School Library Media Center Survey - Fall 2007
Instructions and Definitions
Please note:
1. If you are the library director at more than one school, please fill out each survey you received separately. Do not combine answers from separate school libraries. On each survey, report only the portion of your total weekly hours worked in that school.
2. Do not use ranges. If you do not have exact numbers, please use approximate numbers.
3. Only include materials and computers if they were in the library on the first day of school. If the library was scheduled to receive materials and computers on the first day of school and they have not arrived, do not include them.
4. Please do not leave items blank. If you cannot answer an item please write "N/A" or zero.
General Definitions*
Private School. A private school is defined as a school not in the public system that provides instruction for any of grades 1-12 (or comparable ungraded levels). The instruction must be given in a building that is not used primarily as a private home.
Public Charter School. A public charter school is a public school that, in accordance with an enabling state statute, has been granted a charter exempting it from selected state or local rules and regulations. A public charter school may be a newly created school or it may previously have been a public or private school.
Public School. A public school is defined as an institution that provides educational services for at least one of grades 1-12 (or comparable ungraded levels), has one or more teachers to give instruction, is located in one or more buildings, receives public funds as primary support and is operated by an education or chartering agency. They include regular, special education, vocational/technical, alternative, and public charter schools. Schools in juvenile detention centers and schools located on military bases and operated by the Department of Defense are included. They also include Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded schools operated by local public school districts.
School Library Media Center. An organized collection of printed and/or audiovisual and/or computer resources which is administered as a unit, is located in a designated place or places, and makes resources and services available to students, teachers, and administrators. A School Library Media Center may be called a library, media center, resource center, information center, instructional materials center, learning resource center, or some other name.
*Source: National Center for Education Statistics. Schools and Staffing Survey, 1999-2000: Overview of Data for Public, Private, Public Charter, and Bureau of Indian Affairs Elementary and Secondary Schools. NCES 2002-313.
A2. Library Director - This should be the name of the person who works in and manages the library.
A5. Include grades that are temporarily housed in the school if the grade will be there for the entire school year.
C1. Books and volumes of serials - Count volumes of all print holdings.
Serials - Publications issued in successive parts, usually at regular intervals, and as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely. Serials include periodicals (magazines), newspapers, annuals, reports, yearbooks, etc. Count each bound volume and, except for the current volume, count unbound serials as a volume when the library has at least half of the issues in a publisher's volume.
C2. Video- These are materials on which pictures are recorded, with or without sound Electronic playback reproduces pictures, with or without sound, using a television receiver or monitor.
C3. Audio - These are materials on which sounds (only) are stored (recorded) and that can be reproduced (played back) mechanically, electronically, or both.
C4. Materials in Electronic Format - These are reference and circulating library materials designed to be processed by a computer, such as CD-ROMS, floppy disks, magnetic tapes and magnetic disks.
C5. Other - Include kits, puppets, puzzles, board games.
C7. Current Subscriptions - The arrangements by which, in return for a sum paid in advance, periodicals, newspapers or other serials are provided for a specified number of issues, or for a specific period of time.
E1. Report only the hours the library is staffed. Include scheduled hours open before and after classes begin, if staffed.
E5. Seating Capacity - The number of seats provided for student use including general reading area seats, lounge seats, group study seats, audio-visual area seats or other seating when available on an open basis.
F. Library Personnel
When counting staff, DO NOT USE FTE's. If there are two staff who EACH work 15 hours a week, Section E should read as follows:
| Department of Education certified library media specialist holding MLS | Head Count 2 |
Total pd hrs worked in a typical week 30 |
F1. Certified Library Media Specialist(s) -Enter the number of librarians who meet Massachusetts certification requirements as a school library media specialist.
G1. Library Materials - Include operating expenditures for items that circulate to patrons or are used by library patrons within the library building. These include: books, periodicals, online databases, audio, video, curriculum materials, materials in electronic format, and other items purchased for library users.