Changes Coming to Next Year's Public Library Survey

Now that you are wrapping up your reports for the 2023 data, I wanted to let you know about the changes you can expect next year when you report on 2024.

Why are these changes happening?

The IMLS annually asks the State Librarians and Data Coordinators for their suggestions on ways to clarify and simplify what is being asked of libraries. During Covid years, they suspended the process, and maintained the same questions for several years, but now the process of annual revisions has resumed.  I hope you will find the changes for next year to be positive ones that will reduce the burden of entering data for a number of items.

What will I need to count that I’m not already counting?

Nothing. There are no new data elements that will require a count beyond what you are already doing. All additional questions are simple, Yes/No items which are shown below.

What will I no longer need to count?

Be aware that although there are several counts that are no longer required from libraries for their federal reporting, you may still choose to continue counting them and reporting the numbers locally, based on their value to you and your community.  The specific changes are shown below.
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Deletions/Replacements-
Libraries will no longer need to report the following numbers:

1.    The number of website visits for the year made to your library’s website.

2.    The number of eBooks, eAudio, eVideo, or eSerials held by your library, whether purchased directly by your library, or through the state.

Instead of asking for the number of titles libraries have in each electronic format, the IMLS has revised the questions to a series of Yes/No items about the eResources that libraries provide. This is what will be asked on next year’s survey:

•    Does your library provide access to eBooks purchased directly by your library?                 Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to eBooks purchased through a consortium?                   Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to eBooks purchased by the state?                                    Yes/No

•    Does your library provide access to eAudio purchased directly by your library?                  Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to eAudio purchased through a consortium?                   Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to eAudio purchased by the state?                                    Yes/No

•    Does your library provide access to eVideo purchased directly by your library?                  Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to eVideo purchased through a consortium?                   Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to eVideo purchased by the state?                                    Yes/No

•    Does your library provide access to eSerials purchased directly by your library?                Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to eSerials purchased through a consortium?                  Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to eSerials purchased by the state?                                   Yes/No

Note: The Use of all categories of eContent shown above will continue to be reported, as it is now, but the number of items held will no longer be asked.


3.    The requirement for usage counts for all database and learning platform use has been eliminated. This includes any uses of electronic resources without due dates such as periodical databases and online learning platforms providing instruction on a given topic or skill. Beginning next year, there will be no numbers reported for use of Ancestry, Heritage Quest, EBSCO, Hoopla, Kanopy, or any of your other databases or learning platforms.

Instead of asking for the number of uses of these, the IMLS has revised the questions to a series of Yes/No items about the eResources that libraries provide. This is what will be asked on next year’s survey:

•    Does your library provide access to Research Databases purchased directly by your library?  Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to Research Databases purchased through a consortium?    Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to Research Databases purchased by the state?                      Yes/No

•    Does your library provide access to Online Learning Platforms purchased directly by your library? Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to Online Learning Platforms purchased through a consortium?   Yes/No
•    Does your library provide access to Online Learning Platforms purchased by the state?               Yes/No

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Clarifications- These are not changes to the survey, but IMLS has added explanations of what is to be counted.

1.    For libraries that record programs to be viewed later, the total number of recorded programs will include both video and audio recordings.

2.    For the question on the total number of Reference Transactions, they have removed the condition that the interaction must be “unscheduled”. Going forward, any reference work or help provided to the public, whether or not it is scheduled, may be counted in the total.

3.    For the question asking for the total circulation for all children’s materials, the wording has been changed to clarify that libraries are to report only Physical material. Children’s eContent is not included in that question.

4.    For the item asking for Electronic Materials Expenditures, the wording has changed to clarify that the cost of electronic devices such as Chromebooks, wifi hotspots, or game systems that are circulated to the public are not included in this total.  Their cost should instead be included in Other Materials Expenditures.

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Additions-

1.    Does your library offer automatic renewals of physical materials that are included in your reported circulation figures?  Yes/No

2.    Does the number you have reported for circulation of children’s materials include any electronic content?  Yes/No


If you have questions about any of this, don’t hesitate to send them my way.

MaryAnn Niles
Reference Librarian & State Data Coordinator
Phone: 603-271-2060
Email: maryann.niles@dncr.nh.gov
New Hampshire State Library