Sometimes the simplest information to collect is about the library itself and how it is used. By analyzing information about the library's collection, facilities, and services and how those resources are used by the public, library planners can often identify areas for change.
The tools for Looking-Around-Inside that are outlined in this chapter include
Levels of Effort
Figure 6.1 is an analysis of the levels of effort for library performance measures. Outlined briefly below is Levels of Effort information on the other options for Looking-Around-Inside.
| Figure 6.1 Library Performance Measures Organized by Level of Effort | ||
|---|---|---|
| Basic Level of Effort | Moderate Level of Effort | Extensive Level of Effort |
| Registrations as a percentage of
population | Library visits per capita
| Reference fill rate
|
| Circulation and holdings data
| Circulation and holdings data
| Title fill rate
|
| Circulation per capita
| In-library materials use
per capita
| Subject fill rate
|
| Turnover rate
| Reference transactions
| Browsers' fill rate
|
| Program attendance per capita
| Document delivery
| Library expenditures
|
Analyzing the library and its resources
For a simple and easy approach to Looking-Around-Inside, WorkSheet #6, Analysis of the Library and Its Resources, prepared by Roger Greer and Martha Hale, is appropriate. Using this tool, one can develop a brief history of the library, conduct a Walkaround evaluation of the facilities, analyze book and non-book resources, look at service availability, evaluate users and non-users, and describe special relationships between the library and the community.
Library walkaround
In The Dynamic Community Library, Beth Wheeler Fox (Fox 1988, 70-73) supplies a practical checklist to guide an evaluation of the library's image. The library's Planning Committee, Friends of the Library, a director from a neighboring library, or a system or state library consultant might help conduct this activity. WorkSheet #7 (A-C) is a reproduction of the checklist for the Walkaround and provides an excellent approach to help you take an objective look at your library to identify strengths and needed changes.
Evaluating current library performance
This chapter will describe measures of library use, categorize these measures by level of effort, and relate the measures to roles.
Most libraries already collect many of the data elements that measure library use (basic level of effort). Some can be easily collected by keeping track of library use over a short sample period of time (moderate level of effort). Still other pieces of information require a survey of the library's users (extensive level of effort).
Below are several suggested measures of library performance. Many of these are from the Public Library Association's Output Measures for Public Libraries (Van House et al. 1987, 35- 72), a detailed guide to collecting information about library and material use that has become a standard planning and evaluation tool. There are some data elements described here in addition to PLA's output measures, particularly in the chapter on measures of materials use. The twelve output measures described in the Public Library Association's manual include:
A library does not have to collect all the data indicated below. One calculates only those measures that relate to chosen roles or specific decisions the Planning Committee or library trustees want to make.
The measures help the Planning Committee evaluate how well the library is doing and how many people are being reached. The best use of the measures is for the library to compare itself to itself over time. Comparisons between libraries are sometimes misleading since another library may have different population characteristics, service priorities, or missions. Libraries choosing and implementing different roles in the Role Selection Activity would show very different results in the measures of library performance.
After calculating each measure, or gathering other data about the library and its use, it is helpful to ask "Why is this figure what it is?" High is not always good and low is not always bad. It depends on the roles selected by the library. A low score in circulation per capita means nothing to a library with a large non-circulating reference collection. Data are just numbers. It remains for the Planning Committee and Library Board to interpret them and then make decisions for change to better serve the library's clients.
Many of the measures are presented as per capita measures. This compares statistics about library usage to the number of people living in the library's service area. Even this supposedly simple piece of information can be difficult to get at times or be misleading. Some libraries have difficulty determining the number of population served because the area served is not presented in census data, such as all the people living within a school district. Some libraries also have substantial use from people who live outside of the library's service area which can artificially raise scores. One library in Ohio had 125% of their population as registered borrowers because of the heavy use of non-residents.
In the discussion below, the Output Measures as well as additional measures are organized in the following categories:
Measures of Library Use
Library Visits per Capita relates the number of visits made to the library to the population total the library is established to serve.
The raw number of total library visits can be ascertained by installing a door counter that counts all traffic or by counting library visits during a typical week multiplied by 52 (the number of weeks in a year). A typical week is one during which the library is open its regular hours (no holidays) and which is neither extraordinarily busy nor slow. Libraries that have strong seasonal variation in library use, as in resort or academic communities, might consider two or more sampling weeks.
The annual use of the library can be an impressive figure and very useful for public relations purposes. For example, "More people use the library than attend the Baltimore Orioles baseball games." Or, "More people come to the library than travel through National Airport in a year." Or, "More people use the library than participate in Richmond's parks and recreation programs." The information can also be used to gauge the wear and tear on the building. Seasonal variations in library visits can be used to alter staffing patterns.
