Public Library Survey Walkthrough - Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of the Public Library Survey!

As we begin week 3, you may be interested to hear that over 90 of our libraries in NH have already begun completing the survey. Thank you!

I have had some requests for another intro session, so I will be offering a one-hour webinar to go over the basics of how to complete the survey on Thursday, 2/1, from 11:00 – 12:00. If you would like to join us, please email me and I will send you the link.

Today we’ll be working on the Library Holdings and Circulation sections:

When you look at the Electronic Holdings and Content Usage sections of the survey, you will see that the fields showing data on the statewide databases and NHDB have been pre-filled and are grayed out. Those numbers have been entered here for all libraries and you won’t be able to change them. They are the numbers reported to us by the content vendors for each participating library. If you have questions about any of the numbers you see here, please let me know. The totals for each category are also grayed out and will change as you enter your local numbers.

Physical Holdings

Holdings counts represent the number of items in your collection as of the last day of the reporting period you have chosen for your library, which is either the calendar year or the fiscal year.

The IMLS no longer wants the counts of serials holdings and instructs libraries to omit the numbers of print periodicals from all categories of Physical Holdings on the survey.

1.    Print Materials – The total number of print books in your collection – both hardcover and paperback. If the number of volumes is not available, report the number of titles in your collection along with a note explaining that this is a title count.

2.    Audio – Physical Units – The number of physical items in your collection that are audio recordings, including music CDs, audiobooks on CD, and Playaways, as well as any other audio formats. Any items that have multiple CDs packaged and circulated together are counted as one.
 
3.    Video – Physical Units – The number of items in your collection that are video recordings in a physical format. Multiple items that are packaged, and circulated together -like a full season of a TV show- should be counted as one.
 
4.    Other Circulating Physical Items – The number of other items in your collection that do not fall into the above categories but may be checked out such as garden tools, cooking pans, games, phone chargers, etc. Any items that are packaged, and circulated together as a set, should be counted as one.
 
5.    Current Print Serial Subscriptions – The number of magazine, journal, and newspaper titles that your library subscribes to in paper. Multiple issues of the same title received under the same subscription for the year in question count as one.
 
Electronic Holdings
 
In this section, only the fields asking for Local numbers need to be completed by you. These numbers refer to the electronic resources that you have purchased for your library, directly or through a local consortium, not through the state library. Do not include any items that are freely available on the web.

Unlike the statewide NHDB statistics, we have no access to your local holdings or usage numbers for digital content that you buy directly for your library, so we won’t be able to answer questions or provide guidance in finding these numbers. Please contact your vendor for that information.
 
1.    Local Electronic Books - eBooks – The number of eBooks that your library has purchased that have a circulation period and a due date. These would include Advantage titles purchased from Overdrive, and other platforms. If your library has purchased a title that can only be used by one person at a time, that is counted as one eBook. If your library has purchased a title that allows for five simultaneous users, that is counted as five eBooks. 
 
How to count electronic holdings for Hoopla: For libraries providing access to eBooks on Hoopla, there is a different method of counting. Since Hoopla is a vast, noncurated collection, you do not use the entire number of ebooks as your holdings.  Instead, the number of times a Hoopla eBook is used (or circulated) is the number that you should enter for holdings.
 
2.    Local Downloadable Audiobooks – The number of digital audiobooks that your library has purchased that have a circulation period and a due date. These would include Advantage titles purchased from Overdrive, and other platforms.
 
For libraries providing access to audiobooks on Hoopla, they are counted the same way as eBooks. Since Hoopla is a vast, noncurated collection, each circulation is counted as one title in holdings.
 
3.    Local Downloadable Music – The number of digital music items available through platforms like Naxos Music, that were purchased directly by the library or through a consortium.
 
For libraries providing access to music titles on Hoopla, they are counted the same way as eBooks. Since Hoopla is a vast, noncurated collection, each circulation is counted as one title in holdings.
 
4.    Local Downloadable Video – The number of online video titles purchased directly by the library or through a consortium. These include movies and TV shows that can be streamed from platforms like Hoopla and Kanopy.
 
-For libraries providing access to video titles on Hoopla, they are counted the same way as eBooks. Since Hoopla is a vast, noncurated collection, each circulation is counted as one title in holdings.

