More than nine in 10 schools have a campus media center, but there remain significant library disparities, federal data show.
Overall, the percentage of schools with libraries slowly but steadily declined, from 94 percent in 2003-04 to 91 percent in 2015-16.
Ninety-five percent or more of elementary and middle schools had library media centers in the 2015-16 school year—compared with 80 percent of high schools. Likewise, city schools were less likely to have media centers than suburban or rural schools.
About 56,000 full-time and more than 17,000 part-time librarians work in public schools, the report finds.
