Recommendations from regional accrediting agencies and the American Library Association call for one certified library media specialist for service to every four hundred to five hundred students. How does Indiana stack up? Inasmuch as all Indiana schools are accredited through the Performance-Based Accreditation, do all Indiana schools provide trained librarians for their students?

     According to the 1994 Association of Indiana Media Educators Survey, only 56 percent of Indiana schools have a full-time, certified school library media specialist. While using noncertified personnel saves funds, it certainly contributes to the whole problem of engaging students with books. The selection and promotion of books calls for leadership by an individual who has gone through the rigorous training needed for library certification.