Indiana State Library: Public Library Statistics

Indiana Public Library Statistics

National Public Library Statistics

Public Libraries Survey

Click here to access data from the Public Libraries in the United States Survey. The survey is conducted by state libraries and compiled by the American Institutes for Research for the Institute for Museums and Library Services (IMLS). Statistics are collected annually from over 9,000 public libraries, including all libraries completing the Indiana Public Library Annual Report. Data (dating back to 1988) are available for individual public libraries and are also aggregated to state and national levels. IMLS provides access to data and tools that will enable you to compare libraries within Indiana or beyond.

CollectConnect

Click here to access CollectConnect, an online tool that gives you quick and easy access to comparative statistics about public libraries in your region and throughout the country. With CollectConnect, you can quickly identify peer libraries and then compare your library to them on hundreds of measures. You can easily compare tables and bar graphs, view averages and percentiles and drop the results into a report or presentation with a click of the mouse.

CollectConnect also allows you to compare your library to its own - or to others- performance over time. You can easily find out if circulation really is going down nationally or how your material expenditures per capita rate relative to your peer libraries. CollectConnect helps you identify the compelling data and statistics you need to make an effective presentation to your library board, city council or other funding organizations.

This service is free for use for all Indiana librarians. To request a login, please contact the Library Development Office at statewideservices@library.in.gov

Additional Tools for Various Statistical Calculations

This calculator made available by the Indiana Business Research Center via STATS Indiana helps local public libraries produce their own annual benefit-cost analysis http://www.stats.indiana.edu/LibraryValuationCalculator.xls

Courtesy of the Library Research Service (CO) site we've added several calculators that you might find helpful

Wage Calculator: http://www.lrs.org/interactive/wage_calculator.php
This wage calculator allows you to enter an hourly, weekly, monthly, or annual salary, and see what salary that translates into for the other time periods. You can also change the number of hours per week.

Random Date Generator: http://www.lrs.org/interactive/randomdate.php
This random date generator allows users to generate a number of random dates for any calendar year, allowing for limiters such as the ability to exclude specific days of the week and allowing a maximum number of dates per month. This is another way of getting typical day results, since it does not appear to allow for typical weeks. You could generate 7 random days, take the reference questions, computer usage, in-house circulation and visits to the library counts for those days, add the results for each count together (typical week), then multiply by 52 to get an annual figure for a typical week count. Of course, you can still do the counts every day for a week, then multiply by 52. Doing two typical week counts in one year is even better than one typical week count.

Hours Calculator: http://www.lrs.org/data-tools/public-libraries/multiple-outlet-hours-calculator/
This multiple outlet hours calculator determines total annual and weekly operating hours, as well as annual non-overlapping hours for libraries with multiple outlets.

An additional Library Use Value calculator developed by the Massachusetts Library Association is available on the Maine State Library page: http://www.maine.gov/msl/services/calculator.htm.

The Economic Impact of Libraries in Indiana

The Indiana State Library commissioned the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business to measure the economic benefits of Indiana’s public libraries. In contrast to most other studies that have attempted to measure the economic impact of public libraries, this study also focused on the role that public libraries play in supporting business and economic development in their communities.

This report and other public library information and statistics may be found at STATS Indiana.

LDO JC 10-28-2024