2. Hospital Library Benchmarking - A Tool for Library Improvement Overview of the Benchmarking Network MACMLA, Washington, DC Revised and Edited for MACMLA by Merle Colglazier, AHIP MACMLA Benchmarking Chapter Educator System Librarian Bon Secours Richmond Health System Richmond, VA

3. Hospital Library Benchmarking - A Tool for Library Improvement Overview of the Benchmarking Network MCMLA, Topeka Presentation Created By Rosalind. F. Dudden, AHIP MCMLA Benchmarking Chapter Educator Health Sciences Librarian, Tucker Memorial Library National Jewish Medical and Research Center Denver, CO

4. 3 MLA Benchmarking Network Overview Introduction Methodology Data Review Who are we? What kinds of libraries participated? What do we do? Data Reports from MLA site Examples of Data Tables Many Uses of the Data Conclusion Credits

5. 4 MLA Benchmarking Network What is the Question? Have you been asked a question lately by your supervisor? Do you think a specific service is under- powered and wonder what others are doing? Find quick answers to tough questions with the MLA Benchmarking Network data reports! Be smart and benchmark!

6. 5 MLA Benchmarking Network How many MAC libraries participated? 1Pittsburgh 1Hawaii 14UNYOC 14Pacific Northwest 18Philadelphia 21South Central 31NCNMLG 32MidContinental 34MLGSCA 36NYNJ 37MidAtlantic 46Southern 50NAHSL 50Midwest N=385

7. 6 MLA Benchmarking Network Methodology Data collection Web-based data entry forms Open from December 15, 2001 to March 4, 2002. The universe of the sample Hospital library and special library members of the Medical Library Association Not participants in the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) survey.

8. 7 MLA Benchmarking Network Methodology The questionnaire was developed and tested by MLA Benchmarking Network teams and tested in 2001. Approximately 1,500 hospital librarians were solicited by the Benchmarking Chapter Educators to fill out an extensive questionnaire (over 100 questions) on the Web in the "members only" section of the MLANET website. 385 MLA members logged in and filled out parts of the questionnaire.

9. 8 MLA Benchmarking Network Data review 13 were eliminated because there was no data in the measures section. This was due to human and/or technical errors. 2 were eliminated because they were AAHSL libraries.

10. 9 MLA Benchmarking Network Data review To analyze hospital libraries 26 were eliminated from the data analysis as not being hospital libraries. 8 were research institutes with no patient activity reported 18 were special libraries, not in hospitals. 344 remaining libraries are all hospital libraries. If there are 1,500 hospital libraries in the US and Canada, a fact that has never been established, the 344 libraries responding to the questionnaire represent a 22.9% return on the request for data.

11. 10 MLA Benchmarking Network The Survey Report Now up on MLANET Members Only Aggregate tables based on hospital or library size. “Free” to all MLA members (Your dues helped pay for this project!) (And don’t forget the six years of volunteer hours!)

12. 11 MLA Benchmarking Network The Survey Report Now Available!

13. 12 MLA Benchmarking Network The Survey Report Who are these 344 libraries?

14. 13 MLA Benchmarking Network Hospital Ownership N=343

15. 14 MLA Benchmarking Network Institutional Care Category N=343

16. 15 MLA Benchmarking Network Teaching Hospitals N=327

17. 16 MLA Benchmarking Network Library FTEs N=344

18. 17 MLA Benchmarking Network The Survey Report What services do they provide? What are some administrative issues?

19. 18 MLA Benchmarking Network Consumer Health Information Services to Patients and Families N=339

20. 19 MLA Benchmarking Network Loansome Doc Provider N=339

21. 20 MLA Benchmarking Network Library Committee N=343

22. 21 MLA Benchmarking Network What Do We Do? On Average, that is… Problem: Very large/very small libraries distort a simple quartile distribution. Number of Responses MeanMedianMinimumThird Quartile Maximum Quartile 1 Quartile 2 Quartile 3 Quartile 4

23. 22 MLA Benchmarking Network What Do We Do? On Average, that is… Number of Responses MeanMedianMinimumThird Quartile Maximum 2.5% Outliers10 10% Outliers30 Quartile 160 Quartile 260 Quartile 360 Quartile 460 10% Outliers30 2.5% Outliers10 N=320

24. 23 MLA Benchmarking Network Number of libraries in each parameter range showing distribution Mean: 2,333 Median: 1,816 N=332

25. 24 MLA Benchmarking Network More detailed Distribution allows: 75% of respondents can be divided into quartiles that are similar. Outliers are represented, not eliminated. Vocabulary

26. 25 MLA Benchmarking Network Vocabulary Parameter A numerical value describing a characteristic of a population Hospital parameters Physicians (pa05) Hospital FTE (pa06) Patient Discharges (pa07) Outpatient Visits (pa08) Staffed Beds (pa09) Patient Admissions (pa10) Library parameters Total Library FTE (a01) Total Expenditures (a21) What parameter best measures the size of your hospital or your library?

