Charter school libraries in Kansas City, Missouri

This study describes Kansas City, Missouri, charter school library media centers. The school library media center is an integral part of the curriculum for students. In Missouri public school libraries are required to have a building collection plan and state evaluation every five years. Many charter schools in Kansas City, Missouri, do not have libraries and are not included in these evaluations. Most charter school library media centers in Kansas City, Missouri, do not meet state standards for library collections and lack funding to improve the collections. Library media specialists, teachers, administrators, and students in Kansas City, Missouri, charter schools provided input for this study during the 2001–2003 school years concerning the influence of school library media centers in charter schools. Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) Index scores for Kansas City, Missouri, charter schools scores were compared. Some Kansas City, Missouri, charter school MAP Index scores have improved since 2001.