• Introduction
• Selected Findings

This report contains data on state library agencies in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for state fiscal year (FY) 2003.¹ The data were collected through the State Library Agencies (StLA) Survey, the product of a cooperative effort between the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and the U.S. Census Bureau. This cooperative effort makes possible the 100 percent response rate achieved for this survey. The frame or source of the list of respondents for this survey is based on the list that COSLA maintains of state library agencies. The FY 2003 survey is the 10th in the StLA series. The data upon which this report is based are final. Data from previous administrations of the survey have been revised, and a complete list of references can be found on page 65 of the full report.

Background

A state library agency is the official agency of a state that is charged by state law with the extension and development of public library services throughout the state and that has adequate authority under state law to administer state plans in accordance with the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) (P.L. 104-208). Beyond these two roles, state library agencies vary greatly. They are located in various departments of state government and report to different authorities. They are involved in various ways in the development and operation of electronic information networks. They provide different types of services to different types of libraries. They provide important reference and information services to state governments and administer the state libraries and special operations such as state archives, libraries for the blind and physically handicapped, and the State Center for the Book.² The state library agency may also function as the state's public library at large, providing library services to the general public. This report provides information on the range of roles played by state library agencies and the various combinations of fiscal, human, and informational resources invested in such work. Some state library agencies perform allied operations, services not ordinarily considered a state library agency function. These special operations may include maintaining state archives, managing state records, conducting legislative research for the state, or operating a museum or art gallery.

The state library agencies of the District of Columbia, Hawaii, and Maryland are different from the other state libraries in a variety of ways. They are administrative offices without a separate state library collection. In the District of Columbia, which is treated as a state for reporting purposes, the Martin Luther King Memorial Library, the central library of the District of Columbia Public Library, functions as a resource center for the municipal government. In Hawaii, the state library is located in the Hawaii State Public Library System. State law designates Enoch Pratt Free Library's central library as the Maryland State Library Resource Center. These collections are reported on the NCES Public Libraries Survey (PLS) and thus are not reported on the StLA Survey, to avoid duplication. The state library agencies of the District of Columbia, Hawaii, and Maryland administer LSTA funds and report LSTA revenue and expenditures in this report. The District of Columbia and Maryland state library agencies administer and staff the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH). The Library of Congress owns the LBPH collections.

Purpose of survey

The purpose of the StLA Survey is to provide state and federal policymakers, researchers, and other interested users with descriptive information about state library agencies. The data collected are useful to (1) chief officers of state library agencies; (2) policymakers in the executive and legislative branches of federal and state governments; (3) government and library administrators at the federal, state, and local levels; (4) the American Library Association and its members or customers; (5) library and public policy researchers; and (6) the public, journalists, and others. Decisionmakers use this survey to obtain information about services and fiscal practices.

Organization of this report

This report presents selected findings and background information about the survey. The body of this report is composed of tables providing an overview of state library agencies during the 2003 fiscal year. The tables present data on six main topics.

• Governance—describes the organizational location of state library agencies within state governments.
• Collections and Services—characterizes state library agencies in terms of holdings, library service transactions, and services to libraries and systems.
• Service Outlets and Staff—describes the availability of state library agency locations and bookmobiles providing services to the public or specific constituencies and characterizes staff and the functions they perform.
• Revenue-identifies various sources of state library agency revenue or income.
• Expenditures-describes how state library agency funds are expended.
• Public Policy Issues-presents special projects sponsored by state library agencies.

The survey asks each state library agency about the kinds of services it provides, its staffing practices, its collections, its income and expenditures, and more. The data include services and financial assistance provided to public, academic, and school libraries, and to library systems. When added to the data collected through the NCES surveys of public, academic, and school libraries,³ these data help complete the national picture of library service.

Congressional authorization

The StLA Survey is conducted in compliance with the NCES mission to "collect, report, analyze, and disseminate statistical data related to education in the United States and in other nations, including . . . assisting public and private educational agencies, organizations, and institutions in improving and automating statistical and data collection activities. . . . The Statistics Center may establish one or more national cooperative education statistics systems for the purpose of producing and maintaining, with the cooperation of the States, comparable and uniform information and data on early childhood education, elementary and secondary, postsecondary education, adult education, and libraries, that are useful for policymaking at the Federal, State, and local levels." (H.R. 3801, Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 [ESRA 2002])

Governance

• Nearly all state library agencies (49 agencies) are located in the executive branch of government. Two state library agencies are located in the legislative branch.
• Sixteen state library agencies are independent agencies within the executive branch. Of the state library agencies located in the executive branch, almost two-thirds (33 agencies) are part of a larger agency.
• Of the 33 state library agencies that were part of a larger state agency, 14 were part of the state department of education. Four state library agencies were located in a department of cultural resources, and five states were part of a department of state.

