| The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 has schools searching for ways to increase academic achievement of their students. This law also mandates improvement of school libraries because research has shown school library media centers positively impact student achievement. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare school library media centers in South Dakota to determine what the current situation is and how schools will comply with this new law.; Separate surveys were sent to librarians and building principals in a random selection of half of the public schools in South Dakota based on school size classifications. The surveys gathered information on library staff qualifications, library budgets, use of advanced technologies, library uses, service hours, as well as the current and future impact of NCLB on South Dakota libraries. Some of these factors were compared across school sizes.; The conclusions of the study described how schools were implementing changes, if any, in regard to the NCLB Act. Librarians in the largest schools reported a change in budget/funding. Middle and small school librarians reported an updating of technology and materials. Principals in all three sizes of schools viewed increasing and updating technology and materials as the most important goal for their schools.; In addition, libraries in South Dakota were primarily staffed with persons holding a Bachelor's degree and/or library certification. The budget allocations and expenditures among all three sizes of schools have stayed the same or improved compared to previous years. Advanced technology was being used in the school libraries with 97% having access to the Internet, but the percentages dropped for the newer technologies. Service hours during the school day were similar across the schools regardless of school size, however, small schools had significantly less library access hours out of the normal school day. The majority of librarians also reported the library was used to support the curriculum.; The study also provided recommendations for practice focusing on technological improvements in libraries and greater collaboration between librarians and teachers for curriculum improvement and unit planning. In addition, recommendations for further study were included. |