Library Visits per Capita indicates the average number of library visits per person served. It is a measure of public awareness of the library that is somewhat better than Registration per Capita (see below). This measure indicates actual use while Registration per Capita may reflect out-of-date registration records or family registration on one library card.
A library would expect to have a high Library Visits per Capita score if its roles include Community Activities Center or Community Information Library because in those roles, the library is specifically striving to be a center for the community. A library choosing Popular Materials Library would also expect a high Library Visits per Capita since Popular Materials also indicates frequent use of the library.
This output measure may be relevant whenever public awareness of the library is called into question. Assuming a library's registration file is up-to-date, this figure indicates the percentage of potential users who--at the very least--know the library exists and have implied an intent to use it. High Registration per Capita, particularly if combined with Library Visits per Capita, may be useful in justifying increases in staff or materials expenditures.
With some work, the library can calculate the percentage of those registered in each of the library's census tracts. If the library is trying to increase service to or usage by non-users, this can help identify where they live and thus possibly their social or economic conditions.
Much can be gained by looking at the kinds of materials people use in the library and check out. Analysis of circulation and holdings data is not among PLA's Output Measures but provides a very useful analysis of data most libraries already have on hand. Preliminary calculations would include
A library that chose the Popular Materials Library role would expect to have a high Circulation per Capita. A library choosing the Preschooler's Door to Learning might calculate the circulation per preschooler where the population figure is those children 5 years of age and under.
In-Library Materials Use per Capita can be affected by parking availability, seating availability, pleasant surroundings, or friendly staff. It is particularly critical to calculate this measure in areas where the allocation of funds is based on library use. The most popular statistic to use is circulation but in some libraries, in-library use may be higher due to any number of factors. The library may have a large non-circulating reference collection. One library in a lower income neighborhood in Ohio found high in-house use but low circulation because parents did not want to be responsible for their children losing books. Libraries that choose the Community Information Center role might find people in the library using materials that cannot be checked out.
In addition to the Community Information Center role, this measure also relates closely to the Independent Learning Center, Formal Education Support Center, and Reference Library roles.
Turnover can be calculated for the collection as a whole or by Dewey number. The turnover rate can show the relevance of the collection. Usually a high turnover rate shows high use of the collection. A low turnover rate can mean that the library's collection is in need of heavy weeding and may suggest that little-used items would benefit from merchandising strategies.
Used with specific parts of the collection, the library can use this information in acquisitions or weeding. High turnover in a Dewey category might mean the library needs to buy more in this popular area. Low turnover might mean that part of the collection needs to be weeded. Low turnover could mean, however, that the library has primarily a reference collection that is not expected to circulate.
Appropriate turnover rates can be established for each part of the collection and then be used as criteria for weeding. For example, the expected turnover for literary criticism might be two circulations per year. Any book that circulated at least that much would remain on the shelf, and new books would be added slowly to this collection. The expected turnover for mystery books might be 12 circulations per year, and books that circulate less often are removed or shifted between branches. More new books might be added to this high-use collection. Using the same turnover as weeding criteria for all parts of the collection would be inappropriate, because some Dewey categories circulate more than others.
Turnover rates are particularly important in the Popular Materials Library and the Preschoolers' Door to Learning (calculated for preschool materials).
Measures of Materials Availability
Three of the output measures relate to the availability of materials in a library. They indicate rate at which users obtain a specific title (title fill rate), books on a specific subject or any book by a particular author (subject fill rate), or just a good book to read (browsers' fill rate) during a library visit.
The fill rates should not be confused with satisfaction rates for the library. Satisfaction rates can be high even when fill rates are low. A friendly librarian can produce a satisfied customer who didn't actually get the book or information desired.
Fill rate information is collected using a form found in Output Measures for Public Libraries. In addition to the fill rate information, some libraries add two or three additional questions, usually asking if the patron asked a librarian for help.
The form is completed by everyone who uses the library during the test period. The form should be returned to boxes placed at the library exit rather than at the circulation desk since all library use does not include a transaction at the circulation desk.
A low Title Fill Rate can mean that people have unrealistic expectations of what the library owns. It can also mean, however, that the library is so heavily used that it cannot keep up with demand. In both cases, the library might wish to consider increasing its collection.
High Title Fill Rates can mean that the library has made a good selection of titles to meet the community's interests with sufficient duplicates to handle the high demand. Or high Title Fill Rates can mean that the community has an accurate perception of the library's poor collection and only uses it for what it knows it has.
