Since school media centers/libraries are often used for student and staff research, the age of the books and other resources is very important to the accuracy of what students and staff are learning. Age is based on the last copyright date of each book in the school media center or library.
To get an overall idea of how current your school's collection is, compare the average age of the media center/library collection in your school with the average ages of collections in your district and in the state. If you have questions about the age of your school's collection, your school principal is a good source of information about how your school allocates its instructional resources. If you have questions about how and when books are replaced, speak with your school librarian/media specialist.
For more technical information about these data, see the Data Sources & Information Guide.