SASS 2011-12 School Materials and Questionnaires

OMB No. 1850-0598: Approval Expires xx/xx/2014

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Center for Education Statistics

Conducted by:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER QUESTIONNAIRE
SCHOOLS AND STAFFING SURVEY
2011-12 SCHOOL YEAR

THIS SURVEY HAS BEEN ENDORSED BY:
To be determined

NOTICE> This survey is authorized by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, 20 U.S. Code §9541(b) and
§9543(a). The results will only be produced as statistical summaries.

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DEAR LIBRARIAN:
The Schools and Staffing Survey is the largest sample survey of America’s elementary and secondary schools. Your
participation is important. Below are answers to some general questions.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS SURVEY?
The purpose of this survey is to obtain information about school library media centers, such as staffing, collections,
and expenditures.
WHO IS CONDUCTING THIS SURVEY?
The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting this survey for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the
U.S. Department of Education.
WHY SHOULD YOU PARTICIPATE IN THIS SURVEY?
Policymakers and educational leaders rely on data from this survey to inform their decisions concerning K-12
schools. Because it is a sample survey, your responses represent the responses of many. Higher response rates give
us confidence that the findings are accurate.
WILL YOUR RESPONSES BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL?
Your responses are protected from disclosure by federal statute (20 U.S.C., § 9573). All responses that relate to or
describe identifiable characteristics of individuals may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be
disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose, unless otherwise compelled by law.
HOW WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE REPORTED?
The information you provide will be combined with the information provided by others in statistical reports. No
individually-identifiable data will be included in the statistical reports.
WHERE SHOULD YOU MAIL YOUR COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE?
Please return your completed questionnaire in the enclosed pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope or mail it to:
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
ATTN: DCB 60A
1201 E. 10th STREET
JEFFERSONVILLE, IN 47132-0001
WE HOPE YOU WILL PARTICIPATE IN THIS VOLUNTARY SURVEY.
SINCERELY,
JACK BUCKLEY
COMMISSIONER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS
National Center for Education Statistics
Paperwork Burden Statement
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of
information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this
information collection is 1850-0598. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to
average 35 minutes per response, including the time spent to review instructions, search existing data resources,
gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning
the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of
Education, Washington, DC 20202-4537. If you have comments or concerns about the contents of this
questionnaire, e-mail: [email protected], or write directly to: Schools and Staffing Survey, National Center for
Education Statistics, 1990 K Street, N.W., #9018, Washington, DC 20006.

INSTRUCTIONS
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The data you enter on this form will be captured through the use of imaging technology. Please
print all information clearly in ordinary characters, using a blue or black ballpoint pen.
Correct marking example – (Use care to keep characters in their designated spaces.)

Incorrect marking example –

a. Please do not write any comments near the answer spaces.
b. Unless otherwise indicated, please refer to the current (2011-12) school year. Some
questions refer to the 2010-11 school year. If you were not working in this library media
center during the 2010-11 school year, please consult with another staff member who was
working in this library media center last year or the school principal.
c. If you are unsure about how to answer a question, please give the best answer you can
rather than leaving it blank.
d. Report data for this school’s library media center only.
e. "Library media center" is the phrase used throughout the questionnaire to cover what may
be called any of the following: school library, media center, resource center, information
center, instructional materials center, learning resource center, or any other similar name.
f. If you have any questions, call the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-800-221-1204. Someone will
be available to take your call Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
(Eastern Time). The U.S. Census Bureau is also available to answer your questions via email at: [email protected].

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I. FACILITIES, SERVICES, AND POLICIES
1. Does this school have a library media center?
A library media center is 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 library media center may be called a school library, media center, resource center,
information center, instructional materials center, learning resource center, or any other similar
name.
__Yes  Continue with this questionnaire or give it to the individual who is responsible for this
school’s library media center, e.g., the librarian or library media specialist.
__No  STOP NOW AND RETURN THIS QUESTIONNAIRE TO THE U.S. CENSUS
BUREAU IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
2. Which of the following best describes the type of scheduling for the library media
center?
Mark (X) only one box.
__Only flexible scheduling (available as needed)
__Only regular scheduling (previously specified times)
__Both flexible and regular scheduling
3. May students use the library media center independently during the following times?
a. Before school
__Yes
__No
b. After school
__Yes
__No
c. During regular school hours
__Yes
__No
4. Is the library media center open to community members who do not attend this school
and do not have children who attend this school?
__ Yes
__ No –> GO TO item 6 on page 5.