Collections and services

• State library agency collections averaged 531,000 uncataloged government documents. State library agencies averaged 457,000 book and serial volumes. The median number of books and serial volumes held by state library agencies was 179,000.
• State library agencies also held audio or visual materials or serial subscriptions. The average number of such materials held by state library agencies varied by format: 3,700 audio materials, 3,000 video materials, and 1,300 serial subscriptions.
• During the 2003 fiscal year, state library agencies averaged 37,000 library visits. State library agencies averaged 61,000 circulation transactions. The median number of circulation transactions was 9,400. State library agency staff responded to an average of 26,000 reference transactions in fiscal year 2003. The median number of reference transactions was 14,000.

Services to public libraries

Public libraries serve all residents of a given community, district, or region, and typically receive financial support, in whole or part, from public funds.

• All state library agencies provided the following types of services to public libraries: administration of LSTA grants; collection of library statistics; continuing education programs; and library planning, evaluation, and research. Nearly all state library agencies (47 to 50 agencies) provided consulting services, interlibrary loan referral services, library legislation preparation or review, and review of technology plans for the E-rate discount program.
• Services to public libraries provided by 40 to 45 state library agencies were administration of state aid, reference referral services, state standards or guidelines, statewide public relations or library promotion campaigns, and summer reading program support. Three-fourths of state library agencies (39 agencies) provided literacy program support to public libraries.
• Thirteen state library agencies reported accreditation of public libraries, and 24 state library agencies reported certification of public librarians.

Services to academic libraries

Academic libraries are integral parts of colleges, universities, or other academic institutions for postsecondary education, organized and administered to meet the needs of students, faculty, and affiliated staff.

• Over two-thirds of state library agencies (35 to 41 agencies) provided the following services to academic libraries: administration of LSTA grants, continuing education, interlibrary loan referral services, or reference referral services. Thirty-two state library agencies provided consulting services, 26 provided union list development, and 23 state library agencies provided statewide public relations/library promotion campaigns to academic libraries.
• Services to academic libraries provided by four to six state library agencies were administration of state aid, certification of academic librarians, literacy program support, and state standards/guidelines. No state library agency accredited academic libraries.

Services to school library media centers

School library media centers (LMCs) are integral parts of the educational program of elementary and secondary schools, with materials and services that meet the curricular, information, and recreational needs of students, teachers, and administrators.

• Almost two-thirds or more of state library agencies (33 to 41) provided administration of LSTA grants, continuing education, interlibrary loan referral services, or reference referral services to LMCs.
• Twenty-nine state library agencies provided consulting services to school libraries, 24 provided library planning/evaluation research or statewide public relations/library promotions campaigns to LMCs, 21 supported union list development, and 20 state library agencies provided library legislative preparation/review.
• No state library agency reported accreditation of school library media centers. Three state library agencies administered state aid to school LMCs; four reported certification of library media specialists; six reviewed technology plans for the E-rate discount program; and eight state library agencies reported retrospective conversion of bibliographic records.

Services to special libraries

Special libraries are located in business firms, professional associations, government agencies, or other organized groups. A special library may be maintained by a parent organization to serve a specialized clientele; or an independent library may provide materials or services, or both, to the public, a segment of the public, or other libraries. Special libraries include libraries in state institutions. The scope of special library collections and services is limited to the subject interests of the host or parent institution.

• Two-thirds or more of state library agencies (34 to 43 agencies) served special libraries through administration of LSTA grants, consulting services, continuing education, interlibrary loan referral services, and reference referral services.
• Twenty-six state library agencies provided union list development; 25 agencies supported special library planning, evaluation, and research; and 20 offered statewide public relations/library program campaigns.
• Six state library agencies administered state aid to special libraries, maintained state standards/guidelines, or reviewed technology plans for the E-rate discount program. Five state library agencies supported special library summer reading programs, and four reported certification of librarians of special libraries. No state library agency accredited special libraries.

Services to systems

Systems are groups of autonomous libraries joined together by formal or informal agreements to perform various services cooperatively, such as resource sharing or communications. Systems include multi-type library systems and public library systems, but not multiple outlets under the same administration.

• Two-thirds of state library agencies (34 agencies) administered LSTA grants to library systems.
• Furthermore, at least half of state library agencies (26 to 31 agencies) provided the following services to library systems: administration of state aid; collection of library statistics; consulting services; continuing education; interlibrary loan referral; library legislation preparation or review; library planning; evaluation and research; and review of technology plans for the E-rate discount program.
• Six state library agencies reported library system accreditation, and seven reported certification of librarians of library systems.

Service outlets and staff

State library agency service outlets have regular hours of service in which state library agency staff are present to serve users. The state library agency, as part of its regular operation, pays the staff and all service costs. The main or central outlet is a single unit library where the principal collections are located and handled. Other outlets have separate quarters, a permanent basic collection of books and/or other materials, permanent paid staff, and a regular schedule of hours open to users. Bookmobiles are trucks or vans specially equipped to carry books and other library materials. They serve as traveling branch libraries.

