# Presentation: 623796

## The Three Ps of Hospital Library Success

** ****Be ****P****roactive, ****P****olitical and ****P****ractical****!**
**Using the ****MLA**** ****B****enchmarking ****N****etwork**
- Rosalind. F. Dudden, MLS, AHIP/DM, FMLA
- Health Sciences Librarian
- Gerald Tucker Memorial Medical Library
**National**** ****Jewish** Medical and Research Center
- Denver, CO

**Notes:**
Thank you, ___________

Intro National Jewish

## Outline

**Comments on being Proactive, Political and Practical!**
**Overview of MLA Benchmarking Network site**
**Comments on my new project**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## MLA Benchmarking Network

**MLA Benchmarking Network Editorial Board, 04--**
- Michelle Velesko, Chair
**Benchmarking Implementation Task Force, 00-03**
- Debbie Rand, Chair
**Benchmarking Network Task Force, 96-99**
- Bernie Todd Smith, Chair
**Data Collection and Display**
- MLA Headquarters team, lead by Kate Corcoran

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Normally one gives credit at the end of a slide show, but I wanted to point out strongly that the excellent Benchmarking Network
 data is available due to the dedicated volunteers who have worked on this project since 1996.

## Background

- There is Data on the MLA site now! 2001 Data.
- From December 2001 to March 2002, MLA members provided data on library services and resources using a Web intake form.
- The data was edited.
- Tables representing the aggregate data of 344 hospital libraries were developed and made available to members on MLANET in September, 2002
- In March 2003, an interactive site became available to survey participants on MLANET. (For a fee to all members)

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
This is a quick overview of the Benchmarking project. 
The data and tools I will be showing today came from a data intake period for these dates and represented 2001 data. 

The aggregate tables and interactive site were made available in record time as compared to most statistical results .
The present tables are 2001 data and even in 2004 that date is not really too old when it comes to statistics.

## Background

**From May 2004 to August 2004, a second Web intake of data was collected. ****ALL types of MLA-member libraries were asked to participate.**
**373** surveys were returned.

-  132 - hospital, not in a system
-  184 - hospital, in health system
- Total: 316
-  12 - health association
-  16 - research institution
-  12 - college/university, do not report AAHSL statistics
-  4 - consumer health information service, separate facility

-  1 - AHEC that does not serve primarily as a hospital library
-  1 - corporate
-  2 - mental health
-  2 - public health
-  1 - veterinary
-  6 - other - 1 government headquarters, 2 research hospital, 1 hospital branch of academic medical center, 1 cancer center, 1 developmental center

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
As most of you know, the new Benchmarking Network Editorial Board conducted a second survey this summer. 
All non-AAHSL libraries were encouraged to participate. Here is a breakdown of participants by type of library. 
One of the plans for the future is to integrate the AAHLS library data with the MLA data.

## Background

- The 2003 data is being edited.
- Should be on the interactive site later this fall or early next year.
- Watch for announcements.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Be Proactive, Political and Practical!

- The Three Ps of Hospital Library Success:
- a forum focused on strategies for hospital library survival;
- being proactive, political and practical.
- Using the MLA Benchmarking Project as a way to communicate the library's value.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Hospital Library survival is a area that is very important to me. I have been a hospital librarian for 33 years, 
for the first14 in a general hospital and now in a specialty hospital, clinic, and research center. 
I have personally been through some bad times and some good times and have heard many stories. 

Hospital libraries have a long history of trying to prove their value or worth. Keith Cogdill’s work 
is the most recent attempt to to help out.

The BN project alone will not prove value but in combination with other factors I think it is a major resource.
So to continue with the theme of the three p’s...

## Be Proactive, Political and Practical!

**Be ****P****roactive ******** ******** ******
**Keep statistics!**
**Even if you are not asked to!**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
This is it!

## Be Proactive!

**What statistics?**
**Use the MLA BN Worksheet and start collecting now.**

**Reference Questions (ps01)**
**Mediated Searches (ps02)**
**Educational Program Sessions (ps04)**
**Monographs Circulated (ps06)**
**Item Received from Outside Sources (Borrows) (ps08)**
**Item Sent to Outside Sources (Lends) (ps09)**
**Expenditures - Monographs (a14)**
**Expenditures - Print Serials (a15)**
**Print Monographs (ts01)**
**Current Print Serials Titles (ts02)**
**Serials Titles/Electronic Full-Text Access Only (ts04)**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
This is a sample of the 73 measures that were on the 2002 survey and about 15 were added to the 2004 survey.