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5. May community members who do not attend this school and do not have children who
attend this school use the library media center during the following times?
a. During regular school hours
__Yes
__No
b. During the week, outside of regular school hours
__Yes
__No
c. On weekends, outside of regular school hours
__Yes
__No
6a. May community members who do not attend this school and do not have children who
attend this school use library media center computer workstations to access the Internet?
__ Yes –> GO TO item 7 below.
__ No
b. Which of the following reasons best describes why community members who do not
attend this school and do not have children who attend this school cannot use library media
center computer workstations to access the Internet?
Mark (X) one.
__ This library media center does not have any computer workstations.
__ The computer work stations in this library media center do not have internet access.
__ Community members are not permitted to use library media center computer workstations to
access the Internet.
7. During the most recent full week of school, how many times did students visit the library
media center?
For example, a student visiting the library 5 times during the week is counted as 5 visits.
If none, please mark (X) the box.
__ None or __ __, __ __ __ Student visits during recent full week
8. During the most recent full week of school, what was the total number of books and
other materials checked out from the library media center?
Include items checked out by all persons.
If none, please mark (X) the box.
__ None or __ __, __ __ __ Total

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9. Does this library media center provide support for the following programs?
a. Family literacy activities
Family literacy activities are activities that offer educational opportunities to students’
family members in order to improve their literacy and life skills.
__Yes
__No
b. Programs, such as book clubs, that encourage students to read
__Yes
__No
10. Does this school have any of the following school board-approved policies?
a. A policy for acceptable use of the Internet
__Yes
__No
b. A policy for materials selection
__Yes
__No
c. A policy for challenges to library holdings
__Yes
__No

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II. STAFFING
11. Around the first of October, how many STAFF held full-time or part-time positions or
assignments in this school in each of the following categories?
Record HEAD COUNTS, not FTEs (full-time equivalent).
Staff with PART-TIME positions or assignments include: Employees shared with other schools
or the district office and employees who perform more than one function at this school, such as a
teaching principal.
*If none, please mark (X) the box.
FULL-TIME
PART-TIME
a. Paid state-certified library media specialists
Count a library media specialist as certified if he or she has
met your state’s regular or standard certification
requirements in the library media specialty area.
Include those who have completed all necessary course
work and are eligible for full certification upon completion
of a probationary period.
b. Paid professional staff who are NOT state-certified as
library media specialists
Do not include library aides or paid clerical staff.
c. Paid library aides or clerical staff
Do not include volunteers.

__ __ __

__ __ __

__ __ __

__ __ __

__ __ __

__ __ __

12. If you marked "NONE" to all types of staff in item 11 (that is, this library media center
has no paid professional staff), then mark (X) here __
 GO TO item 15 on page 9.
Otherwise, continue with item 13 below.
13. How many of the paid professional library media staff have earned a master’s degree in
librarianship, library science, information science, educational media, instructional design,
or instructional technology?
Record HEAD COUNTS, not FTEs (full-time equivalent).
If none, please mark (X) the box.
__ None or __ __Paid professional staff members

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14. How many of the paid professional library media staff are state-certified as classroom
teachers?
Record HEAD COUNTS, not FTEs (full-time equivalent).
Include those who have completed all necessary course work and are eligible for full
certification upon completion of a probationary period.
If none, please mark (X) the box.
__ None or __ __Certified as classroom teachers
15. Do any volunteers provide services for the library media center?
__ Yes
__ No  GO TO item 17 on page 9.
16. During the most recent full week of school, what was the total number of regularly
scheduled volunteers in the library media center who were –
Record HEAD COUNTS, not FTEs (full-time equivalent).
If none, please mark (X) the box.
a. Adult volunteers?
__ None or __ __ Adult volunteers
b. Student volunteers?
__ None or __ __ Student volunteers
17. Does the school staff member with primary responsibility for this library media center
spend time in another school (i.e., an itinerant library media specialist)?
Mark (X) only one box.
__ Yes
__ No
__ There is no school staff member who has primary responsibility for the library media center.