• State library agencies reported a total of 134 service outlets-47 main or central outlets, 71 other outlets (excluding bookmobiles), and 16 bookmobiles. The user groups receiving library services through these outlets, and the number of outlets serving them, included the general public (95 outlets); state government employees (77 outlets); blind and physically handicapped individuals (56 outlets); residents of state correctional institutions (31 outlets); and residents of other state institutions (27 outlets).⁴
• The total number of budgeted full-time-equivalent (FTE) positions in state library agencies was 3,600. Librarians with American Library Association-accredited Master of Library Science degrees (ALA-MLS) represented 1,100 positions; other professionals accounted for 718 FTE positions; and other paid staff represented 1,700 FTE positions.
• Most of the budgeted FTE positions in state library agencies (55 percent) provided library services; 19 percent were in library development; and 13 percent of budgeted FTE positions were in administration or other services.⁵

Revenue

Sources of state library agency revenue are the federal government, state governments, and other sources, such as local, regional, or multijurisdictional sources. State library agencies may also receive income from private sources, such as foundations, corporations, Friends of Libraries groups, and individuals. State library agencies may also generate revenue through fees for service or fines. Revenue may be designated for aid to libraries, for the current and recurrent costs necessary for the provision of services by the state library agencies, or other purposes.

• State library agencies reported a total revenue of $1.1 billion in FY 2003. The states provided $916 million, $154 million came from federal sources, and $33 million came from other sources.⁶
• Among states with populations of 2.6 million to 5 million, 18 percent of state library agencies' revenue came from LSTA. State library agencies in states with fewer than 800,000 residents received 8 percent of their revenue from LSTA. The state library agencies in the remaining population categories received between 12 and 14 percent of their federal funds from LSTA.
• States designated $595 million of state library agency revenue for state aid to libraries. Revenue from state sources for state aid to libraries varied by population categories from $2.44 per capita for states with 10 million or more residents to $.37 per capita among states with fewer than 800,000 residents.

Expenditures

Operating expenditures are the current and recurrent costs necessary for the provision of services by the state library agencies. Operating expenditures include LSTA expenditures for statewide services conducted directly by the state library agencies and administration of the LSTA funds. Not included are the LSTA expenditures for grants and other funds distributed to libraries.

• State library agencies reported total expenditures of $1.1 billion in FY 2003. Of those expenditures, $301 million were operating expenditures, representing 28 percent of total expenditures, and $764 million were financial assistance to libraries, or 70 percent of total expenditures.
• Among states with $50 million or more in revenue, 84 percent ($3.94 per capita) of state library agency expenditures were for financial assistance to libraries, and 13 percent of expenditures ($.61 per capita) were for operating expenditures. States with less than $4 million in revenue used 85 percent ($2.86 per capita) of their expenditures for operating costs, and 12 percent ($.40 per capita) of expenditures was for financial assistance to libraries.
• State library agencies reported $172 million of their operating expenditures was for employee salaries and wages and benefits. State library agencies with the largest total revenue ($50 million or more) had employee costs of $38.7 million. The state library agencies with the smallest total revenue (less than $4 million) had operating expenditures for salaries and benefits of $9.6 million. State library agencies' total staffing costs ranged, by revenue category, from 53 percent to 62 percent of the total operating expenditures for fiscal year 2003.
• Of the financial assistance to libraries provided by state library agencies in 2003, 50 percent ($385 million) were targeted to individual public libraries, and 21 percent ($163 million) went to public library systems.

Public policy issues

State library agencies had a combined total of $26 million in grant and contract expenditures to assist public libraries with state or federal education reform initiatives. The area of adult literacy and family literacy accounted for 85 percent of such expenditures, and prekindergarten learning account-ed for 15 percent. State library agencies with total revenue of $50 million or more directed 92 percent of reform initiative funds to adult and family literacy and 8 percent to prekindergarten learning. For state library agencies with revenue of less than $4 million, 63 percent of reform initiative funds went to adult or family literacy and 37 percent of such funds were spent on prekindergarten learning.

¹See the section on Reporting Period in appendix A of the full report for more information on state fiscal year.

²The State Center for the Book, which is part of the Center for the Book program sponsored by the Library of Congress, promotes books, reading, and literacy, and is hosted or funded by the state.

³The NCES Public Libraries Survey collects data from U.S. public libraries. The Academic Libraries Survey collects data from postsecondary institution libraries. The "School Library Media Center Questionnaire" of the NCES Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) collects data from elementary and secondary school library media centers.

⁴The number of outlets by user group may not sum to total outlets because some outlets serve multiple user groups.

⁵This includes staff not reported under administration, library development, or library services, such as staff in allied operations.

⁶Federal income includes State Program income under the LSTA (P.L. 104-208), income from Title II of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) (P.L. 101-254), and other federal income. Note: LSCA was superseded by LSTA, but LSCA Title II funds are still active.