There is a definitions list so you can find out what the various terms mean.

## Be Proactive!

**MLA BN Worksheet 2002**

- 8 Parameters of Size
- Measures:
- 12 Budget questions
- 36 questions that asked for numbers
- 29 questions that asked for a yes or no answer.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Of the 73 or so measures that were on the 2002 survey on 36 actually asked for numbers to be reported. 

## Be Proactive!

**Use you statistics in an Annual Report, even if it is not required.**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Show the different types of journals you get and if you have been able to use stats for your online titles you can do an overall cost per use.

## Be Proactive!

**Participate in the MLA Benchmarking Network during the next intake.**
**Start collecting now and in two years, you will be ready to report and participate!**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## As an aside,

**As a group of 344 hospital libraries, how valuable are we?**
**What do we contribute to the national information infrastructure?**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## AAHSL and MLA BN data

- Future: Work towards merging AAHSL and MLA BN data. What will that show?

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Point out the lends

- AAHSL and MLA BN data

- Question:   How does the % of support staff compare?

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
You can do comparison between different types of libraries

## Question:   How does the % of expenditures on print serials compare?

- AAHSL and MLA BN data

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
MLA could use this data when their officials testify before congress or meet on Capital Hill. We are a 1/2 billion dollar industry service x number of health care workers.

## Be Proactive, Political and Practical!

**Be ****P****olitical  ******** ******** ******
**Does your institution do Benchmarking on a corporate level?**
**What is your boss’s opinion of benchmarking?**
**Can he/she educate you or ****visa-versa?**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Back to the subject at hand... and continuing with the politics...

## Be Political!

**Do other departments benchmark?**
**How do they do it?**
**Can you support them and/or learn from them?**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Be Political!

**What other evaluation methods are used in your hospital?**
**Do you participate in QA/TQM?**
**Can you use your newly gathered stats to help you?**
**Do you promote the MLA Hospital Library Standards?**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Be Political!

**Contributions of Library and Information Services (CLIS)**

| Organizational Mission Concept | Organizational Goal | LIS Contribution | BN Data |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Service | Improve lives of patients and families | Support the education of patients and families about health-related issues. | Do you have a CHIS Service?
How many CHIS reference Questions were asked?
How many CHIS books were circulated? |

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Be Political!

**Contributions of Library and Information Services (CLIS)**

| Organizational Mission Concept | Organizational Goal | LIS Contribution | BN-type Data |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Research | Foster research | Support research-related needs. | How many e-journals do you purchase?
How many are on your research subjects?
How many books do you circulate to researchers? |

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Be Proactive, Political and Practical!

**Be ****P****ractical  ******** ******** ******
**Have your streamlined your systems? In ILL**
**Are you paperless yet?**
**Do you use Quickdoc? ($200?)**
**Do you use the DOCLINE barcodes and have a barcode reader? ($75)**
**How much time would these inexpensive products save you?**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Be Practical!

**Be ****P****ractical  ******** ******** ******
**Prioritize.**
**You can’t do everything.**
**Balance:**

| numbers | the library |
| --- | --- |
| communication | the administration |

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
As any good self-help book will tell you it’s all about priorities and balance.

I may be the numbers person but maybe you are better at communication
Use what works.

## Be Practical!

**Even if you did not participate,**
**Look at the BN aggregate tables**
**Figure out if they can be of use to you.**
**(not an MLA member? Hey... be practical: join!)**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Be Proactive, Political and Practical!

**Demonstration of the MLA BN, 2002**
**Now available on the ****MLA members-only**** website****http://mlanet.org**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Demonstration

- This slide show will move forward at a steady pace.

- Text will fad in and out.

- I have moved my words into the slide to mimic my speech.

- I hope it works out for you.

- Let’s start the show!

- You can go faster using the right arrow, repeat with the left arrow.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## What do we do? On average that is...

- Problem:
- Very large/very small libraries distort the average.

|  | Number of Responses | Mean | Median | Minimum | Maximum |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Quartile 1 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Quartile 2 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Quartile 3 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Quartile 4 |  |  |  |  |  |

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Several people have asked me, Why do you want to know this? 
or 
What is your question? That came from Keith early on...
My response to why,  is,
To have data to present if I am asked by the administration to prove that the library operations are
 similar to other libraries of comparable size libraries.
Or
To improve services through process improvement

My response to “what is your question?” is that everyone has a different question and we need to be prepared to answer it.
One question is: What do librarians do? 
For instance, you could ask 
“On average,
how many monographs do hospital libraries circulate?”

