Library Statistics & Performance Measures

[General Interest] [Internet Connectivity Studies] [National Level Network Measures] [National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education)] [Non U.S. Public Library Studies] [Output Measure Manuals & Studies] [Pennsylvania Studies] [Sailor [MD] study] [St. Louis Project] [Urban Library Council]

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General Interest

American Library Association. (2002). National library week library usage studies.

Ammons, David N. (1995, January-February). Overcoming the inadequacies of performance measurement in local government: The case of libraries and leisure services. Public Administration Review, 55 (1), 37-47.

Using examples from public libraries and community parks and recreation, the author argues that increased emphasis on relevant performance comparisons with other local governments and appropriate standards could capture public attention and encourage greater accountability.

Bassman, Keri; Lacompagne, Carole; Humes, Barbara; Korb, Roslyn; and Chute, Adrienne. (1998, September). Statistics in brief: How does your public library compare? Service performance of peer groups. Washington DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

How to do peer comparisons using the Public Libraries Survey.

Bertot, John Carlo. (Ed.). (1999). Special issue: Public libraries and networked services. Library & Information Science Research, 21 (3).

Bertot, John Carlo, McClure, Charles R. & Ryan, Joe. (2000, October 15). Statistics and performance measures for public library network services. Chicago: ALA. ISBN 0-8389-0796-2. ALA Order #: 0796-2-2115 $38.00 for non-ALA members, $34.20 for members. To order use the ALA bookstore or phone: (800) 545-2433, press 7. For a sample of the work take a look at Chapter 2.

Bertot, John C. & McClure, Charles R. (1999-2000). Developing national public library statistics and performance measures for the networked environment.

Bertot, John C. & McClure, Charles R. (1998, May/June). Measuring electronic services in public libraries: Issues and recommendations. Public Libraries, 37 (3), 176-180.

Childers, Thomas & Van House, Nancy A. (1993). What's good? Describing your public library's effectiveness. Chicago: American Library Association. 93 p. ISBN 0838906176.

Workbook explains how to define what various constituents connected with a public library want it to do and what doing these things well means in qualitative terms. Chapters include: (1) organizational effectiveness; (2) how to gauge effectiveness; (3) the steps that the public library field has taken to improve the ways of assessing and communicating effectiveness, including strategic planning, measurement, personnel appraisal, and budgeting; (4) key characteristics of the public library and how these characteristics might affect the way library managers depict its effectiveness; (5) the major results of "The Public Library Effectiveness Study"; (6) the AMPLE (A Model of Public Library Effectiveness) framework by which a manager may plan a program of assessing public library effectiveness; (7) using AMPLE to communicate with a library's constituent groups. From ERIC abstract.

Cummins, Thompson Randolph. (1988, Spring). Demand analysis: Inputs, outputs, outcomes, and productivity. Public Libraries, 27, 10-13.

De Prospo, Ernest R., et al. (1973). Performance measures for public libraries. Chicago: Public Library Association.

DeProspo, Ernest R. et al. (1971). Measurement of effectiveness of public library service study. A report on phases I and II. Available: ERIC: ED075052.

Begins with the recognition that attempts to measure the service capabilities of public libraries, either in relation to the needs of their communities or to the standards adopted by the profession, are hampered by the lack of criteria of quality or effectiveness. Reports on efforts (1) to identify public library services measurement criteria [description of collection, building usage, circulation, facilities usage, patterns of reference usage, and public service personnel], (2) develop an operational methodology, and (3) develop criteria into a theoretical model.

Harvey, Kathy & Horne, Tom. (1995). Surfing in Seattle: What cyber-patrons want. American Libraries, 26, 1028-1030.

Hennen, Thomas J. Hennen's American public library rating index. Great American public libraries: HAPLR ratings 2000 [.pdf]. For a recent critique, see Lance, Keith Curry and Cox, Marti A. (2000, June/July). Lies, damn lies, and indexes. American Libraries31 (6), 82-87.

Hiott, Judith. (1999, October 1). Making online use count. Library Journal, 124 (16), 44-47.

King Research Ltd. (1990). Keys to success: Performance indicators for public libraries: A manual of performance measures and indicators (Library Information series, no. 18). London: HMSO. 156 p. ISBN 0114300488.

Koontz, Christine; Jue, Dean K. & Lance, Keith Curry. (1999). Market -based adult lifelong learning performance measures for public libraries serving lower income and majority-minority markets: Final Performance Report September 1, 1996-August 31, 1999. Available: ERIC: ED440654.

Koontz, Christie and Jue, Dean. (1996). Department of Education 1996 grant: Market-based adult lifelong learning performance measures for public libraries serving lower income and majority-minority markets. Tallahassee: Florida State University, GeoLib.

Library Journal. (Annual, June 15). Public library referenda.

