Resources

US Department of Ed Withholding of Funds

The US Department of Education is withholding nearly $7 billion in federal education funding for the 2025-2026 school year, which will affect various state-administered programs. The proposed FY25 cuts include:

$376 million – Title I-C Migrant Education State Grants
$890 million – Title III-A English Language Acquisition Grants
$1.33 billion – Title IV-B 21st Century Community Learning Centers
$1.38 billion – Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants
$2.19 billion – Title II-A Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants
$715 million – Adult Education State Grants

Please share information about these cuts with your administrators to start a conversation on how these will impact your school library. A one-page infographic has been developed for your use and can be shared with administrators, school boards, parents, and educational partners—including classroom teachers and support staff. When sharing, consider this an opportunity to elevate your advocacy by highlighting the critical role school libraries play in your community. Use this tool to clearly communicate how these proposed federal funding cuts could impact your district, school, students, and fellow educators.

Please share any news or updates on the impact of these cuts with AASL at [email protected] so we can collect data on the impact and effectively advocate for school librarians.

ALA Council Resolutions

"School Libraries and Librarians are Critical to Educational Success"
June 22, 2003 | June 25, 2012

Infographics

School Librarians Transform Learning
Created for the digital supplement School Libraries Transform Learning, this infographic includes statistics and quotes on the school librarians' impact on student learning and leadership within the school. The infographic is freely available for download by members of the media and general public provided no alterations are made and that the posting is for education, noncommercial purposes only.

Strong School Libraries Build Strong Students
Created by the AASL Legislation Committee, this infographic is freely available for download by members of the media and general public provided no alterations are made and that the posting is for education, noncommercial purposes only.

Common Core State Standards Action Brief

In partnership with Achieve, AASL has released Implementing the Common Core State Standards: The Role of the School Librarian, an action brief on the role of school librarians in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The brief was designed not only for school librarians who are supporting higher standards for student learning, but also for school leaders as they rethink and re-envision the role that the library can and should play in a major school initiative.

Members of the media and public are welcome to post the downloadable PDF of this document provided that no alternations are made and that the posting is for educational, noncommercial purposes only. ©2013 AASL. All rights reserved. For a list of ALA’s full list of rights and permissions guidelines visit www.ala.org/aboutala/contactus/rights.
All print copies made available through the grant funding for this project have already been distributed. School librarians are permitted to print and distribute the PDF document to educators and stakeholders in their schools and districts.

Position Statements

The official position of AASL on matters related to the school library profession.

Reports

AASL Senior/Capstone Project Task Force Report
This preliminary report on the implementation of student-centered Senior/Capstone Projects will provide school librarians with information about the many ways in which they can be involved in such projects. In addition, it offers links to multiple resources in the United States, including exemplars with specific contacts across a range of public schools.

Impact of the Loss of a State Library Consultant/Coordinator
Excerpt from an AASL task force report detailing how a state affiliate can advocate for positions of State Department Consultants/Coordinators and District Supervisors of Library Programs.

AASL Urban Schools Task Force Report
The task force conducted two national surveys to gain feedback from urban librarians and urban library administrators about their current work situations and specific needs.

Research and Statistics

AASL Research & Statistics
Compiled research and statistics on school library programs including "School Libraries Count!," AASL's longitudinal survey which aims to gather data on changes in the field to gain understanding of the state of school library programs nationally.

Add It Up: Libraries Make the Difference
Research and statistics to help advocates make the case for libraries at every stage of youth development and education.

Working Together Is Working Smarter Infographic
This infographic details key school librarian findings from Remodeling Literacy Learning: Making Room for What Works, a report released by the National Center for Literacy Education (NCLE). The report details key findings from a nationwide survey and investigates the connection between professional learning, educator collaboration, and student learning.

School/Public Library Cooperative Programs

A bibliography on school & public library partnerships, links to school and public library cooperative programs, and lists of exemplary websites about school & public library partnerships.

State Contacts

Contact information for state-level school librarian association leadership and the state Department of Education school library liaison.

Posters

110 Things Kids Will Miss If They Don't Have a School Librarian in Their School