Beginning September 15, every public school in Michigan will receive an individualized survey link asking a blunt question: does your building even have a librarian anymore? The Wayne State University School of Information Sciences has launched the first-ever statewide census of Michigan's school library services, an effort aimed squarely at a literacy crisis that has only deepened in recent years.
The timing is not incidental. On the Spring 2025 M-STEP state standardized exams, Michigan third-grade English language arts proficiency fell to an 11-year low of 38.9%, according to Bridge Michigan, down from 39.6% the previous year. As ClickOnDetroit reports, that leaves just 39% of the state's third graders, or roughly eight of every 20 students in a classroom, reading at grade level heading into the new school year.
Dr. Kafi Kumasi, a professor in Wayne State's School of Information Sciences, joined Local 4 Live to discuss the project and what researchers hope it will reveal about the state of school libraries. Kumasi previously directed Project RUSL, or Restoring Urban School Libraries, at Wayne State, an initiative backed by a $247,152 federal Institute of Museum and Library Services grant that trained urban educators in hip-hop-integrated school librarianship through full tuition remission and mentorship, per the university's own program materials.
A Census, Not a Sample
Unlike past estimates drawn from partial data, the Michigan School Library Census is designed to reach every public school in the state rather than rely on a smaller sample. Schools that participate will receive a free data dashboard in return, and staff members who complete the survey are being offered a $25 gift card stipend, according to the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals.
Nationally, schools with a full-time librarian tend to produce students who score higher in reading and math, a pattern researchers say makes Michigan's staffing gap especially concerning. School librarians across the country have decreased 20% over the past decade, but Michigan's decline has been far steeper: the state saw a 73% drop in certified school librarians between 2000 and 2017, falling from 1,628 to 439 full-time equivalencies, according to figures compiled by the Michigan Association for Media in Education and hosted by Eastpointe Community Schools.
Today, Michigan ranks 47th nationwide in its ratio of certified school librarians to students, at roughly one librarian per 3,110 students compared with a national average of 1:1,425, per the Michigan Education Association. State education data cited by Bridge Michigan indicates 92% of Michigan's public schools lack a full-time certified librarian, and more than half of all school buildings statewide have no dedicated library staff at all.
What the Data Will Feed Into
The census project opens with a virtual symposium called Closing the Literacy Gap on September 22, featuring literacy researcher Dr. Molly Ness, according to Wayne State's own project materials. Two Findings and Policy Briefings are scheduled for early 2027, delivering data directly to state lawmakers and school administrators as they weigh future funding decisions.
That policy debate is already underway. In May 2024, Michigan state senators introduced Senate Bills 741, 742, and 743, backed by Sens. Rosemary Bayer and Darrin Camilleri, which would require every public school district to offer a library, employ certified media specialists, and dedicate $25 million in state budget funding to library positions, as reported by The Michigan Independent.
Competing Visions for Fixing the Shortage
Not everyone agrees mandates are the answer. In October 2025, Michigan lawmakers debated House Bill 4922, a proposal backed by policy groups including the Mackinac Center for Public Policy that would eliminate master's degree requirements for school librarians to ease hiring in cash-strapped districts. The bill drew strong opposition from state teacher and librarian associations, according to the Mackinac Center itself.
Wayne State has also tried building a pipeline rather than lowering the bar. In 2018, the university partnered with the Michigan Department of Education to establish an expedited 15-credit graduate certificate program that lets certified classroom teachers earn a school library media endorsement without completing a full master's degree, according to School Library Connection.
Whichever approach lawmakers eventually favor, Kumasi's team says the census is meant to move the conversation beyond estimates and toward school-by-school data lawmakers can actually act on. The goal, per Wayne State's project description, is to give state officials a precise baseline as they weigh literacy investments and library staffing rules in the years ahead.