Library Research Service. (1999-2001). Counting on results press release

IMLS sponsored research recruiting public libraries to report their Planning for results based service reponse data using tools developed by LRS (including some that PalmPilot based).

Library Research Service. (1998, September). A review of public library statistics on state library agency web sites

Lynch, Mary Jo. (1997, November). Using public libraries: What makes a difference? American Libraries, 28 (10), 64, 66.

Provides statistics based on the 1996 National Households Education Survey (NHES) of 55,000 families, measuring library use by presence of children, race, and ethnicity. See: National Center for Education Statistics. (1996). Use of public library services by households in the U.S.

Midwinter, Arthur & McVicar, Murray. (1990). Public libraries and performance indicators: Developments and issues. Library Review, 39 (5), 10-22.

Moorman, John A. (1997, January/February). Standards for public libraries: A study in quantitative measures of library performance as found in state public library documents. Public Libraries, 36 (1), 32-39.

National Center for Education Statistics.

Nitecki, Danuta A. (1996, May). Changing the concept and measure of service quality in academic libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 22 (3), 181-190.

Public Library Association. Public library data service statistical report. (Annual).

Robbins, Jane et al. (1990). Evaluation strategies and techniques for public library children's services: A sourcebook. Available: ERIC: ED346858.

The 28 papers in this sourcebook relate to the evaluation of children's services in public libraries: (1) "Introduction to Evaluation" (Jane Robbins and Douglas Zweizig); (2) "Research and Measurement in Library Services to Children" (Adele Fasick); (3) "Evaluating Children's Services" (Diana Young); (4) "What Is Good about Children's Library Service--How Can You Tell?" (Karen Krueger); (5) "Evaluation of Children's Services" (Mary Chelton); (6) "Looking Around" (Charles McClure, et al.); (7) "Information To Support Planning for Children's Services" (Douglas Zweizig); (8) "Systematic Observation" (Jane Robbins); (9) "Interviewing Young Children" (Lynn McDonald and Holly Willett); (10) "Interviewing Using Micro-moments and Backward Chaining" (Eliza Dresang); (11) "Sampling" (Jane Robbins); (12) "Introduction to Sampling in a Nutshell'" (Morris Slonim); (13) "Questionnaires" (Jane Robbins); (14) "Construction of the Questionnaire in Survey Research" (Barbara Moran); (15) "Examples of Questionnaires Designed To Deal with Children's Services"; (16) "Introducing an Environment Rating Scale for Public Library Children's Services (Holly Willett); (17) "Sampling" (Nancy Van House, et al.); (18) "National Statistics on Public Library Service to Children: Why and How To Get Them" (Mary Jo Lynch); (19) "Output Measures for Children's Services in Wisconsin Public Libraries" (Douglas Zweizig, Joan Braune and Gloria Waity); (20) "Managing Children's Library Collections Through Objective Data" (Craighton Hippenhammer); (21)"Book Discussion as an Evaluation Tool" (Holly Willett); (22) "Beyond Reviews: Using Book Discussion as a Method for New Materials Selection" (Kathleen Horning); (23) "Use of Discussion in Reconsideration of a Title" (Dianne Hopkins); (24) "Discussion for Awards and Distinctions" (Eliza Dresang); (25) "Guidelines for Book Discussions" (Ginny Kruse and Kathleen Horning); (26) "Commentary on an Approach to Discussion: The CCBC Guidelines for Book Discussion" (Holly Willett); (27) "The Politics of Evaluation" (Jane Goodwin); and (28) "Reporting the Results of Library Research" (W. Boyd Rayward). From ERIC abstract.

Smith, Mark. (1996). Collecting and using public library statistics: A how-to-do-it manual for librarians. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Smith, Mark and Rowland, Gerry. (1997, May/June). To boldly go: Searching for output measures for electronic services. Public Libraries, 36, 168-172.

Describes the efforts of the Discusses FSCS efforts to update the Public Library Data survey adding output and electronic resource measures.

Turner, Anne M. (1997, October). Opinion polls: A savvy tool to raise library value. Library Journal, 122 (17), 40-41.

Urban Libraries Council and its Fast facts surveys

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Internet Connectivity Studies

These public library Internet connectivity studites have been conducted from 1994 to present.

Bertot, John Carlo & McClure, Charles R. (2000). Public libraries and the Internet 2000: Summary findings and data tables. Washington, DC: U.S. National Commission on Libraries (NCLIS).

Bertot, John Carlo; McClure, Charles R.; and Fletcher, Patricia Diamond. Moving toward more effective public Internet access: The 1998 national survey of public library outlet Internet connectivity (1998). [Also available from ERIC: ED429601, Policy issues & strategies affecting public libraries in the networked environment: moving beyond connectivity (1997). or alternate site, 1997 National Survey of Public Libraries and the Internet: Summary Results (1997). and the 1996 National Survey of Public Libraries and the Internet: Summary Results (1996). [1996 study is available from ERIC: ED398932.]. Washington, DC: U.S. National Commission on Libraries (NCLIS).

