   
Section on Statistics
Medium Term Programme 1998-2001
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, standardisation, collection, analysis, interpretation, publication and use of statistical data from all types of library and information service activity -- including statistics of technically innovative services. Case studies of good practice and international benchmark comparisons are within its scope as is collaboration with international agencies such as Unesco and ISO.
Revised Goals 1998-2001
The goals are to:
- Encourage libraries to collect standard
statistical data and to encourage UNESCO efforts to provide statistical
information for meaningful comparison of libraries world-wide.
1.2 Liaise with International Standards Organization (SO) over revision of
ISO 2789 and 11620(on- going).
- Encourage best practices in all
aspects of statistical work.
- Facilitate international communication between those interested in statistics.
3.1 Use IFLA-L to disseminate information about trends, research (on-going).
3.2 Continue BROWSING SESSIONS (small exhibitions of published national statistics
from different countries) at annual conferences (on- going).
3.3 Work strategically with other bodies having similar interests within and
outside IFLA (on-going).
- Support the development of Performance Measures and statistics required for new methods of management, funding, and economic factors.
4.1 Identify selected Performance Measures for attention on a cross-country basis (on-going).
- Support and publicize the development of appropriate statistics to report the provision and use of electronic documents and services (on-going).
Action plans for 1999-2001
- Remain in contact with UNESCO officials to review problems incompleteness with UNESCO statistics (ongoing).
- Increase publicity for international statistics through the Statistics
Section page on IFLANET, IFLA Journal news section, and other media.
The IFLANET Web page will include hypertext links to other statistical
sites.
- Explore possibilities of closer cooperation between IFLA
groups and others involved in the study of Performance Measures.
- Explore the possibility of arranging benchmark comparison exercises and
subsequently publishing the examples of best practices.
- Complete the publication of the Section on Statistics brochure into Russian and
translation and publication into Spanish and German.
- Conduct a survey on the teaching of statistics in schools of library and
information science. Disseminate results at a program or at the
pre-conference being organized by the Section on Management and
Marketing and the Section on Education and Training before Boston in
2001 in Quebec.
- Co-sponsor, with the Section on Management and
Marketing, a session on evaluation and statistics as a marketing tool in
Jerusalem.
- Work with other Sections and relevant bodies to develop
workshops and projects.
- Increase membership in the Section.
- Explore the possibility of holding a pre-conference on national
statistics at LISU in Loughborough before the Glasgow conference in
2002.
- Explore the role of consortia on the development of standards
for statistics on electronic library resources and services. Possible
program for Boston.
- Explore the role of online library system
vendors, bibliographic utilities, and other organizations in the
development of standards for statistics and performance measures of
electronic resources and services. Possible program for Boston.
- Explore possibility of participating in the international teleconference
on performance measures being planned by the Association of Research
Libraries and other organizations.
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