General Instructions for Data Collection and Reporting
The Utah State Library's annual collection of statistics from the state's public libraries serves two purposes:
To report Data on Utah's public libraries for the annual report of Utah public library service; and
To report data on Utah's public library services to the Federal/State Cooperative System for Public Library Data (FSCS).
When reporting your data please follow these guidelines:
- The data to be reported is for the 2005 fiscal year. For cities, the fiscal year runs from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005. For counties, it runs from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005.
- Where total annual figures are requested, please use figures for the entire fiscal year that is appropriate for your library. Where a simple count is requested, it should represent the count as of the end of the appropriate fiscal year.
- Adherence to definitions is important to ensure comparability of data among different libraries and states. Definitions for Utah data are based on the definitions established by the state representatives to FSCS.
- Estimates are important if exact data are not available. If an exact figure is not available for a particular item, but you know that the amount is greater than zero, enter an estimate of the amount if you would be comfortable using the estimate. If you are not comfortable with estimating, put N/A (see explanation in No. 5). However, you should take into consideration that the FSCS program will generate any data you do not provide. They will use a complicated formula based on the data element in question, previous responses from you for that data element, and responses from other libraries similar to you. If you do not want the federal government to estimate for you, you had better do it yourself, remembering that this data will be published and available to researchers and the general public.
- Enter "0" if the appropriate amount for an item is zero or none, and "N/A" if the figure is not available and you cannot estimate. (Example: Under Programs, If you did not have any children's programs, the answer is zero. If you had some children's programs, but did not keep track of how many, the answer is N/A, if you do not estimate.) Note: all blanks must be filled in.
- The population figure given for your library (on the Fact Sheet from the State Library Division) is the latest estimate available from the State Data Center. Please use that figure. If new estimates are available prior to publishing the Utah Public Library Service, we will publish the updated figures.
- State and federal grant money that was carried over from last year, as well as grant payments made to you during the current year also appear on the Fact Sheet. Please include those figures in the Revenue section of the report.
- A copy of the paper form, definitions, and instructions can be found on the Utah State Library's Data Collection page.
Changes in Data Elements and Definitions
There have been several additions, changes, and deletions this year. Please note those changes as detailed below, and read the new definitions carefully.
- Legal Service Area Boundary Change:
Changes that occur when a municipality annexes land, when one municipality in a county becomes either an independent city or its own county necessitating its exclusion from the first county's geography, or when an administrative entity contracts to provide public library service for some additional geographic area other than the geographic area for which it was established
- Itemized Collection Expenditures Section:
Print Materials, Book and Subscriptions expenditures. Report a single figure that includes both books in print, non-serial publication (including music and maps) that are bound in hard or soft covers, or in loose-leaf format.Include non-serial government documents. Report the number of physical units, including duplicates.
Also include serial backfiles in print. Serials are publications issued in successive parts, usually at regular intervals, and intended to be continued indefinitely. This included magazines, newspapers, annuals (reports, yearbooks,etc), journals, memoirs, proceeding, etc. Report the number of physical units, including duplicates.
Electronic Books (e-books) are digital documents (including those digitized by the library), licensed or not, where searchable text is prevalent, and which can be seen in analogy to a printed book. Include non-serial government documents.Include e-books head locally and remote e-books for which permanent or temporary access rights have been acquired. Report the number of physical or electronic units, including duplicates, for all outlets. For smaller libraries, if volume data are not available, the number of titles may be counted. E-books packaged together as a unit and checked out as a unit are counted as one unit.
Other Materials include microforms, films and filmstrips
Internet Access Section:
Report Annual Number of Users of Electronic Resources. Electronic resources include, but are not limited to, Internet (WWW, email, other), online indexes, CD-ROM reference materials, software, and the online catalog. Do not include staff use of these resources.