IMLS Announces FY 2018 State Library Administrative Agencies Survey Results
State Libraries Supported Continuing Education, Youth Services, Reading Programs
Washington, DC — The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has released the latest report on the State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAA) Survey. The biennial survey, conducted in 2019, assesses the condition of SLAAs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in FY 2018.
Expenditures across SLAAs totaled over $1.1 billion in FY 2018, and the report found the decreases in revenues and staffing that SLAAs experienced during and immediately after the economic recession from 2007 to 2009 had stabilized. Despite the declines during the recession, SLAAs continued to provide a wide array of services to the libraries in their states.
The IMLS report highlights the ways in which SLAAs respond to the particular needs within their states. For example, nearly all SLAAs provided statewide sharing of resources, consulting services for library development, continuing education, and youth services as well as reading programs. On the other hand, states varied greatly in the extent to which they were involved in literacy support, coordination of digital programs and services, and services around conservation and preservation of collections.
In FY 2018, there were 2,524 full-time equivalent positions across all SLAAs; nearly half (48 percent) were in library services, followed by library development (20 percent), other services (18 percent), and administration (14 percent). In line with the decline in revenues, the survey found that the number of SLAA staff members declined by 27 percent over the past twelve years.
Read the full report and access the data files and documentation here.
About the SLAA Survey
The purpose of the SLAA survey is to provide state and federal policymakers, researchers, and other interested users with descriptive information about state library administrative agencies. The federal government has been collecting statistical data on SLAAs since 1994, and this report marks the seventh release of state library statistics from IMLS. It contains data on SLAAs in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for FY 2018. The data collection is a product of a cooperative effort among the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, IMLS, and American Institutes for Research.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Photo Courtesy of Route 9 Public Library