## Annual Circulation

|  | qualified answers | mean | median | third quartile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| All	  	 | 242	 | 1,596 | 839 | 1,918 |

**! But I have 4 FTEs in my library and I circulate 2,835!**

**! But I work in a 1 person library and I circulate 471!**

**Problem:**
**Very large/very small libraries distort the average.**

- The answer for all 242 libraries that responded:

**The outcomes team developed a system of tables to display the data to take this variation into account.**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Here is your answer from the tables for the average of all respondents.
Read slide
The average among such a diverse group is not very useful.

The outcomes team developed a system of tables to display the data to take this variation into account.

## Vocabulary - Parameters

- Parameter
- A numerical value describing a characteristic of a population

**Hospital parameters**
**Physicians (pa05)**
**Hospital FTE (pa06)**
**Patient Discharges (pa07)**
**Outpatient Visits (pa08)**
**Staffed Beds (pa09)**
**Patient Admissions (pa10)**
**Library parameters**
**Total Library FTE (a01)**
**Total Expenditures (a21)**

- 12 parameters of size are used.

- First we identified parameters of size for a hospital, training programs, and the hospital library itself.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
First we identified parameters of size for a hospital, training programs, and the hospital library itself.

## Distribution of a Parameter

- Number of libraries in each parameter range for Hospital FTEs:

- Ranges 1 and 8: Extreme Outliers, top and bottom - 2.5%
- Ranges 2 and 7: More Outliers , top and bottom - 10 %
- Ranges 3 to 6: Remaining 75% divide into Quatriles

- The parameters were distributed over 8 ranges to account for the outliers but not eliminate them. It is an acceptable statistical method to eliminate outliers but these very large and very small hospitals need a chance to benefit from the statistics. The middle ranges need more comparable statistics. No outliers were eliminated from the parameters.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Then we distributed the parameters over 8 ranges to account for the outliers but not eliminate them. It is an acceptable statistical method to eliminate outliers but these very large and very small hospitals need a chance to benefit from the statistics. The middle ranges need more comparable statistics.
After some manipulation of the data, this format was decided on. The outliers,  the Extreme Outliers of 2.5% and the the next 10 % were still represented and the 4 middle quartiles had for the most part 50 to 60 libraries to compare to. 

## Vocabulary - Measures

**Examples of the 73 measures of library activity collected, as developed by the Benchmarking Content Team.**

**For each measure, this data is reported:**
- Number
- Mean
- Median
- Third Quartile
- Maximum Minimum

**Reference Questions (ps01)**
**Mediated Searches (ps02)**
**Educational Program Sessions (ps04)**
**Monographs Circulated (ps06)**
**Item Received from Outside Sources (Borrows) (ps08)**
**Item Sent to Outside Sources (Lends) (ps09)**
**Expenditures - Monographs (a14)**
**Expenditures - Print Serials (a15)**
**Print Monographs (ts01)**
**Current Print Serials Titles (ts02)**
**Print Serials Titles/Electronic Full-Text Access (ts03)**
**Serials Titles/Electronic Full-Text Access Only (ts04)**

**Measures**** ****Developed****:**

- The third quartile or 75% mark, was recommended for use in TQM or QI programs.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
The Benchmarking Content team developed 73 measures of library service and activity. They spent a long time doing this and developing definitions of many of the words in the questions.
For each measure, the number of reporting libraries is listed as well as the mean, median, maximum and minimum. This is pretty standard for reports such as this. 
We added the third quartile, or 75% mark, since we were advised that many quality improvement programs want their hospital to aim for the 75% mark.

## Measures - by - Parameters

- You put these two concepts together:
- number of _ILL borrows_ (ps08) by number of _hospital__ __FTEs_ (pa06)
- You produce a table that looks like the next slide.
- Note that the each of the 4 middle parameters have about 60 libraries.
- The total, or “All,” line shows 311, which means that 311 libraries out of 344 participants answered BOTH questions, how many FTEs and how many ILL borrows.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Number of ILL borrows (ps08) by Number of hospital FTEs (pa06)

| Hospital FTEs | qualified answers | mean | median | third quartile | maximum | minimum |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Range 1: 0 to 499 | 10 | 389 | 244 | 467 | 1,500 | 72 |
| Range 2: 500 to 849 | 27 | 905 | 808 | 1,048 | 2,647 | 45 |
| Range 3: 850 to 1,349 | 59 | 1,010 | 800 | 1,217 | 4,200 | 96 |
| Range 4: 1,350 to 1,824 | 62 | 1,282 | 1,100 | 1,573 | 4,400 | 216 |
| Range 5: 1,825 to 2,599 | 61 | 1,726 | 1,314 | 2,000 | 6,640 | 156 |
| Range 6: 2,600 to 4,249 | 58 | 2,206 | 1,617 | 2,987 | 7,026 | 300 |
| Range 7: 4,250 to 7,999 | 26 | 3,038 | 2,836 | 4,155 | 6,800 | 353 |
| Range 8: 8,000 or more | 8 | 6,298 | 7,031 | 9,461 | 10,697 | 401 |
| All | 311 | 1,704 | 1,200 | 2,002 | 10,697 | 45 |

