Strengths and Opportunities: School Librarians Serving Students with Special Needs in Central New York State

The programs and services offered at school libraries will be accessed by K-12 students with a range of physical and cognitive abilities. School librarians must be equipped to address the information-seeking needs of all patrons, including those with special needs. An electronic survey was conducted to collect data from school librarians working in central New York State school districts; the purpose of the survey was to identify the strengths this group of school library professionals brought to the task of providing services to students with special needs. This paper shares the answers to five research questions and presents opportunities for improvement. Study results indicate that the respondents showed strength in several of the examined areas. Results also reveal practices that school librarians might implement to increase and improve library services for students with special needs. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures and 3 footnotes.)