Increasing Access to Current, Appealing, High-Interest, and Useful Books

By

Jack W. Humphrey

             Over 70 reading stakeholders from across the state of Indiana met on two different occasions to forge a blueprint for making Indiana a community of readers.  These reading advocates represented many areas of concern, including education, public and school libraries, public school superintendents, community-based agencies, parents, businesses, and the Indiana State Department of Education.  Out of the work of this group came the Reading Bill of Rights (Becoming a Community of Readers: A Blueprint for Indiana, 1995).

             The Reading Bill of Rights contained eight points: access to books, encouragement to value reading, time to read, skilled reading leaders, public library support, community agency support, family support, and reading role modes.

             Placed at the top of the list was access to books. The correlation between reading achievement and voluntary reading strongly supports the need to promote and encourage children's voluntary reading. Independent reading accounts for one-third of a student's vocabulary growth (Center for the Study of Reading, n.d.).  Children who score at the ninetieth percentile on reading tests read five times as much as children at the fiftieth percentile and two hundred times as much as children at the tenth percentile (Anderson, Fielding, and Wilson 1988).

             We wish that all families had public library cards and ensured that their children frequently and systematically read books and other materials from that source.  We wish that all families subscribed to a daily newspaper so that children would have access to daily reading throughout the entire year.  While we wish that children would find books and encouragement for independent reading in their classrooms, at home, and in the community, we cannot be sure that these other sites will do the job.  The one place charged with this mission is the school library, and this is where we decided to focus our attention.

             In a survey of Indiana schools, we found that new book acquisitions were only about one-fourth of the recommended number needed to keep collections current.  The average school library had about 10,000 books for 500 students, but only 2,500 of the books had been purchased during the past 10 years, and the average copyright date of the books was 1969.  Schools spent an average of $7.38 per student for books.  (Humphrey, 1992; Callison and Knuth, 1994).

             The lack of funding for new school library books can be compared to the non-print media that we surround our students with at home, in the community, and at school.  In a world with new computers, VCRs and TV sets, with new games, movies and television programs, and old books, you do not have to guess what is most attractive to students.  We need to provide new books just as we provide new computers, VCRs, and TVs.

             According to the School Library Journal of March 1998, the average cost of a book for children and young adults is $15.99.  This is an increase of 21.6 percent compared to 10 years ago.  Indiana schools with 500 students were spending $3,655 for each year for new school library books, so this bought 228 new books each year or a little less than one-fourth book per student.  But to keep current, schools need to purchase two books per student, so the amount that should  be allocated for books is $15,990. 

             The difference between what is needed ($15,990) and what is available ($3,655) is $12,225 per school.  Thus the problem is how to get teachers, principals, librarians, superintendents, and school board members as well as other reading stakeholders informed about the need to increase reading ability through improving access to new and interesting school library books.

             Through newsletters, conferences, billboards, radio and television commercials, and news releases, we brought the need for new school library books to the attention of the citizens of the state.  We provided each of the 150 members of the Indiana General Assembly with copies of Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers by Karen B. Winnick and copies of old books from school libraries.  We published a booklet entitled Reading and Libraries: Indispensable Partners and distributed it widely.  Our message was that you can't have a good reading program without a good school library book collection and that Indiana schools were purchasing only one-fourth of the books needed to keep collections current.  We frequently mentioned that the average copyright date was 1969 and challenged people to pull off 10 books at random from any library and check to see copyright dates and the last time the books were checked out.  We said that if a book was over 10 years of age, had not been checked out in the past year, and was not of lasting or historical interest, it should be discarded.  We said that over half of the books in any school library were of no use to today's students and should be discarded.

             One illustration used in speeches and publications showed  how many books were of use to students when we provide only one-half book per student per year compared with another that showed all books were of use to students, after 10 years, when we provide two books per student per year.

            The other idea to help school librarians make their case for new books was to provide an inventory of books by copyright date for each decade so that educators and school board members could see the percentages of books purchased during different decades.  Every time this was done, the largest percentages of purchases were either in the 1960s or 1970s.

             In the fall of 1997, 989 out of 1,110 Indiana schools with students enrolled in any of grades K-8 reported that they had an average enrolment of 494 students, purchased  .81 books per student, and circulated 33.8 books per student.  There were 27 different grade configurations for the schools.  However, 69.4 percent of the students were enrolled in K-5, K-6, or 6-8 schools.  K-5 and K-6 schools purchased about as many books per student as the 6-8 schools, but circulation was 46 books per student in the K-5 and K-6 schools and only 15 books per student for 6-8 schools.

             In 1997, the Indiana General Assembly provided $4 million for books to increase voluntary reading for students enrolled in grades K-8.  Because of these funds, the average number of books purchased per student increased to 1.14 books per student or 40.7 percent.  The schools purchased 554,764 books in 1997 and 780,779 books in 1998 for an increase of 226,015 books ("Fall 1997," 1998).

             The additional one-third of a book per student funded by the state accounted for a small amount of the books in an average Indiana school.  Books arrived throughout the year, so students did not have a full year to use the books.  Yet, the payoff for the $4 million investment was astounding.   Circulation increased by 10 percent, with an increase of 2,328,639 books circulated compared to the previous year.  ("1998 information," 1998).

             Learning to read is like learning to play basketball.  First, you learn the skills, then you need lots of practice.  Obviously, you need to read in order to become a good reader.  If we are to prepare students with the reading skills they need to pursue their future optimistically, we need school libraries that have excellent book collections. To build excellent school libraries that promote voluntary reading, we must purchase at least two books per student per year.  At this rate, we will have current book collections in ten years.  But ten years is not the end.  After ten years, worn-out books should be removed from the collection each year as new books arrive.

                    There is no substitute for books.  Without access to current, appealing, high-interest, and useful books, reading achievement suffers.   Reading and school libraries are indispensable partners.   

References

Anderson, R. C., Fielding, L. G., and Wilson, P. T. "Growth in Reading and How Children Spend Their Time Outside of School."  Reading Research Quarterly 23:285-304, 1988.

 Becoming a community of Readers: A Blueprint for Indiana, Evansville: Middle Grades Reading Network, 16 pp., 1995.

 Callison, D., and Knuth, R.  "The AIME Statewide Survey of School Library Media Centers: Expenditures and Collections."  Indiana Media Journal, 16(3), 103-162, 1994.

 Center for the Study of Reading.  Teachers and Independent Reading.  Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois, n.d.

 "Fall 1997 Information Concerning Libraries from Indiana Schools Enrolling Students in Grades K Through 8."  NetWords, Middle Grades Reading Network, University of Evansville, January 1998.

 Humphrey, J.W.  A Study of Reading in Indiana Middle, Junior, and Senior High Schools.  Indianapolis, Ind., Indiana Youth Institute, 1992.

  "1998 Information Concerning Libraries from Indiana Schools Enrolling Students in Grades K Through 8."  NetWords, Middle Grades Reading Network, University of Evansville, October 1998.