Keith Curry Lance
Boulder
library research/statistics consultant
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Articles by Keith Curry Lance
Employing school librarians: What decision-makers tell us
For over a decade, school librarians have been gradually disappearing from K-12 schools. In 2009-10, the 50 states and the District of Columbia reported more than 52,500 full-time equivalents (FTEs) of school librarians; by 2022-23, those FTEs had dropped to just over 39,300 — a 25% decrease (National Center for Education Statistics, n.d.). By 2022-23, more than a third of local school districts reported having no school librarians.
America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2022
This is the 15th year in which Library Journal has scored U.S. public libraries on the LJ Index of Public Library Service and awarded Star Library ratings. The 2022 scores and ratings are based on FY20 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Public Library Survey (PLS). Every year, Star Libraries changes. The numbers of libraries reporting and qualifying for Star Libraries changes.
2022 Star Libraries By the Numbers | LJ Index 2022
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Placement matters: Is your reading intervention effective?
This four-phase process can help schools evaluate their policies and practices for placing students in standalone reading courses. Getty Images Schools seeking to attend to the needs of students who have difficulties with reading often turn to standalone reading intervention classes (hereafter “reading classes”).
America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2021
This is the 14th year in which LJ has scored U.S. public libraries on the LJ Index of Public Library Service and awarded Star Library ratings. The 2021 scores and ratings are based on FY19 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Public Library Survey. This is the 14th year in which LJ has scored U.S. public libraries on the LJ Index of Public Library Service and awarded Star Library ratings.
LJ Star Libraries 2021: Star Libraries and the Pandemic
We interviewed five directors of new or returning 2021 Star Libraries to learn how their libraries were positioned to cope with the pandemic, how they changed their operations to cope with the pandemic, and how their libraries rose to the challenges of the pandemic.
America's Star Libraries: What's Next
The newest output measure in the PLS is library website visits. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic closed many library buildings to the public, websites were a major access point for many library users. Coming Soon: Library Website Visits The newest output measure in the PLS is library website visits. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic closed many library buildings to the public, websites were a major access point for many library users.
America's Star Libraries: 2020 Stars on the Map
STATES WITH MOST AND FEWEST 2020 STARS The 2020 Star libraries are scattered among 39 states across the country. The top six states are New York (34), Ohio (31), Iowa (18), Illinois (16), Nebraska (13), and Colorado (11). Kansas and Massachusetts tied for seventh and eighth places (10). California is in ninth place (9), and Texas and Wisconsin (8 each) tied for tenth place.
America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2020
This is the 13th year of the LJ Index of Public Library Service and Star Library ratings. The 2020 scores and ratings are based on FY18 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Public Library Survey (PLS). Because of that delay, they don’t reflect the impact of the coronavirus; that won’t be reflected in the data until 2022.
Target's Black Friday 2019 Sale Will Score You Big Savings On Your Favorite Items
Get ready to mark your planners and make a list of all of the Black Friday deals you want to buy, because the Black Friday ads keep popping up. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, Target's Black Friday sale dates and times were announced, as well as some pre-Black Friday sales that you'll definitely want to jot down in your calendar. These deals include major savings that'll make your holiday that much better. The Black Friday Sale at Target will be starting in-stores and online on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov.
Target's Black Friday Sale Will Score You Big Savings On Your Favorite Items
Get ready to mark your planners and make a list of all of the Black Friday deals you want to buy, because the Black Friday ads keep popping up. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, Target's Black Friday sale dates and times were announced, as well as some pre-Black Friday sales that you'll definitely want to jot down in your calendar. These deals include major savings that'll make your holiday that much better. The Black Friday Sale at Target will be starting in-stores and online on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov.
Target's Black Friday Sale Will Score Big Savings On Your Favorite Items
Get ready to mark your planners and make a list of all of the Black Friday deals you want to buy, because the Black Friday ads keep popping up. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, Target's Black Friday sale dates and times were announced, as well as some pre-Black Friday sales that you'll definitely want to jot down in your calendar. These deals include major savings that'll make your holiday that much better. The Black Friday Sale at Target will be starting in-stores and online on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov.
Keith Lance
Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size Keith Lance Posted: Monday, December 31, 2018 9:17 am Keith Lance Provided to the Sentinel-Tribune Sentinel-Tribune Our Father God welcomed home His beloved son, Keith Lance (age 70), on December 30, 2018. He was born in Bowling Green, Ohio on May 5,1948. Keith has filled the lives around him with love and great memories (memories for your scrapbook as he would always say).
America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2020
This is the 13th year of the LJ Index of Public Library Service and Star Library ratings. The 2020 scores and ratings are based on FY18 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Public Library Survey (PLS). Because of that delay, they don’t reflect the impact of the coronavirus; that won’t be reflected in the data until 2022.
Why school librarians matter: What years of research tell us
Since 1992, a growing body of research known as the school library impact studies has consistently shown positive correlations between high-quality library programs and student achievement (Gretes, 2013; Scholastic, 2016). Data from more than 34 statewide studies suggest that students tend to earn better standardized test scores in schools that have strong library programs.
School Librarian, Where Art Thou?