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
When you put these two concepts together, the parameters and the measures,
 you can produce a table that looks like this.

Note that the each of the 4 middle parameters have about 60 libraries. 
The total or All line shows 311, which means that 311 libraries out of 344 participants answered BOTH questions,
how many FTEs and how many ILL borrows.

## How many tables are there?

- 12 Parameters
**Multiplied by**
- 73 Measures
- 876 Tables
**on the MLANET Members Only Website**
- Available to all MLA members!
**Each table has 6 columns and 9 rows**
**12 x 73 x 6 x 9 = 46,089,864 numbers**

**Which table is going to prove your case, or inspire you to improve you system?**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
How many tables are there? A lot!
This is where I can mention the waves of 46 million numbers.
Which one is going to be the table that proves your case, or inspires you to improve you system?

## Demonstration

- To demonstrate the Benchmarking tools on the MLA website, what follows are some slides and screen shots from the website.
- First we need a question.
- And we need to know how the answer is going to be used.
- You can often find an answer to a question, but to interpret the answer, one usually needs to know why it is being asked.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Question:

- How does the number of Interlibrary Loan Borrows relate to the number of :
- Physicians
- Hospital FTEs
- Training Positions?
- Which is the best parameter to use when describing my library to the administration?
- Which parameter, if it changes, will impact the library workload?

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
To demonstrate the Benchmarking tools on the MLA website, 
I have prepared some slides and screen shots from the website.
First we need a question.
And we need to know how the answer is going to be used.
You can often find an answer to a question but to interpret the answer, one usually needs to know why it is being asked.
Read Slide.

## Benchmarking Access

** ****Get out your membership card **
** ****Use Internet Explorer as a browser**
** ****Go to URL: **_**http://MLANET.org**_

- Click on Members Only

- Enter UserID

- Enter Password

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Read Slide

## Benchmarking Access

- Choose Benchmarking Network
- Note other statistical surveys:
- MLA/Hay Group Study
- Salary Survey

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Read slide

## Benchmarking Access

- Interactive Site
- Aggregate Tables  - First demonstration

- Choose -->

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Read slide

## Benchmarking Access

**Aggregate Data **
**Collected December 2001 to March 2002**

**Composite Hospital Library Tables**
- Index to the tables
**Explanation of Statistics Used**
- In-depth explanation of the tables
**Methodology**
- Description to use when asked how the figures were gathered
**Worksheet of 2001 Benchmarking Questions**
- To review to see what data was gathered

**Choose**

- Resources available to you:

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
These are the links available to you. There is an explanation of the statistics in more depth that I just did.
There is a description of the methodology of the survey in case some one asks how the figures were gathered.
And there is a worksheet available to you to review and see what questions were asked. It will help you find the right area to look for your answer.

## Choose a measure

**Administrative Services Measures (Financial), by**
**Administrative Services Measures (Staffing and Other), by**
**Public Services Measures, by**
**Technical Services Measures, by**
**Special Services Measures, by**

**Composite Hospital Library Tables**

- This page is divided into five parts;
- We assume that ILL questions are under “Public Service Measures” and scroll down to that area.
- We get a list that looks like the next slide.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Once you click on Composite Hospital Library Tables, you will be on a page that is divided into five parts. Without really knowing, we are going to guess that ILL questions are under Public Service Measures and scroll down to that area.

The area looks like this.

## Choose a measure

- This screen shot shows that the tables on the page selected will show the number of borrows.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
And yes you can see that ILL is one of the measures listed under Public Services

## Worksheet of 2001 Benchmarking Data

- Public Service Measures
- Resource Use
- PS07. Interlibrary loaning/borrowing: indicate whether or not
- your library is an official LOANSOME DOC provider.
- PS08. Indicate the approximate NUMBER of items
- OF ALL TYPES your library **borrows** or receives
- from outside sources annually (include ILL AND
- commercial document delivery services.
- PS09. Indicate the approximate NUMBER of items
- OF ALL TYPES your library **lends** or sends
- to outside sources annually.

