Public library survey - annual report

[It's public library annual report time again and state data coordinator Mary Ann Niles is writing a series of messages to help guide you through the process of completing the survey. In addition to appearing on the NHAIS-ILL e-mail list, her messages will appear in the NHAIS Notes blog for easy reference.]

Hello everyone,

I know that you will all be delighted to hear that the 2022 survey is now open!

Those of you who are new to the process may find it helpful to have a bit of background explaining what this is all about:

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal agency established in support of libraries, collects public library data nationally every year. As part of this process, the IMLS requires the NH State Library to collect the same data from all public libraries in NH that is being collected in every other state. They use this data to better understand your programs and services, and to see how our libraries compare to those in other states. Once the data has been entered, we at the state library, compile it and make it available to you so that you may use it to see how your numbers compare with those from similar libraries, articulate your value, and help to tell the story of the importance of your library to your community. The data from past years may be found on our website: https://www.nhsl.dncr.nh.gov/librarians/library-statistics

Questions you may be asking:

1.    How much time do I have?

•    This year's survey, covering the data from 2022, will be open for responses until the end of April. That means you have 15 weeks to complete 15 sections of questions. Since some of the sections have only a few questions, even if you choose to complete only one section a week, you will still finish on time.

2.    What is different this year?

•    Questions about Children’s and Young Adult programming and attendance are now broken down by age:
o    Children 0-5
o    Children 6-11
o    Young Adult 12-18

•    The time allowed to count the total number of views of recorded programs has been extended to 30 days.

•    There is now a question asking whether your library charged overdue fines for the year being reported.

3.    What help can I get to complete the survey?

Lots!  I am here to help you in a number of different ways, so if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me at 603-271-2060 or maryann.niles@dncr.nh.gov . Here are some things to help you get started:

•    For a paper copy of the survey that you can print out and work on before entering the numbers online, go to  nh.countingopinions.com and click on the "Download the Annual Report Worksheet" link at the bottom of the page.
 
•    For instructions on how to complete each section of the survey go to the FY 2022 Annual Report Guide

•    Beginning next week, look for an email each week with tips on how to complete two sections of questions. If you decide to follow along with me on those, your survey will be finished by the end of March.

•    I will be offering a general overview of how to complete the survey on Zoom for anyone who would like more information. Stay tuned for dates and times of those.

•    If you are in a Co-op or other library group that would like to get an overview of the survey via Zoom, let me know and we can set that up.

By the end of the day January 13, an email was sent to each library director from CountingOpinions.com including your username and password and the link to the portal login. Be aware that if you have done this in the past, your username and password are still the same.

Thank you for working with me to complete this process. The New Hampshire libraries have done a great job on the survey in past years and I’m sure this year will be no exception.

Let me know how I can help.
 
MaryAnn Niles
Reference Librarian & State Data Coordinator
Phone: 603-271-2060
Email: maryann.niles@dncr.nh.gov
New Hampshire State Library
20 Park Street
Concord, NH 03301
www.nh.gov/nhsl/

[This post edited 12/14/2023 to update a link.]