-Since Kanopy is a curated collection of video content, libraries offering access to it would count the entire collection in the local holdings number, which for this year is 30,000.

5.    Local Electronic Collections – These are online collections, such as periodical databases, whose items can be accessed without any due dates. Typically, these are databases with records that can be downloaded and retained by the user. Do not include any collection that is available freely on the open web.
 
6.    Local Digital Magazines - eSerials – The number of electronic magazines included in platforms like Zinio and Flipster that your library purchases directly or through a consortium.
 
If there are categories of eResources that you don’t provide beyond those offered through the State Library, enter the number zero in the box for Local Holdings. Do not use “Unavailable”.
 
Physical Circulation

1.    Circulation of Print Materials – The total number of print materials for all age groups circulated for the year, including renewals. If you allow your print magazines and newspapers to be checked out, those circulations are counted here, along with books.

2.    Circulation of Audio Physical Units – The total number of physical audiobooks for all age groups circulated for the year, including renewals.
 
3.    Circulation of Video Physical Units – The total number of video items in any physical format for all age groups circulated for the year, including renewals.
 
4.    Circulation of Other Physical Items – The total number of physical items that do not fall into the above categories for all age groups circulated for the year, including renewals.
 
5.    Circulation of Children’s Materials – The number of physical children’s items circulated in all formats, including renewals.
 
6.    Circulation of Young Adult Materials – The number of Young Adult items circulated in all formats, including renewals. If your library does not have a separate count for these items, select “Unavailable” and click the notepad to leave a note to that effect.
 
7.    Interlibrary Loans Provided to Other Libraries (Outgoing) – The total number of items your library sent to other libraries for their patrons to borrow. Do not include the number of items transferred from one branch to another in the same system.
 
8.    Interlibrary Loans Received from Other Libraries (Incoming) – The total number of items sent to your library from other libraries for your patrons to borrow. Do not include the number of items transferred from one branch to another in the same system.

Need a reminder of how to find these?  This blog post covers how to retrieve your interlibrary loan numbers:  https://nhais.blogspot.com/2023/02/ill-stats.html

Note: Consortium kits are counted as one unit if they are packaged together and sent together. If you own a kit and send it out to another library, that counts as one outgoing ILL. Unlike a traditional ILL, a kit is often forwarded to another library without first being returned to its home library, so the forwarding library does not count that as an ILL. The receiving library counts it as one incoming ILL.

Electronic Content Usage
 
This is where you will enter the usage numbers for each type of the local Electronic Holdings that you reported above for your library.

1.    Local eBook Circulation – The combined total number of all eBook circulation of items that your library has purchased directly or through a consortium, not from the State Library.  If your library provides access to Hoopla, the number you will add here is the same one that was used for holdings.

2.    Local Downloadable Audiobook Circulation –– The combined total number of all audiobook circulation of items that your library has purchased directly or through a consortium, not from the State Library. If your library provides access to Hoopla, the number you will add is the same one used for holdings.

3.    Local Downloadable Music Circulation – The combined total number of circulations of digital music items provided on platforms like Naxos Music and Hoopla that were purchased directly by the library or through a consortium.

4.    Local Downloadable Video Circulation – The combined total number of all video circulation of items that your library has purchased directly or through a consortium These include movies and TV shows that can be streamed from platforms like Hoopla and Kanopy.

5.    Local Electronic Collections – These are online collections, such as periodical databases, whose items can be accessed without any due dates. Typically, these are databases with records that can be downloaded and retained by the user. Do not include any collection that is available freely on the open web.

6.    Local Digital Magazines - eSerials – The number of electronic magazines included in platforms like Zinio and Flipster that your library purchases directly or through a consortium.

If you don’t provide eResources in one of these categories beyond those offered through the State Library, then the usage was zero. Please enter the number zero here. Do not use “Unavailable”.

If you are still with me, you are more than half-way done with the survey! As always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me at 603-271-2060 or maryann.niles@dncr.nh.gov.
 
I’ll be back next week with the next steps.  (And as before, feel free to continue this journey without me!)

MaryAnn Niles
Reference Librarian & State Data Coordinator
New Hampshire State Library