To: State Library Agency (StLA) Survey Steering Committee
State Data Coordinators
From: Joe Shubert, Chair, StLA Survey Steering Committee
Denise Davis, Library Statistics Program Coordinator, National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS)
Re: FY2001 and FY2002 StLA surveys
April 24, 2001
Thanks to members of the StLA Steering Committee and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) Research & Statistics Committee on your quick work in getting comments to us on the proposed new items for the StLA survey. The list of revised and new data elements is attached. There are three revisions and six new items including workstation counts, virtual visits to the state library website and a variety of database use-related counts.
National reporting for these items will commence with the FY2002 StLA survey and collection for this survey begins in fall 2002. States are strongly encouraged to begin collecting for these items as soon as possible, especially working with database vendors and publishers to position your library to fully report the use in your library and state.
At the time of our March 28-29 Steering Committee meeting, we hoped that the revised and new items could be included in the 2001 Survey. Jeffrey Owings and Jeff Williams told us at that meeting that contracting decisions made at other levels in NCES might make it impossible to change data items this year, but encouraged us to make recommendations for needed items. They and we now know that NCES's contract change with the vendor that designs and supports the StLA web-based collection means that the new and revised items have to wait until next year. The current vendor will be making no structural changes to the FY2001 survey since the contract between them and NCES is coming to an end. The FY2001 StLA survey will begin as scheduled in fall 2001.
Although this presents a delay in revising and adding new survey items, this is not a setback for the StLA survey. Rather, having the additional time helps in a variety of ways:
Please direct any questions to Al Zimmerman (alan.zimmerman@dpi.state.wi.us) or Denise Davis (ddavis@nclis.gov).
Overview:
According to the latest State Library Agency Survey, over $25 million, nearly 10 percent of total SLA operating expenditures, was spent on licensing of statewide databases in FY99. This amount has undoubtedly since grown. The use that state residents make of these databases is still not nationally reported. In order to collect data on electronic use comparable to the expenditure data currently gathered, the State Library Agency Survey Steering Committee at its April meeting recommended the addition to the present survey of several data elements measuring electronic use. Those recommendations are attached.
The proposed items and definitions are taken from or are based on electronic use measures developed by Dr. John Carlo Bertot and Dr. Charles R. McClure under a project supported by the IMLS and participant state library agencies. The State Library Agency Survey Steering Committee and the COSLA Research & Statistics Committee were briefed on this work as it progressed. Work began with the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) electronic use measurement guidelines developed in 1997. After numerous focus groups and individual conversations with librarians, Bertot and McClure adapted the ICOLC guidelines to meet the needs of public library service providers. In addition, they worked closely with vendors to understand the use measures being collected and how the measures were being reported to and used by customers. The resulting detailed guidelines and definitions are contained in their publication Statistics and Performance Measures for Public Library Networked Services (2001).
In making these recommendations, the committee took into consideration several factors. The most significant is the uncertainty of additional funds from the federal government for specialized surveys of libraries to gather this information. What is certain is the funding for the uniform national collection of data on state library agencies. As to the data collection burden placed on state library agencies, the committee recognizes that the major database vendors are able and willing to provide electronic use information. And, that these vendors have agreed on the Bertot-McClure definitions. These are the same definitions being presented here. It is further recognized that because of current local practices, especially network infrastructure design and administration, it will not be possible for all states to report all electronic use data requested. Even though the reporting may be incomplete, applying consistent national definitions should encourage states to begin requesting this data from vendors.
Consideration was also given to the extent to which these new data elements can be integrated with other collected data. To this end the steering committee is reconsidering its approach to collecting descriptive data on electronic services offered by state library agencies. A report on this issue, with recommendations, should be available after the next committee meeting. Lastly, the committee feels that the extent to which this survey assists in policy formulation, analysis, and decision-making is dependent upon the completeness of its description of StLA activities. A description of StLA activities relating to electronic services use is currently not available. The State Library Agency Survey is the only likely source of such information in the future.
REVISIONS:
220. Internet workstations available to the general public. Report below workstations that are used for Internet access by the general public in all StLA outlets that serve the public. Include terminals used by both the StLA staff and the public. Exclude terminals that are for StLA staff use only.
220a Number of library-owned public-access graphical workstations that connect to the Internet for a dedicated purpose (to access an OPAC or specific database) or multiple purposes. (For this count the term “library-owned” includes computers leased by the state library agency.)
220b Number of all other public access workstations in the library. (Report non-library computers placed in the library by other agencies or groups. Report non-graphical workstations.)
ADDITIONS:
XX0 Virtual visits to networked state library agency resources. Number of visits to the state library agency via the Internet. A visit occurs when an external user connects to a networked state library agency resource for any length of time or any purpose (regardless of the number of pages or elements viewed). Examples of a networked library resource include a state library agency OPAC, leased online database, or a state library agency Web page. In the case of a user visit to a state library agency Web site a user who looks at 16 pages and 54 graphic images registers one visit on the Web server.
XX1 Electronic full text titles available by subscription. Number of electronic full text titles that the state library agency subscribes to and offers to the public, computed one time annually. Include in this count full-text titles available through database subscription services, e.g., EBSCO, Gale, Wilson, etc.
XX1a Number of electronic serial titles.
XX1b Number of electronic other titles including book titles.
XX2 Electronic full text titles owned. Number of electronic full text titles that the state library agency owns and offers to the public, computed one time annually. Report the total number of electronic serial and other titles owned by the state library agency. Include in this count the number of electronic books purchased from vendors such as Ingram, EBSCO and Net Library. Titles available through subscription should be counted in “XX1.” Include digitized files or titles (such as historical documents preserved by the StLA or the state, runs of digitized state documents) that the StLA digitized or has acquired.
XX3 Database sessions. Total count of the number of sessions (logins) initiated to all state library agency online databases. These figures may be available from the database company (EBSCO, Gale, etc.), and may also be available from the library network manager.
XX4 Database queries/searches. Total count of the number of searches conducted in the state library agency’s online databases. Subsequent activities by the users (e.g., browsing, printing) are not considered part of the search process. These figures may be available from the database company (EBSCO, Gale, etc.)
XX5 Items examined using electronic subscription services. Number of views to each entire host to which the state library agency subscribes. A view is defined as the number of full text articles/pages, abstracts, citations, and text only, text/graphics viewed. These figures may be available from the database company (EBSCO, Gale, etc.)