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National Level Network Measures

See also: Federal-State Cooperative System (FSCS).

Bertot, John Carlo, McClure, Charles R. (2000). Developing national data collection models for public library network statistics and performance measures. unded by the National Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Bertot, John Carlo, McClure, Charles R. & Ryan, Joe. (2000, October 15). Statistics and performance measures for public library network services. Chicago: ALA. ISBN 0-8389-0796-2. ALA Order #: 0796-2-2115 $38.00 for non-ALA members, $34.20 for members. To order use the ALA bookstore or phone: (800) 545-2433, press 7. For a sample of the work take a look at Chapter 2.

Bertot, John C. & McClure, Charles R. (1999-2000). Developing national public library statistics and performance measures for the networked environment.

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Non U.S. Public Library Studies

Bertot, John Carlo & McClure, Charles R. (1998b). Victorian [Australia] public libraries and the Internet: Results and issues. Footscray, Victoria: Maribyrnong Library Service. Available: ERIC: ED417732.

Bloor, Ian. (1990, November/December). Keys to success- A user's guide. Public library journal, 5 6, 133-141, 143-144.

Bloor, Ian. (1991). Performance indicators and decision support systems for libraries: A practical application of ³Keys to success² (British Library Research paper no. 93). London : British Library. Research and Development Department. - 63 p. - ISBN 0712332510.

Brunel, Yves. (1995, août). Influence de certaines variables sur la performance des bibliothèques publiques au Québec. Défi, 10 (2), 20-31.

Calvert, Phillip James. (1994, March). Library effectiveness: The search for a social context. Journal of Library and Information Science, 26, 15-21.

Calvert, Philip J. & Cullen, Rowena J. (1994). Further dimensions of public library effectiveness II: The second stage of the New Zealand study. Library & information science research,16 2, 87-104.

Cope, Catherine. (1990). Performance indicator work in public libraries in the U.K. Public library journal, 5 (4), 95-98.

Cram, Jennifer. (1999). Fishing with grenades or greening the mind: Value, values and municipal libraries for the new millennium. Public libraries excellent value in anyone's books: Country Public Libraries Association of New South Wales conference proceedings. Goonellabah: Country Public Libraries Association of New South Wales, Australia. 1-15.

Cullen, Rowena & Calvert, Philip J. (1993). Further dimensions of public library effectiveness: Report on a parallel New Zealand study. Library & Information Research, 15 (2), 143-164.

Ellis, Martin. (1998, June). Benchmarking public libraries : Comparisons in context. Australasian public libraries and information services, 11 (2), 56-60.

Hoglund, Anna-Lena. (1991, March). Measure the performance of public libraries and your planning will be easier, more rewarding--and more successful. International Library Review, 23 (1), 31-47.

Adaptation UNESCO performance measures to Swedish libraries.

Klempin, Hannelore. (1998). Performance et démarche qualité dans les bibliothèques publiques de la République fédérale d'Allemagne. Bulletin des bibliothèques de France, 43 (1), 65-71.

Liu, Yan Quan. (1996). A comparative study of national public library statistical systems and management in the United States and People's Republic of China. 62nd IFLA General Conference - Conference Proceedings - August 25-31, 1996.

McClure, Charles R. (1999). Testing performance measures and identifying strategic planning issues for the Alberta Public Library electronic network (APLEN) .

Ormes, Sarah, & McClure, Charles R. (1997). A comparison of public library Internet connectivity in the USA and UK. In Sarah Ormes & L. Dempsey (Eds.), The Internet, networking, and the public library (pp. 24-40). London: Library Association Publishing.

Wijasuriya, Donald E K [Deputy Director-General, National Library of Malaysia]. (n.d.). Performance measures for public libraries.

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Output Measure Manuals & Studies

Bertot, John Carlo, McClure, Charles R. & Ryan, Joe. (2000, October 15). Statistics and performance measures for public library network services. Chicago: ALA. ISBN 0-8389-0796-2. ALA Order #: 0796-2-2115 $38.00 for non-ALA members, $34.20 for members. To order use the ALA bookstore or phone: (800) 545-2433, press 7. For a sample of the work take a look at Chapter 2.

Immroth, Barbara Froling &Lance, Keith Curry. (1996, July-August). Output measures for children's services in public libraries: A status report. Public Libraries, 35 (4), 240-245.

McClure, Charles R., et al. (1986, Summer). Output measures: Myths, realities, and prospects. Public Libraries, 25 (2), 49-52.