- You could also have found out which section the question was in by looking at the Data Worksheet.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
You could have also found this out by looking at the Data Worksheet.

## Choose a parameter

- To find the data on these three parameters you need to link into each parameter separately.
- These are the twelve parameters, 6 for hospital size, 4 for teaching hospitals, and two for library size.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
So to find the data on these three parameters you need to link into each parameter separately and get the table that crosses the two.

## To Review the Question:

- How does the number of Interlibrary Loan Borrows relate to the number of :
- Hospital FTEs
- Physicians
- Training Positions?

- Assumptions
- Hospital FTEs
**1500**
- Physicians
**600**
- Training Positions
**20**
- Borrowed items
** ****1,245**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
To review our question, it is: read slide

We are assuming the librarian asking this question, has these numbers.

## To Review: Choose a measure

**Administrative Services Measures (Financial), by**
**Administrative Services Measures (Staffing and Other), by**
**Public Services Measures, by**
**Technical Services Measures, by**
**Special Services Measures, by**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
To review, you choose a measure

## To Review: Choose a parameter

- Number of Physicians in the Hospital (pa05)
**Number of Hospital Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Employees (pa06) **
- Number of Patient Discharges Annually (pa07)
- Number of Outpatient Visits Annually (pa08)
- Number of Staffed Beds (pa09)
- Number of Patient Admissions Annually (pa10)
- Number of Postgraduate Training Positions (pa11)** **
- Number of Medical School Clerkships (pa12)
- Number of Nursing Student Positions (pa14)
- Number of Allied Health Student Positions (pa16)
- Number of Total Library FTEs (a01)
- Total Annual Expenditures for the Library (a21)

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
You choose a parameter.
By clicking on a parameter in the list you go to a page with all the Public Services questions.

## Interlibrary Loan Borrows by Hospital FTEs

- The average for this hospital (Hospital FTEs = 1500) is 1,282.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
You then scroll down to the question that interests you. And there is a table with your data.

These screen shots are a little hard to read so I have translated the data in to a table.

## Interlibrary Loan Borrows by Hospital FTEs

| Range | Hospital FTEs | qualified answers | mean | median | third quartile | max | min |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | 0 to 499 | 10 | 389 | 244 | 467 | 1,500 | 72 |
| 2 | 500 to 849 | 27 | 905 | 808 | 1,048 | 2,647 | 45 |
| 3 | 850 to 1,349 | 59 | 1,010 | 800 | 1,217 | 4,200 | 96 |
| 4 | 1,350 to 1,824 | 62 | 1,282 | 1,100 | 1,573 | 4,400 | 216 |
| 5 | 1,825 to 2,599. | 61 | 1,726 | 1,314 | 2,000 | 6,640 | 156 |
| 6 | 2,600 to 4,249 | 58 | 2,206 | 1,617 | 2,987 | 7,026 | 300 |
| 7 | 4,250 to 7,999 | 26 | 3,038 | 2,836 | 4,155 | 6,800 | 353 |
| 8 | 8,000 or more | 8 | 6,298 | 7,031 | 9,461 | 10,697 | 401 |
|  | All | 311 | 1,704 | 1,200 | 2,002 | 10,697 | 45 |

- 311 libraries answered both questions.
- The middle 4 ranges have 58 libraries and over.
- The merged data of 58 libraries gives the answers a high confidence level. The librarian could use the mean or median.
- When the data is spread as widely as this, from 216 to 4,400, generally the median is a more representative number.

- In her range of Hospital FTEs, 1500, the median number is 1,100 borrows.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Note that 311 libraries answered both questions.
Note that the middle 4 ranges have 58 libraries and over. The merged data of 58 libraries gives the answers a high confidence level.
The librarian could use the mean or median. When the data is spread as widely as this, from 216 to 4,400, generally the median is a more representative number. 
In her range of Hospital FTEs, 1500, the median number is 1,100 borrows.

But she wants to compare the three tables. She can do this visually, or print them out, or she can copy them and put them in a spread sheet.

## Collecting the Data

- Remember the librarian wants to compare three tables.
- She can do this visually, or print them out, or she can copy them and put them in a spread sheet.
- The next slides show how to export the data to Excel.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Moving data to a Spreadsheet

**Using Internet Explorer**
**-- Highlight the table and Copy**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Read Slide

## Moving data to a Spreadsheet

**Open up an Excel Spreadsheet**
**-- Put your cursor in the first cell**
**-- Paste**

**After you paste the three tables into Excel, you can move the data around to produce comparative tables.**

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Read Slide
After you paste the data into the spreadsheet from the three tables, you can move the data around and produce this chart.

