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By Terrence E. Young, Jr.

ccountability is a hot topic in educational reform. Demonstrating the importance of the library media centers program of service to schools and how effectively library media specialists are performing their jobs has become increasingly important. Making compelling arguments about the value of library media centers without the systematic collection of data is very difficult. Administrators, school board members, and voting citizens will only support library media center programs when the data shows a correlation with student achievement. Todays library media centers offer a full range of learning resources and services. The library media specialist, whether in the role of teacher, instructional partner, information specialist or program administrator, plans collaboratively with other teachers to teach information literacy skills in conjunction with curriculum assignments. An effective library media center program ensures that opportunities are provided for students, faculty, and staff to become effective users of ideas and information and acquire lifelong patterns of learning. Library media centers are critical to meet schools instructional goals and objectives. They promote literacy by developing and encouraging reading. But how do you know whether your library media center program is effective? What is a realistic vision for the library media center of the twenty-first century? One of the goals for the library media specialist, under Program Administration: Principle 6: Ongoing assessment for improvement is essential to the vitality of an effective library media program in Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning, is to Make decisions based on the results of data analysis to develop plans and policies for continuous improvement of the library media program (1998, pp. 108109). New research findings and the renewed emphasis on reading

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achievement and standards-based education have prompted many school districts and some states to begin examining their library media center programs and plan for necessary improvements. Often data collection and data analysis is required to evaluate the library media centers services. We think that more is bettermore data will lead to more useful information, which will produce more informed decisions and, therefore, a more effectively managed program of service. The underlying assumption

book collection; or analyzing subscription database usage in terms of cost? Is our public relations campaign working? Do we support local authors? n document and understand user needs. Does the collection reflect the schools population as reported on the school report card? Do students find what they want, and if not, are you approachable so that they can inform you? Is the library media center atmosphere conducive to learning? Does the faculty

information and answers outside the library media center through ILL, networks, public libraries, consortiums, and databases? Is information in the evening news readily available for further investigation? Information skills or information literacy is tested on most state mandated tests. In Louisiana, the Graduation Exit Examination for the 21st Century (GEE 21) includes information skills on the English Language Arts test. Locate, select, and synthesize information is one of six standards categories reported on students and schools test results. As library media specialists, we have a professional obligation to longitudinally track information skills scores by grade level and design lessons to introduce, teach, and reinforce these skills as needed. The purpose of longitudinal tracking is to collect information annually and use this information to assess students progress. A database that tracks student information skills data over time will provide a solid footing for choices that must be made in the areas of curriculum, instructional approaches, books, and materials. It will also allow you to make informed judgments about your role as a teacher. When you do your part as a library media specialist to improve student achievement, faculty and administrators view you as a part of the teaching faculty.

looking beyond how much and how Bythe attributes of the people, things, and many to

activities being counted, library media specialists can have a more useful understanding of their library media centers and their work.

is that data about library media center programs can be transformed into useful information, and that the information will become management knowledge.

Collecting Data

Why do we collect data? Often data collection is imposed by school boards and accrediting institutions. Data is gathered automatically by library OPACs or supplied by online vendors. We collect data to: n document trends in collection and user activity. Which areas of the collection are used year after year? Is a group of students (gifted, special education) new to the library? Is the collection current for topics such as national elections, national debate topics, and science fair projects? n track progress toward strategic goals. Is our goal general or specific, such as increasing the number of books per student; updating the science reference collection; increasing the variety of reading levels in the state

recognize that you support their classroom assignments and activities? n track user satisfaction. Are reports and projects completed by students acceptable to the teachers? Are students finding adequate and sufficient resources to complete assignments without having to go to the public library? Are the library media centers users informed about new resources, programs, and activities? Is the library media center open sufficient time before and after school to meet students needs? Is the level of instructional support to teachers adequate? n get answers and information. Can teachers and students find

What data are you collecting?

Take a few moments and ask yourself: What is it I need to know about my library media centers users and programs? Before collecting data, perform a needs analysis by answering the following questions: n What data do you collect or use now?

LESS EMPHASIS Quantitative data Students as a generic group of users Number of books in the collection Quick and simple inquiries

MORE EMPHASIS Qualitative data Students wants and needs Collection quality Higher-order thinking inquiries

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n How do you collect or use this data? n How frequently do you collect or use this data? n What problems do you encounter collecting or using this data? n For what purpose(s) do you collect and use this data? n How do you enter and access the data? n How do you manipulate the data? n Do you cross-correlate this data with other data? Is so, what type of data? n How do you present or want to present your data? n How frequently do you generate reports on the data? n What other issues, concerns or needs do you have about data gathering and analysis?

to meet the new requirement of highly qualified.) As a library media specialist, should I be concerned about funding for my position?

