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Thanks to all who provided information about my question of whether there
exists a standard of library funding equal to one book per student per
year, where this formula came from, and if it is actually used.  Here's
what I learned:

The formula does exist, but although I was hoping it was just for books, it
does include all library materials.  In Loertscher's _Taxonomies of the
School Library Media Program_, page 121, (see reference below), three
levels of budget support are indicated for school library materials
(including books, software, periodicals, and AV material, but not salaries,
equipment, facilities, or supplies):

Minimum:  One book per year per student
Standard:  Two books ...
Excellence:  Three books ...

***Sources provided for location of this formula:***
        Loertscher, David.  Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program.
Libraries Unlimited, 1988.  0-87287-662-4.  (BTW, this is an excellent book!)
        Loertscher, David.  Reinvent your school's library in the age of
technology, p. 27.  Hi-Willow Research and Publishing.  (800-873-3043)
        Library Journal or School Library Journal or ALA may have had something on
this last year--the sender recalls a formula of two books per student at
$17.46 per book.
        http://mslma.org/mslmastandards.htm is the address for the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts School Library Media Association.  (Note:  These standards
have some great concrete numbers--like 70% of the collection should be 10
years old or newer)
        The California Library Association's web page may contain some information.

***Does anyone do this?***
        Some schools in Pasadena, TX, get this support.
        In Ft. Wayne, IN, this formula is used in meeting with the business
manager and is respected, although not quite met.
        This is a goal, but not always met--print materials sometimes suffer with
the addition of electronic resources.
        Southern Association accreditation standards require a collection of 10
books per student.
        A school in South Carolina has a budget of $17.00 per student for books,
periodicals, and supplies.
        Vermont Public School Accreditation minimums require one book per student
per year.
        In Massachusetts, a formula like this suggested by a media specialist was
granted; it helped a collection that was inadequate.  The media specialist
followed up with lots of PR to help for future budgets.
        Texas standards used to follow this formula (until about 10 years ago).
Now, the standards say that the school library's budget (for books,
supplies, and equipment) should be 1% of the total instructional budget of
the school.  (2% is "Recognized" and 3% is "Exemplary" (and rare!)
        The Arizona Library Association's School Library Media Division has
adopted this as one of its goals.

This will be a great help in preparing my budget request.  Thanks again!

Linda

Linda Kramer
K-12 Media Specialist
Minneota Public School
Minneota, MN
lkramer@minneota-isd414.org

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