Library Evaluation

• Background
• Directions for Beginning the Evaluation
• Tips to Complete the Evaluation
• Start the School Library Evaluation
• 2023–24 and 2024–25 Evaluation Response Special Thanks
• Evaluation Participation and Responses

Background

California Education Code Section 18122 directs local governing boards to report to the California Department of Education (CDE) on the condition of school libraries. CDE created this online data collection evaluation tool to meet the Education Code requirement and to develop an accurate picture of the condition of school libraries across the state.

The annual online evaluation is now open to collect information from individual schools about their libraries in the 2025–26 academic year. It will be active through Monday, August 31, 2026. Prior year evaluation responses are available as well.

For district or county downloads, or to schedule a training, contact Renée Ousley-Swank at 916-319-0449 or ROusleySwank@cde.ca.gov for assistance.

Directions for Beginning the Evaluation

Note the information being collected is about the 2025–26 academic years. Please answer as best as possible.

• Our suggestion is that you print a copy of the entire evaluation (DOCX) to use as a guide before you enter the data online.
  
  
• Once your information has been compiled on the worksheet, we estimate it will take you 15 minutes to transfer your responses to the online evaluation. You do not need to complete the whole evaluation at one time. Each section is saved automatically as you advance to the next section.
  
  
• Logging in to the evaluation––You are asked to, “Either enter California County-District-School (CDS) Code or select county, district, and school.” We receive frequent communication asking for your CDS code. This is a 14-digit number with no space. We recommend leaving that box empty and use the drop-down menus to select County – then District – then School. If you have numbers in the CDS code box and use the drop-down menus, you will get an error message.
  
  
• A password is required. For password assistance, contact Renée Ousley-Swank at (916) 319-0449 or ROusleySwank@cde.ca.gov.
  
  
• You may return to the evaluation at any time to make changes until August 31, 2026, when the evaluation will be closed.

As you answer the questions, the information for your school goes directly into a database. You will be prompted to correct an entry if it cannot be "read" by the database.

• Each school has a record in the database. Currently, we are collecting information from individual schools, including juvenile court and charter schools, but not from districts, county offices, or private schools. To find the record for your school, use the drop-down menus to select your county, district, and then school.
  
  
  • If a school site has closed or been renamed and they are listed in your district, please contact us at rousleyswank@cde.ca.gov, and we will remove the site and/or select the new name and update the district list to reflect those changes.
    
    
  • Alternative, continuation, independent study, and/or virtual academies––often these types of schools have no dedicated library space, and we provide sufficient options to answer the question without removing the school from the list. Our recommendation is to answer question 1 as "No, we did not...," and then select "It never had a library facility,:” "This is a virtual academy," or “This is an independent study school or alternative education school.” When you select “No” to question 1, it skips to the open-ended question (optional), and then you are done. This allows us to capture data on those sites, and you do not have to answer all the questions that do not apply.
    
    
  • Charter Schools––these fall into two types of funding: locally funded charter schools and direct funded charter schools. Historically we have not differentiated between the types of charter schools, and currently we are not able to remove charter schools from the district list. For those districts looking for a 100 percent response rate, we recommend answering “No, we did not…” to question 1 as explained above.
    
    
• Your answers are recorded in our database when you use the Next and Submit buttons. Please do not attempt to use your browser’s Back button.
  
  
• The evaluation is divided into four sections, incorporating the California Model School Library Standards, and assesses the type and extent of library services schools provide.

Tips to Complete the Evaluation by Section

The Fresno County Office of Education has created informational annual library evaluation videos on key areas.

Library Facility and Operation

These questions focus on if you have a dedicated common area designated as the school library, including the following aspects of the facility and how the library program operates.

• Classroom libraries – if your school only has classroom libraries and has no dedicated library space, then we recommend you answer question 1 as "No, we did not..." This evaluation is designed to capture information about schoolwide library programming that is accessible to all students typically in a dedicated common area.
  
  
• Library service hours in a typical week – this section of questions includes asking for the average number of the hours the library is open per week.
  
  
• Library service available for student use – select all options from the list that apply.
  
  
• Library closed for activities not related to the library program – select the range of days that approximates closure.
  
  
• Approximate maximum seating capacity – we have adjusted this question from asking for you to supply a specific number, to providing a selection of ranges of seating capacity. Select the option which best represents the approximate maximum seating capacity.
  
  
• Approximately how many students, teachers, and others visit in a typical week – in this question, we are asking for an average number of individuals who visit the library during a typical week. Select the range that best approximates a normal week.
  
  
• Library space can accommodate collection, furnishings, and equipment.