In discussing need to revise the Output Measures for Public Libraries manual, identifies ongoing core issues needing attention including: measurement objectives, research skills of output measures users, management versus research contexts, relating inputs to outputs, problems in data collection, user versus library performance, sample sizes, interpretation of output measure scores, and self-diagnostics versus national comparability.

Pratt, Allan D. & Altman, Ellen. (1997, April 15). Live by the numbers, die by the numbers. Library Journal, 122 (7), 48-49.

Discusses "Output Measures for Public Libraries."

Smith, Nancy Milnor. (1994, July-August). State agency use of "Planning and Role Setting for Public Libraries" and "Output Measures for Public Libraries." Public Libraries, 33 (4), 211-212.

Van House, Nancy. (1989, Fall). Output measures in libraries. Library Trends, 38 , 268-279.

Van House, Nancy. A. & Childers, Thomas A. (1993). The public library effectiveness study: The complete report. Chicago: American Library Association. 99 p. ISBN 0838906192.

Van House, Nancy. A. & Childers, Thomas A. (1994). The use of public library roles for effectiveness evaluation. Library & Information Science Research, 16 (1), 41-58.

Van House, Nancy A; Lynch, Mary Jo; McClure, Charles R; Zweizig, Douglas L; Rodger, Eleanor Jo. (1987). Output measures for public libraries: A manual of standardized procedures. Prepared for the Public Library Development Project. Second edition. Chicago: American Library Association. ISBN 0-8389-3340-8

Walter, Virginia A. (1992). Output measures for public library services to children: A manual of standardized procedures. Chicago: American Library Association.

Zweizig, Douglas L. (1987, Spring). So go figure: Measuring library effectiveness. Public Libraries, 26 (1), 21-24.

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Pennsylvania Studies

Bertot, John C. & McClure, Charles R. (1997). Impacts of public access to the Internet through Pennsylvania public libraries. Information Technology and Libraries, 16 (4), 151-164.

McClure, Charles R., & Bertot, John C. (1998). Public library use in Pennsylvania: Identifying uses, benefits, and impacts. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office of Commonwealth Libraries.

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Sailor [MD] Study

Bertot, John C. & McClure, Charles R. (1996). Sailor Network assessment final report: Findings and future Sailor Network development. Maryland: Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Library Development and Services.

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St. Louis Public Library Project

Holt, Glenn, Elliott, Donald, Holt, Leslie E. & Watts, Anne. (2001). Public library benefits valuation study 1998-2000. Final report to the Institute of Museum and Library Services for National Leadership. Grant Number LL-80161-98. St Louis: St. Louis Public Library.

Cooperating Libraries and Research Sites included: Baltimore County Library System, Birmington County Library System, King County (Seattle) Library System, Phoenix Public Library, St. Louis Public Library.

Holt, Glen E., Elliott, Donald and Moore, Amonia. (1999, March-April). Placing a value on public library services: A St. Louis case study. St. Louis: St. Louis Public Library. Public Libraries.

Holt, Glen E., et al. Bibliography of articles on the St. Louis Public Library cost-benefit analysis study.

Holt, Glen E. (1997). As parents and teachers see it: The community values of a public library. Bottom Line, 10 (1), 32-35.

Holt, Glen E. (1997). A San Francisco story: Economics and politics in the age of electronic media, Bottomline, 10 (2 ), 84-87.

Holt, Glen E. (1996). Something more than sound bites: Communicating value to library constituencies. Bottomline, 9 (3), 36-39.

Holt, Glen E. & Elliott, Donald. (1998, September). Development of a portable cost benefit methodology for urban libraries.

IMLS funded grant builds on the St. Louis Public Library study with added particpants: Baltimore County (MD) Library, Birmingham (AL) Public Library, Phoenix (AZ) Public Library and King County (WA) Public Library.

Holt, Glen E. & Elliott, Donald. (1998, November 1). Proving your library's worth: A test case. Library Journal, 123 (18), 42-44.

Holt, Glen E.; Elliott, Donald & Dussold, Christopher. (1996, Summer). A framework for evaluating public investment in urban libraries. Bottom Line, 9 (4), 4-13.

A feature article in a special issue.

Holt, Glenn & Holt, Leslie E. (1999, June). What's it worth? School Library Journal, 45 (6), 47.

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Urban Library Council

Periodic surveys are done of Urban Library Council member libraries to create a snapshot of some facet of library organization or practice.

D¹Elia, George & Rodger, Eleanor Jo. (2000, October). Impacts of the Internet on public library use Executive summary, Full report [pdf] and Study questionnaire [pdf].

Results of a national telephone survey correlating public library and Internet use. Study found that Internet use is not discouraging people from using their public libraries. Report also correlates Internet and public library use to demographics of education, income, gender, and race.

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