A library can also analyze those titles requested but not available. If the library actually owns the titles requested but cannot supply them immediately, that would imply the library should do more duplicate buying of popular titles and thus raise the fill rate. If the titles requested are not owned by the library, the library might alter its pattern of buying to better meet the needs of the community.
The form on which fill rates is collected asks for specific information about titles that are looked for. This makes it possible to calculate fill rates for different parts of the collection such as by Dewey number, fiction, non-fiction, or children's books.
All the fill rates are important for libraries that choose the roles of Popular Materials Library, Formal Education Support Center, Independent Learning Center, and Reference Library.
The Subject and Author Fill Rates can be very helpful in collection development because they identify those subjects and popular authors in which the library might need to upgrade the collection. By analyzing the subject areas where patrons were unsuccessful in finding something they wanted, a library can compile its highest areas of unmet needs and focus on those for collection development.
A library would want to improve its Subject/Author Fill Rate if it chose the roles of Independent Learning Center, Formal Education Support Center, Reference Library, or Popular Materials Library.
The Browsers' Fill Rate is usually the highest of the three fill rates. A low Browsers' Fill Rate usually means there is something terribly wrong with the collection, or more likely, with the library building. A branch library in Ohio found a 50% Browsers' Fill Rate because the library's air conditioning was broken the week the library system conducted the fill rate study.
The Browsers' Fill Rate is most helpful when applied to different parts of the collection such as science fiction, mysteries, romance, biographies, or cookbooks. Mystery readers may have read all the mysteries available so that even if the library has a high overall Browsers' Fill Rate, the rate for mysteries could be low. The Browsers' Fill Rate can also be used with audiovisual formats such as videos, books on cassette, or CDs.
This fill rate is critical to the Popular Material Library role.
Measures of Reference Services
In addition to providing an overall measure of the speed with which a library can provide materials not immediately available, the Document Delivery measure also allows the library to identify trouble spots in delivery among branches, in the interlibrary loan system, or in the technical services processing of books ordered. The Document Delivery measure can also be a measure of the efficiency of a state or regional resource-sharing network.
Document Delivery speed can be increased by purchasing more duplicate copies so that they are more immediately available, by getting books through technical services and on the shelf faster, and by speeding up the interlibrary loan process.
Reference Transactions per Capita may be relevant whenever the impact of reference service is an issue. Comparing this figure to circulation and in-library use per capita may be useful in assessing the reference desk as an access point for information available in the local collection.
Various factors can influence Reference Transactions per Capita: the independence of the library users, the quality of the card catalog, the approachability of staff, and the perception of whether the patron thinks the library will have the answer. This measure can be used to determine staffing needs at the reference desk. By distinguishing between reference and directional questions, the library can determine if an information desk, as opposed to a reference desk, should be established.
A library will strive for a high score on this output measure if its roles include Community Information Center, Reference Library, or Research Center.
Charles Bunge and Margaret Murfin have developed the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation Program that does evaluate the accuracy of reference questions answered. It provides a two-part survey form--one part to be answered by the librarian and the other by the patron. At a later time, a computer matches the two responses. This allows the library to determine the perception of reference accuracy from the point of view of both the librarian and the patron. It provides for both partially and fully answered questions, the subject areas of questions, and other factors affecting the reference transactions.
In a library that puts heavy emphasis on the Reference Library role, it is probably more valuable to measure reference service using the Bunge/Murfin method instead of using the output measures approach. (There is a charge for the Bunge/Murfin method, however. Contact Charles A. Bunge, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 600 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53706.)
Reference Fill Rate can be used to determine the need to train library staff, to enhance the reference collection, or to plan staffing patterns at the reference desk.
Measures of Library Programming
Libraries traditionally invest considerable resources in programs or events, such as story hours, book discussion groups, and the like. Those that have chosen the Community Activities Center, Preschoolers' Door to Learning, or Independent Learning Center roles will want to examine their performance in this area.
Measures of Library Expenditure
Generally, this figure comprises the single largest proportion of operating expenditures. If this figure is extremely high, it may indicate a lack of adequate funding for other aspects of library operations, usually materials. If this figure is low, it may indicate a lack of commitment to having professionally trained library staff.
This measure is especially important for libraries who chose roles that are particularly labor-intensive (e.g., Reference Library, Community Activities or Information Center).
This measure indicates the proportion of the library's operating expenditures which are for materials. To that extent, it may indicate the strength of the library's commitment to its collection. An extremely high figure may indicate a smaller commitment to staff. More often, this figure is low because budget problems force cuts, too often taken from the materials budget.