Library Staffing & Staff Activities

The questions focus specifically on the school site for which you are completing the evaluation. For purposes of answering questions relating to staff working in the library, stop and think about how the library staff is paid. If staff are paid an annual set salary, they are likely on a teacher contract, and if staff are paid an hourly wage, they are a classified employee. Questions include how many different libraries the staff work. Staffing hours are calculated by Full Time Equivalent (FTE)––you enter the hours worked at this school site, and the FTE is calculated for you.

• Types of staffing – columns i. Number of individuals and ii. Total paid hours per week require a number to be entered in each row (a. to d.) for the math to calculate correctly. If there is no staff for a particular row, then enter zero for columns i. and ii.

For more information on who can provide library-related services, see the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing – Authorizations for Librarian Services chart .

• Number of sites worked – this question is designed to capture the number of library sites the staff works. If staff works this one site, or if there are no staff of this type, then enter zero. If staff work more than at this site, then enter the number of other sites worked (i.e., if you work at two sites, enter the number one).
  
  
• Volunteers other than students – general question on volunteers working in the library, including approximate number of volunteers and average number of hours volunteered in a week.
  
  
• Activities performed – this question encompasses a variety of activities that might be performed as a part of library programming and includes activities that might be performed by all staff, and some activities that are typically associated with holders of the Teacher Librarian Credential. The question is designed to look in more detail at teaching, collaboration, management of the library, professional development, and being asked to perform non-library duties. Answer as honestly and as accurately as possible. The answer choices include More than once per week; Once per week; 2–3 times per month; Once per month; Less than once per month; With guidance and support district librarian; and Not applicable (N/A).
  
  
• Asset management – this question attempts to capture approximately when and how often library staff might be engaged in managing various assets. Based on feedback, we have adjusted the answers to reflect if the bulk of the work is conducted year-round, or if the work is concentrated at the beginning/end of the year. Pick the best answer option that approximates your situation. The answer choices include Year Round: More than once per week; Year Round: 2–3 times per month; Year Round: Once per month; Start/End of Year: More than once per week; Start/End of Year: 2–3 times per month; and N/A.
  
  
• Model School Library Standards – these are California’s media literacy standards, and this question asks how you utilize the standards.

Library Collection

• Overall Collection– approximately how many print books, including fiction, non-fiction, and reference, are in the school library collection. Textbooks should not be counted as part of the library collection.
  
  
• Age of Collection – copyright question. Note––if you do not have an automated library management system and you have no method to determine the average age of the collection, then answer 0000. At the end of the evaluation, include a brief explanation of why you were unable to provide the age of the whole collection. See the Fresno County Office of Education videos for tips on calculating the average copyright date using your management system. You can also run a collection analysis with various book vendors, and it will give you the copyright date as well as detailed information on your collection.
  
  
• Electronic Books – whether electronic books are part of your collection.
  
  
• COMPASS Databases– in this section, we ask if you are providing access to California’s K–12 Online Resources – Encyclopaedia Britannica, Capstone Pebble Go Science, Pro-Quest, TeachingBooks, and Gale.
  
  
• Collection Management- what entity is responsible for managing the collection.

Library Budget

In this section, we ask about how your library is funded. If you are not sure about how the library is funded, talk to your administrator or office staff. We have added answer options that will allow you to move forward in the evaluation if you are uncertain of the answer.

• Annual budget for library books plus non-print and online resources.
  
  
• Funding sources – select all sources of funding utilized. We have listened to requests from the field and added crowdfunding, as well as donations as choices.
  
  
• Open-ended Question – provides a space to share information that was not asked in the evaluation. This is a space where you might like to share something you are most proud of, provide an explanation of funding, or a description of splitting your time between sites.
  
  
• Respondent Information – we ask you to provide the contact information for the person who completed the evaluation and the name of the person at the district responsible for library services in case we need to contact you to verify any responses. If you are not comfortable with sharing your name and contact information, please enter Decline to State for name, dts@dts.org for the email address, and 999-999-9999 for the phone number.

Tip for submitting– make sure you follow the directions at the end and select submit evaluation and not simply save. When you have successfully submitted the evaluation, you will receive a thank you email.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to complete this evaluation. Your answers are invaluable to us as we develop a picture of library programs across the state, and you now have much more detailed data to look closely at your school library program.

Evaluation Participation and Responses

Thank you for taking the time and effort to complete this evaluation. Your answers are invaluable to us as we develop a picture of library programs across the state, and you now have much more detailed data to look closely at your school library program. Special thanks to the following districts who had a 100 percent response rate.

Start the School Library Evaluation

Districts with 100 Percent Response Rate

Statistics About California School Libraries is also available.