New York State's School Library Systems

Ensuring that all New York's students are information literate

What is a School Library System?

New York State's School Library Systems are State-funded consortia designed to support the school library media programs of member public school districts and nonpublic schools. School Library Systems provide specific services and programs that support the learning process of students, teachers and staff. School library systems promote increased student achievement through the use of quality school library media resources, information and programs.

School Library Systems: Access, Content, Training

  • Promote information literacy for students and support the New York State Learning Standards.
  • Use the latest technology to make print and electronic resources accessible to students and the education community through connections to all libraries in New York State.
  • Establish special collections of materials through Cooperative Collection Development projects and provide electronic resources through cooperative purchases.
  • Provide for professional development and specialized training opportunities for the educational community, clerical and administrative staff and school library media specialists

SCHOOL LIBRARY SYSTEMS SERVE Students, school library media specialists, faculty and administrators in public and nonpublic member schools.

Connect Pre-K–12 students to a world of information:

  • Provide access to information and library resources locally, regionally, statewide and beyond.
  • Provide access to the latest advances in library and education technology.

Conduct professional development and awareness activities:

  • Provide training on the latest advancements in technologies for school library media specialists, teachers, clerical and administrative staff.
  • Support the pre-K-12 curriculum and the New York State Learning Standards.

EFFECTIVE SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA PROGRAMS IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

  • Strong school media programs, which are supported and enhanced by the school library system network, provide for higher learning standards and increased student achievement.
  • School library systems help school library media centers become more effective by participating in and promoting statewide initiatives such as the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library (NOVELNY). While the average school library currently has 25 periodical subscriptions, NOVELNY brings the full text of thousands of magazines, newspapers and other digitized research materials through commercial databases to students, teachers and administrators.
  • School libraries impact positively on student performance and test scores. The New York State Regents Commission on Library Services survey conducted in 2000 confirmed the School Library Impact Studies. Studies show that state reading and math test scores improved by 10 to 15 percent in schools with strong library programs and qualified school library media specialists.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

  • In 1984, the State Legislature authorized the establishment of school library systems in Education Law 282-284.Governance and function are established in regulations of the Commissioner of Education (CR 90.18). School Library Systems are based within the State's Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) and the Big 5 City school districts.
  • The 41 school library systems are supported primarily by State Aid. Systems qualify for aid based on an approved five-year Plan of Service, annual budget and annual report. In addition to a base grant, State Aid is allocated by a formula that includes the number of member school districts, the number of pupils in the service area and the square mileage of the system service area.

NEW YORK STATE'S SCHOOL LIBRARY SYSTEMS

Big 5 Cities

  • Buffalo
  • New York
  • Rochester
  • Syracuse
  • Yonkers

Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES)

  • Albany-Schoharie-Schenectady-Saratoga (Capital Region)
  • Broome-Delaware-Tioga
  • Cattaraugus-Allegany-Erie-Wyoming
  • Cayuga-Onondaga
  • Clinton-Essex-Warren-Washington (Champlain Valley)
  • Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego
  • Dutchess
  • Erie 1
  • Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus
  • Franklin-Essex-Hamilton
  • Genesee-Livingston-Steuben-Wyoming (Genesee Valley)
  • Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery
  • Jefferson-Lewis
  • Madison-Oneida
  • Monroe 1
  • Monroe 2-Orleans
  • Nassau
  • Oneida/Herkimer/Madison
  • Onondaga-Cortland-Madison
  • Orange-Ulster
  • Orleans-Niagara
  • Oswego
  • Otsego-Northern Catskills (Otsego-Delaware-Schoharie-Greene)
  • Putnam-Northern Westchester
  • Rensselaer-Columbia-Greene (Questar III)
  • Rockland
  • St. Lawrence-Lewis
  • Schuyler-Steuben- Chemung-Tioga-Allegany (Greater Southern Tier)
  • Westchester #2
  • Suffolk, Eastern
  • Suffolk, Western
  • Sullivan
  • Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga
  • Ulster
  • Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex
  • Wayne-Finger Lakes (Ontario-Seneca-Yates- Cayuga-Wayne)

Facts to Know about School Library Systems:

  • Serve 2.8 million pupils, teachers and administrators statewide.
  • Serve 4,653 school library media centers in public school districts and nonpublic schools statewide.
  • Facilitate interlibrary loan requests and resource sharing.
  • Provide access to NOVELNY and other electronic information databases that include the full text of magazines, newspapers, etc.
  • Provide professional development opportunities for school library media specialists, staff and other educators and administrators.
  • Provide electronic catalogs of regional and local resources.
  • Connect with the New York State Library and public, academic and special libraries for access to specialized resources.

For more information on and links to School Library Systems and school libraries:

Visit the New York State Library web site

or the School Library Systems Association of New York State, Inc. web site external link(opens in a new window)

or call the Division of Library Development at the New York State Library: (518) 474-7890.

Click on this for an image map of school library systems in New York State


For more information on the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library (NOVELNY):

Visit the New York State Library's NOVELNY web site

NOVELny
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Last Updated: September 29, 2009 -- asm; for questions or comments contact Joseph Mattie