This measure is important in all roles that emphasize the collection.
| Community Activities Center | Library visits per capita |
| Program attendance per capita | |
| Staff expenditures as a percent of operating expenditures | |
| Community Information Center | Library visits per capita |
| In-library materials use per capita | |
| Program attendance per capita | |
| Staff expenditures as a percent of operating expenditure | |
| Reference transactions per capita | |
| Formal Education Support Center | Periodical circulation vs. book circulation |
| In-library materials use per capita | |
| Subject and author fill rates | |
| Independent Learning Center | In-library materials use per capita |
| Subject and author fill rates | |
| Program attendance per capita | |
| Popular Materials Library | Library visits per capita |
| Circulation of fiction vs. nonfiction | |
| Circulation per hour | |
| Circulation per capita | |
| Turnover | |
| Material fill rate | |
| Preschoolers' Door to Learning | Circulation of adult vs. children's material |
| Circulation per capita (under 6 years of age) | |
| Turnover (for easy books) | |
| Program attendance per capita | |
| Reference Library | Periodical circulation vs. book circulation |
| In-library materials use per capita | |
| Subject fill rate | |
| Reference fill rate | |
| Staff expenditures as a percent of operating expenditures | |
| Reference transactions per capita | |
| Research Center | Reference fill rate |
| Reference transactions per capita |
Comparing library performance
Federal State Comparative System (FSCS) for Public Library Data
Over the past decade, the fifty state library agencies have worked with the National Commission on Library and Information Services and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the U.S. Department of Education to develop a comprehensive national program of data collection for public libraries. Called the Federal State Cooperative System (FSCS) for Public Library Data, the program has resulted in a core set of data with standard definitions that are collected from public libraries in all fifty states. This program can be a resource that allows a library to compare its performance to libraries with similar characteristics serving similar communities.
Each state library agency has designated a State Data Coordinator to oversee the collection of public library statistics and the use of data to report the data to NCES, and to assist local libraries in the use of statewide and national data. For some libraries, comparison of key local data (such as per capita circulation, expenditure, and library visits) with similar libraries state- and nationwide as well as to national and state averages can be an extremely useful Looking-Around exercise. In Virginia, the DITAR© system described below is an outgrowth of the FSCS program.
Public Library Association
Another national public library data collection effort is the PLA Public Library Data Service. The PLA annually collects key data from selected libraries throughout the U.S., and includes information on role selection where available. The principal focus of this data collection service is public libraries serving communities with populations of 100,000 or more. The annual report is available from the American Library Association.
DITAR©
Data Input, Tracking, and Reporting System Since the 1991-1992 fiscal year, Virginia public libraries have been electronically submitting annual statistics to the Library of Virginia using a computer program called Data Input, Tracking, and Reporting System (DITAR©). DITAR© was created in response to the increasing need for reliable, valid, timely public library data at all levels (local, state, national) for policy formulation and decision making. It is also a response to the need for increased analysis capability at the local and state level.
Statistics in DITAR© include data on registered borrowers, outlets, hours, staff, print and non-print collections, interlibrary loan activity, output measures, status of library and general automation, telecommunications capability, operating income and expenditures, and capital outlay.
The updated version of the program is downloaded from theVirginia Library and Information Network (VLIN). Data entry screens are easy to navigate and standard instructions and definitions are available in on-line Help screens for each variable. Once data entry is completed, an Error Report alerts local library staff to corrections that need to be made. After omissions and corrections are made, the file is transmitted back to the Library of Virginia staff for consolidation and reporting to FSCS (see above).
Libraries can select a peer group of libraries for comparison. Peer libraries are those that share some characteristics and are, therefore, similar in some respects. A peer group can be defined by a single criterion, such as population served, or it may be defined by a set of criteria, such as population served, number of outlets, size of materials budget, total operating income, or any other set of variables. Once a peer group has been selected, custom reports can be created comparing libraries in the group on a selected set of data elements. In this way, a local public library can see where they stand with respect to key data elements when compared to similar public libraries in Virginia. DITAR© provides the local public library with the ability to generate per capita reports on any data element included in the database. Separate reports rank libraries from lowest to highest on each data element selected.
DITAR© has a wide range of standard as well as custom reporting capabilities and is exportable to database, spreadsheet and word processing programs, expanding the options for use and presentation of data.
In addition, data can be archived in DITAR©, permitting a library to compare its performance over time. Data elements that can be selected for a time series study are Local Operating Expenditures, Total Operating Expenditures, Total Operating Income, Total Income from Local Government(s), Library Visits, Program Attendance, Reference Transactions, Circulation Transactions, and Total Volumes.
DITAR© can provide a wealth of data for the Looking-Around stage of planning and role setting and can support informed decision making and policy formulation