A number of Nebraska public library directors have asked if they could try out the new Accreditation Guidelines even though their libraries are not up for reaccreditation this year. The answer is, yes! In particular they were interested in seeing how their libraries stack up against their “peer libraries,” that is, libraries with populations 15% lower and higher than theirs. Until recently this was not possible because we were only able to add in statistics from the peer libraries for those libraries up for accreditation in 2013. However, due to the good work of Vern Buis, Computer Services Director at the Commission, the comparative statistics are now drawn automatically from Omnibase, on which the annual data submitted via Bibliostat Collect are displayed. So, have a go at it. Please keep in mind a few things:
- If your library did not submit statistics for the last full year — i.e., 2011 — 2012 — there will be no comparable statistics for you to look at.
- You should not submit the application form itself if your library is not up for re-accreditation in 2013 (or if you are an unaccredited public library that did not submit statistics for 2011 — 2012 — see the first point above).
- These data change each year, reflecting the statistics submitted for that year. Therefore, you cannot necessarily draw conclusions from the data for this year if your library is applying for accreditation in a different year.
Please let Richard Miller (
richard.miller@nebraska.gov , 800-307-2665) know if you have any questions about the Accreditation Guidelines, and happy driving!