## Working in a Spreadsheet

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
As you can see, the numbers are very similar.  
Except in the largest and smallest hospitals.

## Median for Each Range

|  | Number of physicians
N=57 | Number of hospital FTEs
N=62 | Number of training positions
N=42 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Range 1 | 322 | 244 | 1,162 |
| Range 2 | 900 | 808 | 861 |
| Range 3 | 993 | 800 | 1,224 |
| Range 4 | 1,200 | 1,100 | 1,392 |
| Range 5 | 1,100 | 1,314 | 1,622 |
| Range 6 | 1,280 | 1,617 | 1,536 |
| Range 7 | 2,436 | 2,836 | 3,218 |
| Range 8 | 5,515 | 7,031 | 6,136 |
| all | 1,168 | 1,200 | 1,439 |

- This is the data that produced that chart on the previous slide.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
This is the data that produced that chart. 
This demonstrates how to use the aggregate tables.
Now here is where one would need to interpret the data.

## Interpretation - The difficult part! - I may be wrong!

- Question (review):
- How does the number of Interlibrary Loan Borrows relate to the number of Hospital FTEs, Physicians, Training Positions?
- Interpretation:
- Given that the training program figure was not only higher but closer to the library’s own figure of 1245, any personnel cuts or additions in that program would most likely impact the workload more than the other two parameters.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
To review our question, it is: read slide
With all this data, don’t forget what the question is.
Read slide
That is my interpretation. But others may find another answer.
How would this question be answered using the interactive site?

## Benchmarking AccessPart 2 - Interactive Site

**Go to URL: **_**http://MLANET.org**_

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
If you are not already logged in, you do so. 
Once you log in, and you have access to the interactive site, 
you can go back and forth between the two 
or even have two browser windows open and use both at the same time.

## Benchmarking Access

- Choose -->

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Choose the Benchmarking Network
Chose the Interactive Report Site

## Benchmarking Access

- This takes you to a page where, if you are a participant, you can login.
- Any MLA member can buy access to the site.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
This takes you to a page where, if you are a participant, you can login but any member can buy access to the site.

## Benchmarking Network Report Selection

- You can chose to match your fiscal year to the results.

- You can choose to use only your state or region.

- But if you are from Utah, only one person participated and that person was you.

- But if  you are from the Midcontinental region, 29 libraries participated.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
You get to the place that is called the Benchmarking Network Report Selection.
In Step one, you can chose to match your fiscal year to the results.
You can choose to use only your state or region. 
But if you are from Utah, only one person participated and that person was you. But if you are from the Midcontinental region, 29 libraries participated.

## Benchmarking Network Report Selection

**Step Two: Select One or More Criteria Similar to Your Institution**

- You can chose to look as system data . 99 hospital classified themselves as systems.

- If being, or not being, a teaching hospital is important to your operation, this is the only place to choose this option.

- It was not possible to choose this parameter on the tables.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
In Step Two, you choose your parameter or multiple parameters.
Here you can also choose to look as system data. 99 hospital classified themselves as systems. 
If being, or not being, a teaching hospital is important to your operation, this is the only place to choose this option. 
It was not possible to do on the tables.

## Benchmarking Network Report Selection

| Teaching | Non-Teaching |
| --- | --- |
| 225 | 102 |

- An example of output from the interactive tables.
- By choosing teaching hospital, you are automatically limiting your retrieval to less than 225 hospitals.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
68% of the survey were teaching hospitals

## Benchmarking Network Report Selection

**Step Two: Select One or More Criteria Similar to Your Institution**

| Physicians 
Range 5: 
500 to 699 |
| --- |
| Hospital FTEs 
Range 4: 
1,350 to 1,824 |
| Training positions 
Range 3: 
15 to 29 |

- By choosing the parameter for training positions, we are limiting ourselves to teaching hospitals, so we chose “I don’t care.”

- We scroll down and choose the three parameters we want.

- Here we have chosen range 5 for number of physicians.

- We would then scroll done choose range 4 for number of hospital FTEs and range 3 for number of training positions.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
However, at this time, we are not going to choose that and leave it at “I don’t care.”

By choosing the parameter for training positions, we are automatically limiting ourselves to teaching hospitals. 
So starting at the top we scroll down and choose our three parameters.
Here we have chosen range 5 for Number of Physicians.
We would then scroll done choose range 4 for number of Hospital FTEs and range 3 for number of training positions.

