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Digest of Education Statistics: 2010
Digest of Education Statistics: 2010

NCES 2011-015
April 2011

Appendix A.2. Library Statistics

On October 1, 2007, the administration of the Public Libraries Survey (PLS) and the State Library Agencies (StLA) Survey was transferred to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) (see below). The transfer of these surveys to IMLS is the result of the fiscal year (FY) 2007 President's budget request.

NCES administered the Academic Libraries Survey (ALS) on a 3-year cycle between 1966 and 1988. From 1988 through 1999, ALS was a component of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and was on a 2-year cycle. Since FY 2000, ALS has not been a component of IPEDS, but it remains on a 2-year cycle. ALS provides data on about 3,700 academic libraries. In aggregate, these data provide an overview of the status of academic libraries nationally and statewide. The survey collects data on the libraries in the entire universe of degree-granting institutions. Beginning with the collection of FY 2000 data, the ALS changed to web-based data collection. ALS produces descriptive statistics on academic libraries in postsecondary institutions in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the outlying areas.

School library data were collected on the School and Principal Surveys during the 1990–91 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). The School Library Media Centers (LMC) Survey became a component of SASS with the 1993–94 administration of the survey. Since then, the LMC Survey has been conducted during the 1999–2000, 2003–04, and 2007–08 school years. During the 2007–08 administration, only the public and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school library media centers were surveyed. School library questions focus on facilities, services and policies, staffing, technology, information literacy, collections and expenditures, and media equipment. New or revised topics include access to online licensed databases, resource availability, and additional elements on information literacy.

Further information on library statistics may be obtained from

Tai Phan
Elementary/Secondary and Library Studies Division
Elementary/Secondary Sample Survey Studies Program
National Center for Education Statistics
1990 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries