library service area population and patron proximity to the closest library branch as a market service indicator. It is anticipated that libraries, library supporters, and the research community will find this study valuable as a planning tool. The study principals also hope this study will spark additional, more detailed research in the area of specialized public library services. 


Three themes emerged:

•    Spanish is far and away the most supported non-English language in public libraries. Seventy-eight percent of libraries reported Spanish as the priority #1 language to which they develop services and programs. 


•    Smaller communities are serving a larger proportion of non-English speakers. The majority of libraries serving non-English speakers are in communities with fewer than 100,000 residents (484 of all responding libraries). 


•    Literacy is both a barrier to using library services designed for non-English speakers and is what most libraries support in specially designed services and programs. 


American Library Association (2007). Serving non-English speakers in U.S. public libraries: 2007 Analysis of library demographics, services and programs. Chicago, IL: American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/aboutala/sites/ala.org.aboutala/files/content/olos/nonenglishspeakers/docs/Linguistic_Isolation_Report-2007.pdf

Status of Academic Libraries in 2008

This report summarizes services, staff, collections, and expenditures of academic libraries in two- and four-year degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States. The nation’s 3,827 academic libraries held 1,052,531,290 books, serial backfiles, and other paper materials, including government documents at the end of FY 2008. There were 138.1 million circulation transactions from their general collections. About 22 million documents were lent or borrowed from other libraries and commercial services. The libraries employed 93,438 full-time equivalent staff. Two hundred and twenty-six academic libraries held 1 million or more books, serial backfiles, and documents. In 2008, academic libraries’ expenditures totaled $6.8 billion.

Phan, T., Hardesty, L., Sheckells, C., & Davis, D. (2009). Academic libraries: 2008 – First look. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED507415.pdf