## Benchmarking Network Report Selection

**Step Three: Data Category Selection**

- Here you select your set of measures.
- All the measures for each section are displayed on the results page.
- The results page is too long to display in a slide show.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Step three is where you select your set of measures. All the measures for each section are displayed on the results page which was too big to import into a slide.

The result of interest looked like this.

## Benchmarking Network Report Results

- Based on your selections, there were **3** institutions that matched your criteria.
- If fewer than five institutions have met your criteria, they are not identified here, for confidentiality reasons.
- To increase the number of institutions matching specific criteria you choose, go back to the selection page and use fewer criteria.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
First, maybe that was too many parameters because only three hospitals matched that size. 
With fewer than five the hospital is not identified for confidentiality reasons, especially in the financial area.

## Benchmarking Network Report Results

**Total Number of items received from outside sources annually (borrows****) ****ps08**

| Mean (average) | Median | Third Quartile (75%)  | Maximum |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 904 | 1245 | 1128 | 1245 |

- With the three hospitals, one of them must be you, so you are comparing yourself to only two other hospitals.
- With only three results and the median and maximum the same, one can hypothesize that two libraries are reporting 1245 and one fewer than 904.

- So you go back to the selection page.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Here is our answer with the three hospitals. 
One of them must be you, so you are comparing yourself to two other hospitals.
With only three results and the median and maximum the same, one can hypothesize that two libraries are reporting 1245 and one fewer than 904.
Notice the nice chart the website produces that you can copy and past into a word or PowerPoint document.
So you go back to the selection page. 

## Benchmarking Network Report Selection

| Physicians 
Range 5: 
500 to 699 |
| --- |
| Hospital FTEs 
Range 4: 
1,350 to 1,824 |

- We chose all teaching hospitals instead of a parameter for number of training positions.

- We scroll down and choose the other two parameters we want.

- Here we have chosen range 5 for number of physicians.

- We would then scroll done choose range 4 for number of hospital FTEs.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
You choose all teaching hospitals instead of the training positions parameter. 
Here we have chosen range 5 for Number of Physicians.
We would then scroll done and select range 5 for physicians and range 4 for Hospital FTE

## Benchmarking Network Report Results

- Based on your selections, there were **9** institutions that matched your criteria , including your own (marked by an asterisk). They are:
- 1	Pomona Valley Hosp. Medical Ctr.	Pomona, CA
- 2	Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital	Whittier, CA
- 3	St. Vincent Hospital			Worcester, MA
- 4	Durham Regional Hospital		Durham, NC
- 5	Medical Center at Princeton		Princeton, NJ
- 6	Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital		Darby, PA
- 7	The Westerly Hospital		Westerly, RI
- 8	Primary Children's Medical Center	Salt Lake City, UT
- 9	Waukesha Memorial Hospital		Waukesha, WI

- This time you get nine libraries from around the country. They are similar in size but do not necessarily have the same number of training positions.
- From this list and others that you produce, you could select benchmarking partners to do process improve projects, as described in the Fact Sheet available on the MLA Benchmarking website.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
This time you get nine libraries from around the country. They are similar in size but do not necessarily have the same number of training positions. 
From this list and others that you produce, you could select benchmarking partners to do process improve projects, as described in the Fact Sheet that is being circulated at this meeting.

## Benchmarking Network Report Results

**Total Number of items received from outside sources annually (borrows****) ****ps08**
**Teaching Hospitals; Physicians - Range 5; Hospital FTEs - Range 4**

| Mean (average) | Median | Third Quartile (75%)  | Max |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1325 | 1245 | 1267 | 3210 |

**N=9**

- In these results, even with the large maximum, the mean and median are not that far apart so here the median again shows that your number of borrow compares of others. It is by chance the same number.
- Nine teaching hospitals with the same range of Hospital FTEs and Physicians have data comparable with yours activity.

- Unfortunately, the chart does not work out as a visual.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
In these results, even with the large maximum, the mean and median are not that far apart so here the median again shows that 
your number of borrow compares of others. It is by chance the same number. 
9 teaching hospitals with the same range of Hospital FTEs and Physicians have data comparable with yours activity.
Unfortunately, the chart does not work out as a visual.
If you go back to the interactive site and try again, here are some different results.

## Benchmarking Network Report Results

**Total Number of items received from outside sources annually (borrows****) ****ps08**
**All Hospitals****; Physicians - Range 5; Hospital FTEs - Range 4**

| Mean (average) | Median | Third Quartile (75%)  | Max |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1294 | 1260 | 1318 | 3210 |

**N=12**

- If you go back to the interactive site and try again, here are some different results.

