
ALT School librarians have a variety of educational backgrounds. 86% serve multiple roles within their schools. Librarians: 27% are certified teacher-librarians with a library endorsement Teachers: 13% are certified teachers in the library without a library endorsement Paraprofessionals: 60% are librarians with no teaching certificate and no library endorsement

ALT School librarians are educators, mentors, collaborators, and leaders. 65% attend district meetings and in-services 57% engage in professional development 41% serve on district-wide committees 32% present and participate at workshops outside the district 19% deliver professional development for teachers & staff

ALT South Dakota school librarians instruct & collaborate: 74% teach with SD School Library Standards; 57% innovatively organize their collections; 62% survey students & staff in regard to resources, reading & services; 74% utilize SD School Library Guidelines; 55% collaborate with local public library; 30% collaborate & teach with classroom teachers

ALT South Dakota school librarians communicate with: 37% Newsletters create content for digital/print newsletters to share with students, staff, and parents; 38% Websites maintain website or pages dedicated to the school library; 17% Social Media develop content and maintain social media accounts to connect with students and parents

ALT 2024 South Dakota School Libraries Facts & Stats The Program: School libraries provide programs and activities that link literacy and student interests. 83% local, state, and national reading promotion programs 82% thematic displays and bulletin boards 59% ELL, SPED, and multicultural resources 53% book fairs 68% meeting room functions 70% individual study spaces 98% small group instruction 91% classroom instruction 68% meeting room functions

ALT 2023-24 School Library Facts 91% Districts/Systems in South Dakota have a school library 98% Students attend a district/system with at least one school library

ALT 2023-24 School Library Facts 1 item per student added to library collections $19.11 spent on new materials per student 27 items checked out per student 85% of students checked out at least one book during the school year 5,400 classes visited school libraries every week 8,300 students visited school libraries independently every day







