What this is
Does your state require a school librarian?
Whether a school has a certified librarian is largely a question of state law, and the law varies widely. Some states require a librarian and enforce it; others require one on paper but attach no consequence; many have no requirement at all and leave it to each district. The table below summarizes where every state and D.C. stood in the most recent national review.
Of the 51 jurisdictions, 11 both require and enforce (or fund) a school librarian, 16 require one but do not enforce it, 1 recommends one, and 23 have no requirement. “Required” usually means a certified specialist, often with staffing that scales to enrollment.
Requirements change as legislatures act, and “required” on paper does not guarantee a staffed library in practice. Confirm your own state and district with your state education agency before relying on these categories.
All 50 states + D.C.
State-by-state requirements
| State | Requirement | What the rule says |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Required | Funds certified school librarians in all schools under accreditation standards. |
| Alaska | No requirement | Neither libraries nor librarians are required; districts decide staffing. |
| Arizona | No requirement | Library space is required by facilities rules, but not a librarian. |
| Arkansas | Required | Districts must employ licensed library-media specialists, with ratios by enrollment. |
| California | Required, not enforced | Libraries are required, but districts need not employ a teacher librarian. |
| Colorado | No requirement | No state requirement. |
| Connecticut | No requirement | No state staffing rules; accreditation affects only high schools. |
| Delaware | No requirement | No legislation or regulation, though a 2016 library master plan exists. |
| District of Columbia | Required | Requirement exists and is enforced. |
| Florida | No requirement | Library/media services are required, but no staffing is mandated. |
| Georgia | Required, not enforced | Full-time media specialist required by enrollment (half-time under 450). |
| Hawaii | No requirement | No legislation found; any librarian employed must be certified. |
| Idaho | No requirement | No state requirement. |
| Illinois | No requirement | Not mandated; if a school employs a librarian, they must be certified. |
| Indiana | Required, not enforced | Media programs must be supervised by a licensed media specialist. |
| Iowa | Required, not enforced | Each district must employ a qualified teacher librarian. |
| Kansas | No requirement | Accredited schools must provide library services; no librarian specified. |
| Kentucky | Required | Each school must have an assigned certified media librarian (may serve more than one school). |
| Louisiana | Required, not enforced | Secondary librarians required by enrollment (full-time at 300–999; two over 1,000). |
| Maine | Required, not enforced | A certified specialist must oversee the program in each administrative unit. |
| Maryland | Required, not enforced | Each system must run a library-media program staffed by certified personnel. |
| Massachusetts | No requirement | No requirements or standards for school library programs. |
| Michigan | No requirement | State “strongly recommends” certified librarians, with no penalty. |
| Minnesota | No requirement | A 1996 law requiring one librarian per school was repealed. |
| Mississippi | Required | Each school must employ a licensed librarian or media specialist. |
| Missouri | No requirement | No state requirement. |
| Montana | Required | Licensed specialists required at enrollment-based FTE ratios. |
| Nebraska | Required | Required in all accredited schools, with enrollment-based ratios. |
| Nevada | No requirement | None currently required; legislation has been proposed for large counties. |
| New Hampshire | Required, not enforced | Elementary schools need a media specialist; secondary schools need support. |
| New Jersey | Required, not enforced | Services must be provided under a certified specialist; districts set staffing. |
| New Mexico | Required, not enforced | One certified librarian per district (source no longer locatable). |
| New York | Required, not enforced | Certified library-media specialists required at the secondary level only. |
| North Carolina | Recommended only | Trained, licensed librarians are recommended but not required. |
| North Dakota | Required | No statute, but the Annual Compliance Report requires a librarian for full compliance. |
| Ohio | No requirement | Nothing mandated. |
| Oklahoma | Required | Certified specialist required per district (half-time under 300; full-time over 500). |
| Oregon | Required, not enforced | Rules are ambiguous and not consistently enforced; not currently mandated in practice. |
| Pennsylvania | No requirement | Libraries mandated for private, not public, schools; bills have not passed. |
| Rhode Island | No requirement | A non-specific call for high-quality libraries; no mandated librarian. |
| South Carolina | Required | Half-time specialist under 375 students; full-time at 375 or more. |
| South Dakota | No requirement | Not required by the state; an endorsement certificate exists. |
| Tennessee | Required, not enforced | Staffing depends on enrollment; small K–8 schools need a designated coordinator. |
| Texas | No requirement | Staffing is at district discretion; any librarian reported must be certified. |
| Utah | No requirement | No legislative requirement. |
| Vermont | Required, not enforced | Certified specialist services required (full-time over 300; pro-rata under 300). |
| Virginia | Required, not enforced | Staffing ratios set by school level and enrollment. |
| Washington | Required, not enforced | Funding formula includes teacher librarians per 1,000 students. |
| West Virginia | No requirement | No state requirement. |
| Wisconsin | Required | Districts must designate a licensed library-media person to direct the program. |
| Wyoming | No requirement | Funding model recommends enrollment-based staffing, but no mandate exists. |
Source: SLIDE — “Requirements for School Librarian Employment: A State-by-State Summary” (libslide.org), reflecting the project's January 2021 review of state statutes and regulations. Categories are summarized; requirements and enforcement change over time.
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