IFLA Section on Statistics

Annual Report 1999

Scope Statement

The Section aims to promote the compilation and use of statistics both in the successful management and operation of libraries and in the demonstration of the value of libraries outside the profession. It is concerned with the definition, standardization, collection, analysis, interpretation, publication, and use of statistical data from all types of library and information service activity - including statistics of technically innovative service activity. Case studies of good practice and international benchmark comparisons are within its scope as is collaboration with international agencies such as UNESCO and ISO.

Membership

The Section now has a membership of 70.

Officers

The outgoing officers: Chair - John Sumsion
The incoming officers are: Chair - Wanda Dole
Secretary/Treasurer - Marie-Dominique Heusse
Information Co-coordinator - Wanda Dole

Structure

The Section sponsors the Performance Measures in Public Libraries Discussion Group.

Program Session, August 24

The session, entitled "Statistics: A Practical Tool for Library Management", drew an audience of approximately 80 people. Gary E. Gorman (School of Communications and Information Management, Victoria University of Wellington, NZ) discussed some of the pitfalls of data collection and encouraged librarians to develop means of controlling data so that statistics may be used more effectively.

Alvin Schrader (School of Library and Information Science, University of Alberta, Canada) described Canada's National Core Library Statistics Program. This program is designed to capture several key indicators of the broad impact on Canadian society of library services provided by the public, academic, and special library sectors. It is a joint effort of the National Library of Canada and an advisory committee comprised of representatives of various library associations and agencies. The first year of operation was 1995-96, during which 1994 statistics were collected. In 1997-98, 1995 statistics were similarly processed, and in 1998-88 the third year of the Program was completed covering 1996 statistics. Plans are underway to continue the program for 1997.

Jakob Harnesk (Sweden) reported on the work member of the international group of experts charged with surveying the current implementation of ISO 2789: 1991 (the standard for library and publishing statistics), preparing recommendations for additions covering electronic resources, and revising the standard reported on recent meetings. Progress reports are posted at the Web site (http://www.kb.se/bibsam/sc8/standards.html).

David Fuegi (LIBECON 2000, Colchester, UK) gave a progress report on LIBECON 2000, a project funded by DG13 of the European Commission within the Telematics Application Program. LIBECON 2000 will run for 3 years (until early 2001). The project collects the library statistics of 29 European countries on its Web site (http://www.libecon2000.org). The Webs site also contains a bibliography of relevant data sources for countries and individual library sectors, key statistics contained in the sources referenced, and persons/organizations to the full texts of the presentations, except for Harnesk's, are available at the IFLA Web site (http://www.ifla.org).

Evaluation of the program. For the first time, the Section handed out evaluation forms at the open program. Fifty-one of the ca. 80 delegates attending the program completed evaluation forms. Evaluations were generally positive. Suggested topics for future programs included Web-based data collection, software for library statistics, performance measures/indicators, interpretation of statistics, and practical applications of library statistics.

Browsing Session, August 22

The Section held its fifth Browsing Session on August 22. Like the previous four, this year's session was a small exhibition of published national statistics from difference countries. The 1999 session concentrated on public library statistics. Ca. 50 people attended. The sessions satisfy the delegates need for a hands-on session with time for questions and discussion.

Current Projects

Performance Measures Manual.
Secretary/Treasurer Marie-Dominique Heusse (Bibliotheque de l'Universite de Toulouse) reported that the French translation of the manual prepared by the IFLA University Libraries Section (Measuring Quality: International Guidelines for Performance Measures in Academic Libraries, IFLA Publication 76: K.G. Saur, 1996) is not yet finished. The Statistics The Section has taken responsibility for this translation with funding from the University and Research Libraries Section.
Statistics Section Brochure.
Marie-Dominique Heusse distributed copies of the English and French versions of the new brochures. Copies were available at the IFLA booth during the conference; additional copies will be sent to IFLA HQ. Ludmilla Kozlova has completed a Russian translation of the brochure; Marie-Dominique will have it printed this fall. Francisco Javier Alvarez Garcia will arrange for translation into Spanish.
Revision of the Medium Term Plan.
The Section made the following revisions to the Action Plan for 1999-2001. Action 2.2, DELETE Establish an e-mail discussion group for LIS statistical experts. Rather than establishing its own discussion list, the Statistics Section will piggy-back on the CAMILE discussion list run by Manchester Metropolitan University in the U.K. To subscribe to the CAMILE list, e-mail the following message: subscribe camile to the following address: majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Add as Action 2.2. Liaise with ISO over ISO 11620. Add as Action Plan 4.2 "Explore possibilities for closer cooperation between IFLA groups and others involved in the study of performance measures (1999-2000)."

New projects

The Section discussed conducting a survey on the teaching of statistics in schools of library and information science. Since the Section on Management and Marketing also intended to conduct a survey on the teaching of marketing, the two sections will work together to produce a survey. Patricia Ward (member of Management and Marketing) will manage the survey for the sections. Results will be featured at a pre-Boston IFLA satellite meeting in Montreal or Quebec.

Plans for future conferences 2000 IFLA

This year's Program Session drew over 80 attendants. The program evaluations expressed the desire for practical programs, more diversity in speakers, and inclusion of speakers from developing countries.

A tentative topic for the Jerusalem program is Statistics for the Twenty-first Century. Tentative structure for the two and one-half hour program includes presentations of 15-20 minutes each by three speakers and a question-answer period. Speakers should be encouraged to use good, clear visual aids. Possible speakers include an Israeli speaker (to be identified by IFLA 2000 Program Committee member Prof. Bluma C. Peritz, Hebrew University, School of Library, Archive & Information Studies), a speaker from a library consortium on the use of library statistics by consortium (possibly a report on the ICOCL Guidelines), Yvgenie Kuzmin (Ministry of Culture, the Russian Federation) on the gathering of library statistics in the Russian Federation, and a report on the revision of ISO 2789:1991.

Dean June and Christine Koontz of the Section of Management and Marketing would like Statistics to sponsor a three-hour workshop on "Using Statistics for Improving the Marketing Your Library."

Plans for IFLA 2001

In Boston include a program and workshop on statistics for digital libraries. Tentative plans for the program include a progress report on the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) attempt to establish measurements for digital collections, the French attempts to establish guidelines for library statistics to be furnished by automated systems, and possibly a vendor (on the role of vendors or bibliographic utilities in supplying library statistics). The Boston workshop would concentrate on practical aspects of gathering statistics from automated systems, from database vendors, etc.

IFLA 2002

The Section would like to hold a pre-conference satellite meeting at the LISU at the University of Loughborough. The meeting would include an overview of LISU's services (especially the provision of "tailor-made" statistics).

Meetings of the SC

Two meetings were held in Bangkok which discussed matters including projects and programmes for IFLA 2000.

Wanda Dole,

Chair of Statistics Section
Mabee Library
Washburn University
Tel:(785) 231-1179 ext:1486

E-mail: zzwdole@washburn.edu

Latest Revision: October 28, 1999