Why should I be interested in the collection of library media center use data?
Collecting library media center use data allows library media specialists to:

1) assess the current library media center use on a more definitive and descriptive basis; 2) develop a more consistent, standardized, and complete range of detailed measures for assessing library media center services and usage; 3) identify the wide range of use, besides circulation, occurring within library media centers; 4) better justify library media center resource allocation (based upon volume of all types of use); and 5) identify both needed and successful library media center services and materials. Identify successful programs in other library media centers and see if they are replicable in your library media center. For ideas and successful programs, visit What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) <www.w-w-c.org>. WWC gathers studies of the effectiveness of educational interventions (programs, products, practices, and policies). If certain student subgroups are not using the library media center resources, how can you get them to?

person or phenomenon (such as the number of computers available for students to use, the number of volumes in the library media center or the number of classes using library resources). Qualitative data classify an object, event, person or phenomenon into categories with respect to the attributes by which they differ. Qualitative data is not arrived at through measurement, but rather through observation and survey. By looking beyond how much and how many to the attributes of the people, things, and activities being counted, library media specialists can have a more useful understanding of their library media centers and their work. There are a number of implications about what we might do to change the situation from numberdriven, efficiency conscious data collection and analysis to more context-sensitive, sense-making collecting and analytical techniques. All of these are offered not as alternatives, but as enhancements to the standard statistical data you presently collect.

What type of data should be collected?

To measure the effectiveness of your library media center program, collect data that relates to: n Accessis the library media center staff (professional and clerical) available throughout the school day? Can the students and faculty access library resources throughout the school campus and remotely from home? Is the library media center open before and after school to assist students who do not have remote access? n SuitabilityDoes the library media center collection support the curriculum? Do library resources support the varied student learning styles and the teaching styles of the faculty? Is the technology available to meet learning and teaching needs? n CompetencyIs the library media center staff competent? Do the resources and technology support all aspects of the curriculum? Can library media center assistants take the place of certified library media specialists? (Under the federal law, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), certificated education professionals in non-core academic subjects do not need

Quantitative or Qualitative?

Why arent more science teachers using the library media center? Are boys or girls more interested in reading Young Adult novels? How long should the library media center be open? Often, data used to investigate such questions is qualitative. Quantitative data correspond to characteristics (quantities) that can be measured numerically. Quantitative data tell how much or how many of a particular characteristic or attribute is present in an object, event,

n Look seriously at the genuine shortcomings of quantitative data collection and analysis and seek to incorporate qualitative methods that permit deeper understanding of library media center users, collections, programs, and services.

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An excellent report on school library media center programs and qualitative data is: Zweizig, Douglas and Dianne McAfee Hopkins. Lessons from Library Power: Enriching Teaching and Learning. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 1999.

Collection Analysis

Are you looking for an inexpensive, easy-to-use tool to evaluate the

book collection in your library media center? Titlewise Collection Analysis from Follett Software Company <www.fsc.follett.com> and BenchMARC from Sagegrush Corporation <www.sagebrushcorp.com> are free Web-based resources that analyze individual school collections. These programs make it easy to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a library media center collection

n Focus less on the students as a genus, and more on specific categories of students and profiles of their wants and needs. n Focus less on numerical aspects of collections and more on acceptable indicators of collection quality. n Focus less on simple student inquiries and more on the nature and level of these inquiries. n Foster awareness among principals and school board members that efficiency and effectiveness are not equivalent concepts, and that effectiveness in the library media center is a greater good than efficiency.

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and view or print reports, graphs, and charts that help you focus on the areas that need improvement. The resulting data can also be presented as a district aggregate to give an overview of the book collections district-wide. The process is simple: just export your MARC records with the holdings tag, copy information, and send them electronically to either vendor online. Your MARC records are analyzed and compared to recommended collections. A detailed report provides the information needed to improve your collection, as well as help you find new titles that meet your needs. BenchMARC allows you to create your own age standard for your reports. This type of collection analysis focuses on the quality of the collection (usually by matching holdings against best lists) and the completeness of the collection (usually matching against a list of issued items). The key assumption here is that larger collections are better collections, so size may be a proxy for goodness. Less popular, but receiving more attention today, are student-centered measures. These measures focus on the degree to which students find the collection to be useful. Surveys, interviews, and questionnaires, as well as focus groups, are used to query students. In particular, we must be concerned with the degree to which services and collections are important and make a difference for every student.

