Keith Curry Lance is a consultant who works with libraries and related organizations as a researcher, statistician, public speaker, proposal writer, and facilitator.

His current primary affiliation is Research Consultant to the School of Information at San Jose State University. In that position, he is continuing the work he began as Principal Investigator of the 2022-23 IMLS-funded study, The School Librarian Investigation–Decline or Evolution? (SLIDE). He was the founding Director of the Library Research Service at the Colorado State Library in 1987.  Since leaving that position in 2007, he has focused on consulting both independently and with the RSL Research Group, based in Louisville, Colorado.

He is best known in the school library community as the principal investigator of the most prolific research team studying the impact of school libraries and librarians on academic achievement and student learning.

He is best known in the public library community as the creator of the Library Journal Index of Public Library Service (2009-22) and a long-time state and national leader in the development and use of public library statistics (1986-2022).

Keith also works as a member of proposal-writing teams, an evaluator of LSTA- and other federally-funded projects, a focus group interviewer, and a neutral process-focused facilitator of guided discussions.

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