Changes in library standards Statistics and evaluation as mirror of library innovations Dr. Roswitha Poll Chair of ISO TC 46 SC 8: Quality statistics and performance evaluation LIDA 2012
ISO standards for quantity and quality in libraries ISO Technical committee 46: Information and documentation Subcommittee 8: Quality, statistics and performance evaluation WG 2: International library statistics ISO/DIS 2789 (2012) International library statistics,5th edition To be published 2013 WG 4: Performance indicators for libraries ISO 11620 (2008) Library performance indicators, 2 nd edition Revision since 2010 WG 7: Quality measures for national libraries ISO TR 28118 (2009) Performance indicators for national libraries
ISO standards for quantity and quality in libraries ISO Technical committee 46: Information and documentation Subcommittee 8: Quality - statistics and performance evaluation WG 8: Statistical data for library buildings ISO TR 11219 Qualitative conditions and basic statistics for library buildings Published May 2012 WG 9: Statistics and quality issues for web archiving ISO TR 14783 Statistics and quality issues for web archiving to be published 2013 WG 10: Methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries ISO 16439 Methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries to be published 2013
ISO 2789 International library statistics 1st edition 1974 2nd edition 1991 3rd edition 2003 4th edition 2006 5th edition: revision started March 2010; 1st voting positive with comments; DIS is going to voting now Library statistics are more and more shortdated
ISO 2789 counts Users (number of registered or active users, types of users) Use of traditional and electronic services (physical and virtual visits, loans and ILL, accesses and downloads, reference questions, etc.) Collections (all formats) (volumes, microforms, databases, e-serials, ebooks,etc.) Facilities (space, equipment, opening hours) Staff (number and types of staff, staff training) Income and expenditure (sources of income; expenditure on resources, services or staff)
ISO 2789: Reasons for the revision Neglected topics Preservation Digitisation Legal deposit National bibliography From ISO TR 28118 Performance measures for national libraries
ISO 2789: Reasons for the revision Neglected topics Cooperation (projects, long-term cooperation) Institutional repositories (documents, usage) Promotion of library services (reports in the media) Library research (research papers by library staff)
ISO 2789: New topics New library services on the Internet Library-hosted interactive services (blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc.) Libraries participation in social networks Core datasets: - number of accesses (visits) to the library s account - number of downloads of documents Optional counts: - number of subscribers (e.g. fans/followers) - number of posts or new entries within the library s account
ISO 2789: New topics The library s services for mobile devices Examples of services formatted for mobile devices: (websites, catalogues, teaching lessons, library tours) Datasets: Number of services Number of accesses (visits)
ISO 2789: New topics Services for target populations with special needs Target populations with special needs are parts of a library's population with needs that require special library services. Examples physical and health impairment economic disadvantages (e. g. long-term unemployment) cultural differences (e. g. non-native speakers, new arrivals)
ISO 2789: New topics Services for target populations with special needs Services provided for such groups: special collections special events long-term services (e. g. media transports for housebound persons) Data to collect: For special collections: Count loans or downloads For special events: Count attendances For long-term services: Count cases of usage
ISO 2789: Costs for the new services How much staff time is needed for cooperative projects organisation of events digitization of analogue materials services for mobile devices services in social networks library evaluation Time-logging in sample times
ISO 11620: Performance indicators for libraries ISO 11620, 2nd ed. (2008), Library performance indicators (45 indicators) Indicators for Adequacy of the resources - user places per capita Adequacy of the collections - collection use rate The quality of processes - shelving accuracy The attractiveness of library services - attandances at events per capita Cost-efficieny - Cost per use
ISO 11620: Revision Outdated indicators (7): Public access workstations per capita Workstation use rate Percentage of information requests submitted electronically Subject catalogue search success rate Reasons: WLAN in the library Users bring own computers or other devices Electronic requests have become normal Searching goes other ways
ISO 11620: Revision New topics for performance indicators (10) preserving the library s rare collections - Percentage of storage space which has an appropriate environment - Percentage of the rare collection in stable condition digitizing the library s collections - Number of documents digitized per 1,000 documents in the collection cooperation and partnerships of libraries - Percentage of staff in cooperative partnerships and projects building institutional repositories - Percentage of the owner institution s publications in the institutional repository
ISO 11620: Revision No indicators as yet for 1. Library services in social networks 2. Services for mobile devices 3. Services for target groups with special needs But the existing indicators can partly be used for topic 3: Collection turnover (the special collection for the special group) Percentage of the target population reached
ISO 16439 Methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries What is seen as impact of libraries? Impact on individuals changes in attitudes and behaviour changes in skills and competences higher success in research, study, or profession individual well-being Social impact social inclusion (e.g. of elderly people or immigrants) social cohesion (e.g. intercultural and intergenerational understanding) free access to information education and life-long learning local culture and community identity high awareness of health and environmental issues Can we prove that?
ISO 16439 Methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries Inferred evidence of impact: Using the data we have 1. Statistics Example: Increase in attendants of training lessons 2. Performance indicators Example: Higher market penetration in a target group 3. Results of user satisfaction surveys (perceived quality of library services) Example: High satisfaction with reference service The data must be validated by other methods
ISO 16439 Methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries Solicited evidence of impact: asking users surveys (in-house, telephone, mail, online) street surveys interviews focus groups self-assessment of users collected anecdotal evidence (the story behind the data) The results must be quantified for showing patterns of impact
ISO 16439 Methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries Observed evidence of impact: the objective data observation (open or covert, participant or nonparticipant) log analysis tests for ascertaining an increase of skills and competences (e. g. before and after user training) Most projects combine 2 or more methods
ISO 16439 Methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries Economic impact: showing ROI Can we express the library s impact in money? Calculation of market prices Time spent on library services (calculated as prices) Contingent valuation willingness-to-pay: willingness to accept: What would users pay for the maintenance of a service? Which sum would users accept as equivalent for the deletion of a service?
ISO/TR 11219: 2012 Qualitative conditions and basic statistics for library buildings Space, function and design 1. reliable data for calculating space requirements - for housing the collections - for adequate user areas - for background areas of the library administration 2. support in technical aspects - security and safety systems - floor loading - transport systems - acoustic conditions - lighting systems and wiring
ISO/TR 11219: 2012 Qualitative conditions and basic statistics for library buildings Space, function and design New issues for library buildings adaptation to new technologies and forms of communication space for the library s new role as teaching library accessibility for handicapped users sustainable library design areas for recreation and communication areas for events A place for quiet study and learning, a lively point for meeting and communication
ISO/TR 14873: Statistics and quality issues for web archiving Statistics for web archiving the volume and growth of a web archive by number of documents and by size the use of the archive (number of visits, pages viewed, unique visitors) the costs of building the archive Quality indicators the coverage and currency of the web archive accessibility and use of the archive the adequacy of preservation activities the cost-efficiency of the archiving processes
New activities, new services in libraries New and enlarged services interactive services participation in social networks services formatted for mobile devices services for target populations with special needs teaching activities long-term preservation digitization institutional repositories web archiving New concepts for the building the library as place for meeting and communication sustainable design New aims and methods of evaluation proving influence and value showing cost-efficiency and ROI
To change and to improve are two different things