A National Endowment of the Arts survey (July 2004) <http:// www.nea.gov/news/news04/ ReadingAtRisk.html> shows that reading in America is declining. The steepest decline is in the youngest age group. This report is a mustread for all library media specialists who are interested in libraries, books, and the general intellectual health of the United States. At the state level, Iowa Code 256.51(h) requires the State Library of Iowa to collect data indicating current conditions, growth, and development of library services provided in Iowa, and to disseminate this information in a timely manner to the citizens of Iowa. In 2002, Iowas library media centers started collecting data and completing the annual survey. You can find detailed information, including the annual survey instrument, at <www.silo.lib.ia.us/ for-ia-libraries/tell-library-story/ school-library-surveyl.htm>. On the national level, the U. S. Department of Educations Office of Educational Research and Improvement collects data on library media centers. Federal surveys of library media centers in elementary and secondary schools in the United States were most recently collected for the school year 19992000. The collection occurred in the school years 199394, 1985, 1978, 1974, 1962, and 1958. What information is collected on the library media centers survey? Data from the questionnaires provides a nationwide picture of library media center staffing, collections, expenditures, technology, and services. Detailed information on the Library Statistics Program: School Libraries is available at <http://nces.ed.gov/ surveys/libraries/school.asp>. In addition, recent results from the federally-sponsored National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) provide evidence that students who read for fun every day have significantly higher reading achievement scores than

Who collects data?

It is not just individual schools or districts that collect data on library media centers and reading. State and federal government are now keenly interested in getting a cumulative picture of how library media centers help students in their learning. Some agencies collect data to get a baseline report of the status of library media centers. Others sample schools with effective library media center programs to present a cumulative picture of what great library media centers contribute to the learning community.

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students who read less frequently (NCES, 2002). The results of these studies provide convincing evidence that active library media centers promote students reading achievement.

center can lead to activities being forgotten, especially those for which no data were collected. The annual report is the main official document describing and defending the library media centers mission and how its goals were achieved throughout the school year. It relates aims and budgets to results and activities, and forecasts future actions based on a wellstudied budget proposal. When a library media specialist begins working in a library media center, he or she should look for the annual reports and read them. They may provide background information, data, and areas of both weakness and success. Special programs are

Conclusion

Collecting Data

Library media centers collect different data, often in different ways. Please keep the following in mind when collecting data: Consistency in data collection is essential. Count the same things in the same way, regardless of when counted or by whom.

Now that you have all this data, what do you do?
Use your data to: n identify goals for improving the library media center program to better serve students and faculty; n inform principals, school board members, and other stakeholders in order to gain support/advocacy for your library media center program; n secure additional funding for books and periodicals by comparing your data to external data, (see School Library Journal 2004 annual average book prices at <www. schoollibraryjournal.com/article/ CA386702> and EBSCOs 2004 Periodical Price History for School Libraries at <www.ebsco.com/ home/printsubs/priceproj2.asp>), state guidelines or standards, and accreditation association standards and benchmarks. n develop an action plan that includes library media center resources and services to help achieve School Improvement Plan goals as required by NCLB.

We collect data to assess the state of our library media center programs and services and the policies that support and guide them. This data is used to describe library media center services, evaluate the library media center programs, and measure performance. We need to collect only meaningful, purposeful data. Often data collected for one purpose can be put to use in multiple ways; various data elements can be combined to create new insights. Dont ignore incremental changes. Change based on small measures often adds up to noticeable results. We need to develop our skills to

the value Making compelling arguments aboutsystematic of library media centers without the collection of data is very difficult.
best described in more detail in occasional reports. When writing the annual report: n dont reinvent the wheel n keep it simple n sample where possible n keep measures focused n use data reported by your automation software whenever possible n turn data into information by presenting it graphically trend-lines charts and graphs PowerPoint n present results-oriented measures based on users needs n be consistent to facilitate comparison n turn results into actions collect, analyze, interpret, present, and use data. When we present our data to principals and school board members, we must remember to make it understandable. Present the data with this goal in mind: library media centers can contribute to improved student achievement by providing up-to-date instructional materials aligned to the curriculum and instructional practices; library media specialist collaborating with and supporting teachers, administrators, and parents; and extending their hours of operation beyond the school day. Finally, if we can learn from our successes and our failures, then we are well on our way to Every Student Succeeds @ Your Library Media Center. n
Terrence E. Young Jr., M.Ed., MLS is a library media specialist at West Jefferson High School in New Orleans, Louisiana and adjunct instructor of Library Science at the University of New Orleans. Contact him at bestman@att.net. @ Your Library is a registered trademark of the American Library Association.

Presenting Data: Annual Reports

As the name suggests, the annual report is produced once a year, usually at the end of the school year. Annual reports provide a very effective way to demonstrate to the administration that you are improving the educational process. Be sure to keep a well-organized log of all library media center events; postponing documenting the information about the library media

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