Oct 2009 Editor's Letter
By: Jill Pinheiro

How do private school libraries differ from their public school counterparts?

A recent study by the American Association of School Librarians, entitled School Libraries Counts!, revealed some interesting statistics, including:

* Private schools tend to have more total School Library Media Specialist (SLMP) staffing. The average private school reported 68.2 hours of total SLMP staff, compared to only 53.3 hours for public schools.

* Private schools are open an average of 37 hours per week, compared to 32 hours for public schools. Average hours available for flexible scheduling are 27 for private schools and 21 for public schools.

* Private schools consistently best public schools on collection size. Private schools average more than 15,300 volumes—36 per student—and 35 subscriptions, compared to about 12,400 volumes—22 per student—and 23 subscriptions for public schools.

* Private schools tend to have fewer School Library Media Center (SLMC) computers than do public schools: 20 vs. 24 for SLMC computers. 

* Private schools tend to spend more on their Library Media programs than public schools, both total and per-student. Private schools average more than $16,700 annually—or $34.13 per student—while public schools average less than $11,000 annually—or $16.33 per student.

Our annual focus on libraries/media centers includes taking these centers technologically forward, bringing the library of tomorrow to today’s Christian school. How high-tech is your school’s library?

I’m always interested in hearing from you. You can reach me at jill@cspmag.com.

God Bless,

Jill Pinheiro
Managing Editor