Most everyone in our profession is aware that school librarian numbers have dipped, but we haven’t known the numbers or a time line for these losses. What has been happening to school librarianship? The well-accepted story in the field is that it has been shedding jobs, which is inarguable. But there has been too little overarching analysis to help describe the true state of the profession.
There’s Little National Data About School Librarians. What Happened?
From a national perspective, school libraries are largely data-less at the moment—a state of affairs that would be utterly unthinkable to public or academic library leaders. Here’s why: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data staffing counts used in my SLJ article “School Librarian, Where Art Thou?” is the only data about school libraries that the federal government collects from all schools and districts.
There’s Little National Data About School Librarians. What Happened?
From a national perspective, school libraries are largely data-less at the moment—a state of affairs that would be utterly unthinkable to public or academic library leaders. Here’s why: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data staffing counts used in my SLJ article “School Librarian, Where Art Thou?” is the only data about school libraries that the federal government collects from all schools and districts.
All the Stars, State by State | LJ Index 2017
Click a state above, or use the drop-down below to jump to the Star libraries in that state. States with Most and Fewest Stars The 2017 Star Libraries are found in 40 states scattered across the country geographically. The top four states, ranked by their numbers of Star Libraries, are New York (31), Ohio (25), Illinois (22), and California (13). There is a tie for fifth place between Kansas and Massachusetts (12 each).
The Star Libraries by Expenditure Category | LJ Index 2017
The LJ Index is based on five types of per capita use generated by public libraries: visits, circulation, ecirculation, public access computer use, and program attendance. Star Library ratings of five, four, and three stars are awarded to libraries that generate the highest combined per capita outputs among their spending peers. For details about how the LJ Index is calculated and for whom, see the project’s FAQ. This year, there are 259 Star Libraries.
Find Your Library | LJ Index 2017
Whether or not your library has been given a Star rating, you can benefit from finding peers in your expenditure category and comparing statistics. For the scores for all libraries included in this round of the LJ Index, use the links below to download a spreadsheet of all libraries with LJ Index scores.
Every Star Library Ever Named | LJ Index 2017
This year we are again posting a detailed spreadsheet (link below) listing every Star Library award given since the inaugural edition of the LJ Index in February 2009. We have rated U.S. public libraries annually since then, and twice in that initial year due to scheduling of the release of the 2006 data.
All-Time All-Stars | LJ Index 2017
Over the ten editions of this article, 606 libraries have been named Star Libraries in one or more years. A total of 69 received Stars in each of the ten editions. Of those, 13 U.S. public libraries earned five-Star ratings each and every year. We invited them to comment on the distinction, and many responded. We continue to remain strong in visits, circulation, and program attendance. We attribute this to exceptional staff and an engaged community that strongly supports the library.
America’s Star Libraries: Top-Rated Libraries | LJ Index 2017
We are pleased to announce the results of the tenth edition of the LJ Index of Public Library Service, sponsored by Baker & Taylor’s Bibliostat. The LJ Index rates U.S. public libraries based on selected per capita output measures. The 2017 Index derives from data recently released by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for FY15. This year, 7,409 U.S. public libraries qualified to be rated in the Index.
Connecting libraries, librarians to student success – Community College Daily
Since 2013, North Carolina community colleges have been tracking performance measures focusing on students who need help to catch up and to keep up with their peers. A group of librarians wanted to identify and document the contributions of libraries to student success. With support from the State Library of North Carolina and the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, Rejeanor Scott, Nora Bird and several librarian colleagues commissioned a three-year, first-of-its-kind study.
SC Study Shows Link Between School Librarians and Higher Test Scores
The members of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) have always known how important school librarians and library programs are to student achievement in their state; however, they needed a way to prove it to administrators, teachers, parents, and legislators who were yet to be convinced. To develop their case, in 2013, the SCASL board commissioned a study conducted by Keith Curry Lance, consulting with RSL Research Group president Marcia J.
LJ Index 2015: The Star Libraries
This year, 207 of 2014’s Star Libraries retain their Star status, though their numbers of Stars may have changed. There are also 54 new or returning Star Libraries—ones that were not Stars in last year’s ratings. Among libraries spending $30 million or more, there are two new three-Star winners: Toledo–Lucas County Public Library and Indianapolis–Marion County Public Library.
LJ Index 2015: All the Stars, State by State
Click a state above, or use the drop-down below to jump to the Star libraries in that state. The 2015 Star Libraries are found in 41 states scattered across the country geographically. The top five states, ranked by their numbers of Star Libraries, are New York (39), Ohio (28), Illinois (19), Massachusetts (15), and Kansas (12). The top ten states are rounded out by a three-way tie for places six to eight shared by California, Iowa, and Texas (each with 11), Nebraska (9), and Maine (8).
America’s Star Libraries, 2014: Top-Rated Libraries
We are very pleased to announce the results of the seventh edition of the Library Journal Index of Public Library Service, sponsored by Baker & Taylor’s Bibliostat. The LJ Index is a measurement tool that compares U.S. public libraries with their spending peers based on four types of output measures of their per capita use. For this year’s Star Libraries, please click on “The Star Libraries” above; for more on what’s next for the index, see “What’s Next for the LJ Index”.
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