*Calculated using current enrollment of 693,831 for comparative purposes

        In 1999 the Indiana General Assembly provided $6 million for new school library books for Grades K-12.  In order to determine the results of this important investment, a total of 1,479 schools provided school library book purchase and circulation information in the spring of 2000. The results are impressive.

        Prior to the Indiana General Assembly providing $4 million for Grades K-8 for the 1997-1998 and 1998-1999 school years, book acquisition and circulation data was received from K-8 schools.  Thus a base line was established so that comparisons could be made in subsequent years to determine the value of the state’s investment in school libraries.In 1997 schools enrolling students in Grades K-8 purchased .81 books per student and circulated 33.79 books per student.  In 2000 schools purchased 1.24 books per student and circulated 39.00 books per student. 

The 1999-2000 enrollment in Indiana public schools for Grades K-8 was 693,831.  Of these, 612,590 students were involved in the 2000 survey.  Multiplying 1.24 (the number of books purchased per student in 1999-2000) times 693,831 shows that 860,350 new books were purchased in the 1999-2000 school year.  If only 0.81 books per student (1997 rate) had been purchased in the 1999-2000 school year, when the number of students had risen to 693,831, then only 562,003 or nearly 300,000 fewer books would have been purchased. 

        Multiplying 39.00 (the number of books circulated per student in 1999-2000) times 693,831 students shows that 27,059,409 books were circulated during the 1999-2000 school year.  If book circulation for the 1999-2000 school year were at the 1997 level of 33.79, only 23,444,549 books would have been circulated.  This increase from 33.79 to 39.00 resulted in more than 3½ million more books being circulated.