Author Archives: John Felton

iMapLibraries is a joint project by Florida State University researchers, the American Library Association (ALA), and the Chief Officers of State Library Associations (COSLA).  Funded by an IMLS National Leadership Grant, the goal of this project is to empower local librarians, with development of more precise planning tools, to better serve diverse customer markets within their local community.

The project website (www.imaplibraries.org) has a mapping tool that displays the location of the 16,808 library outlets in the 50 states based on the IMLS 2010 public library dataset.  The majority of the libraries are already mapped correctly but an estimated 10 – 20% of the library branches are probably mapped incorrectly.  The project leaders want to engage local librarians in correcting any mis-mapped libraries.

You can help in this effort by going to the mapping tool page (http://imaplibraries.org/maps.html) to view your library and check whether the location of your library is correct. Instructions are provided explaining how to either verify or correct the location, which should take less than a minute to perform in most instances.   The requested passcode on the website is simply the two-letter abbreviation for your state.

Thanks for your help!

If you are a small or rural library, the Association of Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) is asking for your participation in a 10 – 15 minute survey. Results will be posted on the ARSL website early next year. Here’s a link for more information: http://arsl.info/2012/11/do-you-work-in-a-small-or-rural-library/.

The annual Public Library Statistical Survey for FY 2011-2012 has been released for online submission. Log into your library’s survey form by going to http://collect.btol.com. The due date for this survey is February 15, 2013. For instructions and tips for completing the survey go to the Library Data Services page at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/stats/BibliostatCollect.aspx.

Background:  Every year the Nebraska Library Commission, along with state library agencies from all other states and U.S. territories, collects statistics through the Public Library Survey.  There are almost 90 shared data elements in this survey that are used to analyze and compare public library service in the U.S.  In Nebraska, these data, along with some state-wide information, are gathered through an online survey instrument known as Bibliostat™ Collect.  Submission of this survey is required to become eligible for the public library accreditation program and for state aid to public libraries.

Yes, it’s fall and that means it is the season for the annual Public Libraries Survey for fiscal year 2011-2012. The survey will be available for data submission on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 and will be due by Friday, February 15, 2013. As usual, statistics will be collected online through the Bibliostat Collect application, available at collect.btol.com. Your user name and password are the same as last year, but we will be sending you a reminder with your login information soon.

There are always a few changes to the federal data elements, so it’s a good idea to check the resources we’ve posted on the  Library Data Services page of the NLC website. Here you’ll find a new “Tip Sheet” to help in completing the survey, along with full instructions, definitions of data elements, a list of changes, a blank survey, and a guide to counting your Overdrive circulation. Any questions about the survey can be directed to John Felton.

Every two years the National Center for Education Statistics collects basic statistical data from college and university libraries. That will happen again in Fall 2012 with the launch of the web survey. The general plan is as follows:

October 2012: Each academic library director will receive a letter containing a registration certificate that shows a User ID and password for the library. The director will be asked to indicate a “key holder” who will use those codes to enter the library’s data.

November 6, 2012 – to February 26, 2013: The Web collection application will be available at http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/libraries/als.

As soon as possible after the data collection period ends, 2012 data will be available in the NCES Compare Academic Libraries Web Tool. That tool is available now, using 2010 data at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/academic.asp.

A few months later, summary reports (First Look and Supplemental Tables) will be posted on the NCES Web site. That report will contain tables describing academic libraries. The tables present results by various groupings, such as enrollment size and Carnegie category. A print-only copy of the ALS 2012 form and instructions is posted on the NCES Web site at

http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/AcaRRQuestDefs.asp. Also on that site is a description of changes from the 2008 form to the 2010 form.

The Advisory Committee of academic librarians works with the ALA Office for Research and Statistics to assist NCES with the Academic Libraries Survey. The Office for Research and Statistics Web page has links to all survey materials, a podcast that goes over the survey and the responsibilities of each state’s Library Representative, a list of the NCES Library Representatives in each state, and a roster of the survey Advisory Committee at

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/ors/natlctrforedstats/index.cfm.

While analyzing statistics recently, I discovered that in the past five fiscal years (2007 – 2011), the number of programs offered by Nebraska public libraries has increased by 24.4% and attendance has risen 22.2%. During the same period circulation increased a total of 5%, but actually declined very slightly the past two years.

When I saw these figures, I was reminded of a column by John Berry in the June 19, 2012 issue of Library Journal that carried the title, “The Programming Explosion.” Berry points out the tremendous increase in public library programs and the wide variety of subjects being addressed, using San Diego County Library as an example. This trend, he suggests, is transforming many public libraries into genuine community centers and attracting more people to become regular customers of their local library.

So, what does this have to do with planning? Well, I believe this trend indicates that library directors, staff, and trustees planning for the future should pay particular attention to the programming needs in their community. What is happening in the village, the city, or the county that suggests a programming topic? Will traditional library programs, such as story times and summer reading fill the bill, or is there a need to add courses on topics like digital literacy, language instruction, understanding E-government, or job-searching techniques?

This is just part of a larger discussion about the role of your public library in the future of your community that needs to be part of the planning process.