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III. TECHNOLOGY & INFORMATION LITERACY
18a. How many computer workstations does the library media center have for student
and/or staff use?
If none, please mark (X) the box.
__ None  GO TO item 19 below.
__ __ __ Computer workstations
b. Of the computer workstations reported above, how many have access to the Internet?
If none, please mark (X) the box.
__ None
__ __ Computer workstations
19. Does this school provide students access to online, licensed databases?
(Online, licensed databases are supplied by commercial vendors via the Internet. They may
include indexes, abstracts, full-text article databases, or full-text reference sources, such as
encyclopedias, almanacs, biographical sources, and other quick fact-finding sources.)
__ Yes
__ No  GO TO item 21 on below.
20. Does the school provide access to online, licensed databases to students from the
following locations?
a. In the classroom
__ Yes
__ No
b. In the school library media center
__ Yes
__ No
c. At home
__ Yes
__ No
21. Are the following available within this library media center?
a. Automated circulation system
__ Yes
__ No
b. Automated catalog(s) for student and/or staff use
__ Yes
__ No

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21. Continued – Are the following available within this library media center?
c. Digital video disc (DVD) player(s) or video cassette recorder(s) (VCR) for student
and/or staff use
Include stand-alone DVD players and those in computers.
__ Yes
__ No
d. Media retrieval system
(A media retrieval system consists of centralized video distribution equipment with a
scheduling and control server that telecasts video to classrooms, upon request.)
__ Yes
__ No
e. Laptops for student use outside of the library media center
__ Yes
__ No
f. Laptops for staff use outside of the library media center
__ Yes
__ No
g. Technology to assist students and/or staff with disabilities
(e.g., TDD, specially-equipped workstations)
__ Yes
__ No
22. Does this school follow a formal information literacy curriculum?
__ Yes
__ No  GO TO Section IV on page 12.
23. Who teaches this school’s information literacy curriculum?
Mark (X) only one box.
__ Library professional staff only
__ Classroom teachers only
__ Taught by both library professional staff and classroom teachers

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IV. LAST SCHOOL YEAR’S COLLECTIONS AND EXPENDITURES
24. If this library media center was not in existence last school year (2010-11), then mark
(X) here. __  Thank you for completing the survey.
Otherwise, continue with item 25 below.
25. During the 2010-11 school year, what were the total holdings, additions, and
expenditures for the library media center for each of the following kinds of materials?
Report only the materials acquired and maintained by the library media center.
If none, please mark (X) the box.
Total number held at
Number ACQUIRED
the end of the 2010-11 DURING the 2010-11
school year
school year

a. BOOK TITLES
(count all copies)
b. AUDIO or
VIDEO
MATERIALS
(tape, CD, or DVD;
count all copies)

__ None or
__ __ __, __ __ __
__ None or
__ __ __, __ __ __

__ None or
__ __, __ __ __
__ None or
__ __, __ __ __

Report the amount
spent for the purchase
of materials for the
2010-11 school year
Round to the nearest
dollar.
__ None or
$__ __ __, __ __ __
__ None or
$__ __ __, __ __ __

26. During the 2010-11 school year, what were the TOTAL expenditures for ALL
information resources for this library media center?
(Information resources include such items as books, periodicals, audio-visual materials, database
licensing, and software. They do not include salaries, computer hardware, or audio-visual
equipment.)
Please report in whole dollars.
If none, please mark (X) the box.
__ None
or $__ __ __ ,__ __ __ .00

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Thank you very much for your participation
in this survey. If you have any questions,
please contact us, toll-free, at: 1-800-221-1204
or by e-mail at: [email protected].
To learn more about this survey and to
access reports from earlier collections, see
the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) website at:
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass
NCES also collects data from public and
academic libraries and state library agencies.
For more information about these surveys,
go to the Library Statistics Program website at:
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries
Additional data collected by the National
Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on
a variety of topics in elementary,
secondary, postsecondary, and
international education are available
from NCES’ website at:
http://nces.ed.gov
For additional data collected by various
Federal agencies, including the
Department of Education, visit the
Federal Statistics clearinghouse at:
http://www.fedstats.gov

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