Standardisation of library statistics Standardisation of library statistics Roswitha Poll Chair of ISO TC 46 SC 8: Quality – Statistics and performance evaluation Roswitha Poll Chair of ISO TC 46 SC 8: Quality – Statistics and performance evaluation

Why should we standardise library statistics? What standards ensure (ISO) quality safety economy reliability compatibility efficiency interoperability effectiveness

What library standards want to achieve to spread the knowledge about existing tested methods and practices to standardize with the aim of comparing and aggregating results terminology and definitions methods of data collection methods of analyzing the data

ISO 2789 Information and documentation - International library statistics 1st edition nd edition rd edition th edition 2006 Counts collection size number and type of users use of services staff space equipment training

ISO 2789 Trends of the last editions from collection-oriented to user-oriented data Reference services Library visits In-house use User training Events organized by the library Seats, workstations Use of electronic services introduction of statistics for electronic services and collections sampling allowed for data collection other new issues: - cataloguing - income and expenditure (differentiated) - staff (differentiated)

Global statistics IFLA Section Statistics and evaluation ISO TC 46 SC 8: Quality – Statistics and performance evaluation UNESCO Institute for Statistics Project goals To show the present role of libraries in culture and society Data should be easily available, also in developing countries The statistics should allow international comparison But: All that should be done with a limited list of data

Global statistics for public and higher education libraries Data for the physical library (the building) 1. Number of libraries 2. Number of seats 3. Weekly opening hours (4 groups) Data for electronic services 1.Internet access for users 2.Online catalogue 3.Library website Important for public libraries Library as place for learning and working

Global statistics for public and higher education libraries Data for the collection 1.Number of volumes 2.Number of electronic collections by type - Electronic serials (subscriptions) - eBooks (titles) - Databases (purchased or licensed) volumes as the one measure for the traditinal collection

Global statistics for public and higher education libraries Data for Library activities and events 1.Number of events 2.Annual attendances at user training sessions Showing the cultural role of the library Stands for the teaching library

Global statistics for public and higher education libraries Data for Library use and users 1Number of registered users 2Loans and usage - Number of loans - Number of downloads from the e-collection - Number of visits (physical visits) Counts of registered users more frequent than of active users Two measures for traditional use, one for electronic use

Global statistics for public and higher education libraries Data for resources 1.Library staff - Number of employees (headcount, not FTE) - of these female 2.Expenditure - Total operating expenditure - of which staff costs - of which on literature and information - of which other costs FTE difficult to calculate Differentiation allows relations between cost types

Global statistics population - of these children, elderly persons, women literacy and education, access to Internet members of institutions of higher education Background data UNESCO Performance indicators are possible with the help of these data, e. g. Average number of libraries per 1,000 inhabitants Average number of volumes in public libraries per 1,000 literate inhabitants

Global statistics/ISO 2789: Why did we not take the standard as it is? -ISO 2789 has 105 definitions (and much more counting procedures), of which 31 concern electronic services As simple as possible Hopefully, 22 data can give a reliable picture of libraries in a country Details for all specific services -The global statistics questionnaire asks for only 22 data, of which 7 concern electronic services

Small is beautiful

Small is beautiful