Some educational opportunities depend upon the resources available to students in their schools. One indication of a school's instructional resources is the number of books its media center/library has in its collection. Each year, schools count the total number of books (both print and non-print) in their collection and those counts are averaged here at the district level.
It may be difficult to determine exactly the "right" number of books per student. Start by using the state average for comparison. You might also speak with district administrators and school librarians/media specialists. Fewer books per student are not necessarily a problem. Some school's libraries might be purging their older and more worn-out books so the size of their collection is smaller than normal.
For information about the textbooks used in this district, check out the North Carolina Textbook Catalog website. For technical information about these data, see the Data Sources & Information Guide.