2021 Australian School Library Survey - early findings

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2021 Australian School Library Survey.

Despite the challenges of COVID and lockdowns in some states, we are pleased to share that there were 1595 participants. Participant summaries, with a breakdown of key findings by state, have been sent out. If you did not receive yours, please email communications@softlinkint.com.

While the full national report is due to be released in early 2021, some preliminary findings are available below.

Participant breakdown

The 2021 Australian School Library Survey was released August 18 and closed September 30. Invitations to participate were extended to all schools in the region via email, Twitter, LinkedIn, OZTL_Net, and promoted by a number of our partners, associates, and school library groups.  

The breakdown of schools by state, size, education provider, and school type is as follows:

Key findings Summary  

• When asked about their school library space, respondents reported the following:
  • Classroom library/libraries: 2%
  • Designated library area in an open plan space: 17%
  • Designated library in a separate room/classroom/floor/building: 74%
  • Shared space: 7%
• 14% of respondents indicated that their budget had increased, 27% indicated a decrease, and 59% indicated that their budget did not change.
• 7% of respondents indicated that staffing had increased, 26% indicated a decrease in staffing, and 67% indicated that their staffing did not change.
• When asked if they thought that their budget was adequate, 55% of respondents said “yes”, 45% said “no”.
• When asked if they thought that their school library is adequately staffed, 47% of respondents said “yes”; 53% said “no”.
• When asked about the level of support the school library receives from the Senior Leadership Team, 41% of respondents reported a high to very high level of support, 33% reported a moderate level of support, and 26% reported a low to very low level of support.
• When asked about the level of teacher engagement with the library, 32% of respondents reported a high to very high level of engagement, 47% reported a moderate level of engagement, and 21% reported a low to very low level of support.
• When asked about the level of student engagement with the library, 59% of respondents reported a high to very high level of engagement, 32% reported a moderate level of engagement, and 9% reported a low to very low level of support.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone that participated in the 2021 Australian School Library Survey.

The survey results provide a critical reference point for changes, impacts, and trends across school libraries in Australia. Softlink will continue to work with industry associations to help advocate the role of school libraries and teacher librarians to Education Ministers, departments, and decision makers, as well as through industry networks.

Your willingness to participate and share information about your school library means that we can continue to provide this valuable, annual analysis of school libraries.

We would also like to thank all the School Library Associations and Partners that assisted in the promotion of the Survey…

While every care is taken to include all promoters of the survey, please do contact us if we have missed you so we can update this page.

Softlink is proud to continue to sponsor and grow this initiative. We are always looking for ways to improve and refine the School Library Survey and associated reports and whitepapers. If you would like to offer feedback, please email communications@softlinkint.com

Read recent features from the School Library Survey

• School libraries share: What I would change - This feature shares comments from the 2020 survey, highlighting what respondents would like to change about their library or role
• School libraries share: library love - This feature shares comments from the 2014 – 2020 surveys demonstrating the love school library staff have for their library.
• From the Principal's desk - reflections on the school library - These comments have been collated from the 2014 - 2020 School Library Surveys and represent the voice of school Principals in Australia and New Zealand.