ALT School librarians have a variety of educational backgrounds. 86% serve multiple roles within their schools.
Librarians: 27% are certified teacher-librarians with a library endorsement
Teachers: 13% are certified teachers in the library without a library endorsement
Paraprofessionals: 60% are librarians with no teaching certificate and no library endorsement
ALT School librarians are educators, mentors, collaborators, and leaders.
65% attend district meetings and in-services
57% engage in professional development
41% serve on district-wide committees
32% present and participate at workshops outside the district
19% deliver professional development for teachers & staff
ALT South Dakota school librarians instruct & collaborate: 74% teach with SD School Library Standards;
57% innovatively organize their collections; 62% survey students & staff in regard to resources, reading & services; 74% utilize SD School Library Guidelines; 55% collaborate with local public library; 30% collaborate & teach with classroom teachers
ALT South Dakota school librarians communicate with: 37% Newsletters create content for digital/print newsletters to share with students, staff, and parents; 38% Websites maintain website or pages dedicated to the school library; 17% Social Media develop content and maintain social media accounts to connect with students and parents
ALT 2024 South Dakota School Libraries Facts & Stats
The Program: School libraries provide programs and activities that link literacy and student interests.
83% local, state, and national reading promotion programs
82% thematic displays and bulletin boards
59% ELL, SPED, and multicultural resources
53% book fairs
68% meeting room functions
70% individual study spaces
98% small group instruction
91% classroom instruction
68% meeting room functions
ALT School Libraries: The Place
62% virtual spaces for programs
70% individual study spaces
98% small group instruction
91% classroom instruction
68% meeting room functions
ALT 2023-24 School Library Facts
91% Districts/Systems in South Dakota have a school library
98% Students attend a district/system with at least one school library
ALT 2023-24 School Library Facts
1 item per student added to library collections
$19.11 spent on new materials per student
27 items checked out per student
85% of students checked out at least one book during the school year
5,400 classes visited school libraries every week
8,300 students visited school libraries independently every day
ALT 5 year library trends: 2019-2023
Circulation transactions: growth from 2020 (4.1 million) to 2023 (5.5 million)
Library visits grew from 2020 (1.4 million) to 2023 (2.6 million)
Public computer access and WiFi Usage grew from 2020 (0.7 million) to 2023 (1.6 million)
ALT Electronic Resources Statistics. Top 6 most used databases from FY2024 by views --
BookFlix: 1,589,354; World Book Online: 876,125; CultureGrams: 434,738; SIRS Issues Researcher: 257,734; EBSCO: 131,234; ProQuest Research Library: 120,456
ALT Electronic Resources Statistics
The South Dakota State Library provides statewide access to a variety of general and subject-based online databases. A complete listing of these electronic resources can be found at library.sd.gov.
FY 2023 Sessions: 1,447,623
FY 2024 Views: 3,607,019
ALT Every day South Dakota public libraries:
Welcome 7,300 visitors
Lend 15,200 items to library users
Answer 700 questions on information and technology
Host 1,000 people at entertaining and informative events
Provide computer and internet access 4,500 times
ALT financials South Dakota public libraries spent an average of $39 per resident providing library services.
Local Governments contributed $32.8 million to public library operating revenue. 84% City, 13% County and 3% Other
ALT Libraries offer books and more to foster literacy, information, imagination, and access to all kinds of materials.
South Dakotans checked out 6.7 items per resident. 25% are digital or streaming materials, and 75% are physical materials.
- 100% of SD residents have access to 58 research databases provided by the South Dakota State Library
- 89% of libraries offer ebooks, downloadable audiobooks, and streaming video collections
- 70% of libraries share physical collections with other libraries through interlibrary loan
- 70% of libraries do not charge fines for overdue materials
- 40% of circulation is children's materials
The South Dakota State Library will be closed Monday, November 11 in honor of Veterans Day. We honor and remember all who have served. We will be back in the office on Tuesday.
#VeteransDay#ThankYouVeterans#HonoringOurHeroes#ReadABook
This November, we invite all South Dakota libraries to participate in a month of storytime events across the state! Celebrate National Picture Book month! Ask your local library for more information!
#StorytimeSD#southdakotalibraries#libraryfun
ALT story time south dakota round logo featuring reading bee. south dakota state library logo
ALT Library programs bring communities together with educational, cultural and recreational activities.
IN-PERSON PROGRAM ATTENDEES
66% children
6% young adult
12% adult
16% general interest
PROGRAM FORMATS
Libraries produced more than 200 recorded programs viewed by 11,600 people.
Libraries hosted 290,000 people at more than 15,000 programs.
Library staff helped 12,300 people through one-to-one programs like homework help, test proctoring, and homebound deliveries.
Libraries offered more than 1,600 self-directed activities like take-home craft kits and story walks to 48,000 visitors.