27. 26 MLA Benchmarking Network Other Distributions Use industry standard categories AHA Hospital Bed Size Use logical distributions Library FTEs 53% had 1 to 2.49 FTEs Not logical to only divide into quartiles.

28. 27 MLA Benchmarking Network Library FTEs N=344

29. 28 MLA Benchmarking Network Vocabulary Statistics (6) Qualified Answers Mean Median Minimum Third Quartile Maximum Reference Questions (ps01) Mediated Searches (ps02) Educational Program Sessions (ps04) Monographs Circulated (ps06) Item Received from Outside Sources (Borrows) (ps08) Item Sent to Outside Sources (Lends) (ps09) Expenditures - Monographs (a14) Expenditures - Print Serials (a15) Print Monographs (ts01) Current Print Serials Titles (ts02) Print Serials Titles/Electronic Full-Text Access (ts03) Serials Titles/Electronic Full-Text Access Only (ts04) Measures of activity (73) examples of library activity

30. 29 MLA Benchmarking Network Number of Print Monographs by Hospital FTE

31. 30 MLA Benchmarking Network Number of Current Print Serials by Hospital FTE

32. 31 MLA Benchmarking Network Question: Answer: Total Library FTE (a01) : 1 to < 1.4 Qualified Answers: N=82 Mean: 126Maximum:302 Median:120Minimum: 6 Third Quartile: 159 In a one person library, what is the average number of current print serials?

33. 32 MLA Benchmarking Network Question: In a one person library, what is the average number of current print serials?

34. 33 MLA Benchmarking Network How Wired are Hospital Libraries in 2001?

35. 34 MLA Benchmarking Network How Wired are Hospital Libraries? n = # qualified responses A c c e s s   Web Computer Workstation(s) (sp06e) 99.0% Bibliographic Database Interface (sp06b) 80.2% Basic Library Web Page (sp06a) 70.7% OPAC (sp06c) 57.0% Specific Services (forms,e-ref, etc.) (sp06d) 53.5% Support Institution-wide Web Development (sp06f) 48.0% Support Web Design (sp06g) 34.1%

36. 35 MLA Benchmarking Network How Wired are Hospital Libraries?

37. 36 MLA Benchmarking Network How Wired are Hospital Libraries?

38. 37 MLA Benchmarking Network Ranges for the Hospital Parameter - Number of Physicians in the Hospital

39. 38 MLA Benchmarking Network Ranges for the Library Parameter - Total Library FTEs

40. 39 MLA Benchmarking Network Total Expenditures by Number of Hospital FTEs

41. 40 MLA Benchmarking Network Expenditures by Library FTE

42. 41 MLA Benchmarking Network Other Uses of the Data Benchmarking Specific questions answered Hypothesis testing or research Refuting or updating previous surveys Comparing with other surveys

43. 42 MLA Benchmarking Network Conclusion Library improvement through data analysis Yes, you can do it! But you have to understand how to get and use the data. The BN survey can and will be a great tool Aggregate distribution tables Scenarios or specific questions Interactive site Total Excel data for benchmarking or research.

44. 43 MLA Benchmarking Network Why Benchmark? An action you can take right now Conserves effort Focuses on selective service issues Can result in real library improvement

45. 44 MLA Benchmarking Network Whose baseline is it anyway? In order to benchmark with other libraries, you need to know your own baseline or else there is no basis for comparison.

46. 45 MLA Benchmarking Network Your Next Step - The Benchmark Zone Once you know your own baseline, you can leverage that information in the MLA Benchmarking Network to achieve breakthrough library service improvement.

47. 46 MLA Benchmarking Network

48. 47 MLA Benchmarking Network Credits Statistical Consultation Jeff Magouirk, Dept of Bio-statistics, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO Jim Mills, Jim Mills Engineering Services, Denver, CO Data Collection and Web Data Display MLA Headquarters team, lead by Kate Corcoran Benchmarking Network Task Force, 96-99 Bernie Todd Smith, Chair Benchmarking Implementation Task Force,00-03 Debbie Rand, Chair Outcomes Team, 00-03 Rosalind Dudden, Chair