- This time you choose all hospitals to see what the result will be.
- This time, 12 hospitals with the same range of Hospital FTEs and Physicians have data comparable with yours activity, but slightly higher.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
This time you choose all hospitals to see what the result will be.
12 hospitals this time with the same range of Hospital FTEs and Physicians have data comparable with yours activity. , but higher.
Again, the chart does not work out as a visual.

## Interpretation - The difficult part! - I may be wrong!

- Given 9 teaching hospitals with the same range of numbers of hospital FTEs and physicians, the number of borrows was similar to ours.
- Given 12 hospitals, teaching or not, the indicators are higher.
- Still use the Training Positions as an indicator

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Conclusion

- Have your question in mind all the time.
- Know what questions were asked.
- Take you time surveying the aggregate tables that answer your question.
- Use the interactive site to refine your parameters of size.
- Use the interactive site to identify Benchmarking Partners for process analysis.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
To conclude, these are the important steps to take in using MLA Benchmarking Network.
If you tried and cannot use the interactive site, enter your data this year when asked. 
All MLA member libraries not participating in the AASHL Survey can participate.

## MLA Benchmarking Network

**Participate, when asked!**

**Survey 2006!**

- October 2004

**Notes:**
So, Participate when asked!
I am going to yield my last five minutes to the Co-conveners of the new Assessment and Benchmarking SIG.

## Next Project

- Write a book about the BN
- But, what about other methods of evaluation?

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Would a whole book be useful? Perhaps write about more evaluation methods.

## Write a book

- How would I have the time or energy?
- Can I really give up Law and Order?

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Would a whole book be useful? Perhaps write about more evaluation methods.

## Write a book

- Write an NLM Publications grant
- Write it well
- Get the money - $50,000 a year to cover your salary and expenses.
- .5 FTE to write the book - grant
- .5 FTE to manage the library - institution
- .10 FTE for advice from a biostatistician

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Would a whole book be useful? Perhaps write about more evaluation methods.

## Write a book - working title

*Survival Strategies in the 21**st** Century for Small Libraries: A How-to-do-it Manual for Librarians, Utilizing the Medical Library Association Benchmarking Network Survey*
- As titles go, it’s a little long!
- MLA-Neal-Schulman publication

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Write a book - Objectives

- Describe the use of evaluation and assessment tools.
- 	Analyze the results of the MLA Benchmarking Network survey as applied to practical situations.
- 	Demonstrate various evaluation methods for librarians using the MLA Benchmarking Network data.
- 	Demonstrate useful evaluation tools for librarians to defend the total library program.
- 	Demonstrate useful evaluation tools for librarians to implement or improve library services.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Write a book - How to do it...

- Chapter   6:  Program Evaluation
- Chapter   7:  Needs Assessment
- Chapter   8:  Benchmarking
- Chapter   9:  Performance Improvement (PI)
- Chapter 10:  Library Standards

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Write a book - Why evaluate?

- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: Method of Research and Overview of the Participants in the MLA Benchmarking Network Survey
- Chapter 3: Snapshot of Small Health Sciences Libraries Using the MLA Benchmarking Network Survey
- Chapter 4: The Ideal Library
- Chapter 5: The Ideal Librarian
- Chapter 11: Conclusion
- CD-ROM with the actual 2004 BN data

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Write a book - Why evaluate?

- Chapter 4: The Ideal Library
- The question comes up, “Is this library service delivering the services the customer needs in the best possible way? Is the service right-on-target? Should we be doing more? Less?”

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Holtz  in her Janet Doe lecture in 1986 discussed shifting paradigms and values and measures of excellence, 
which existed even before the impact of the Internet. 
Matheson  in her Janet Doe lecture in 1994 talks about the “idea of the library.” 
She proposed that instead of a keeper of books and journals, the library would be a “knowledge server, an encyclopedic source of knowledge...”
How small health sciences libraries can transform themselves into this image and compete with the common misconception that “it is all free on the Internet” will be discussed.

## Write a book - Why evaluate?

- Chapter 5: The Ideal Librarian
*Competencies for Special Librarians of the 21st Century*
-  MLA’s *Platform for Change*

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
How these documents relate to small libraries will be discussed.

## Write a book

- 2004
- Feb 1 - Applied for grant
- Aug 1 - Got good score
- Nov 1 - Receive money and start (perhaps!)
- 2 years - finish and publish, Nov 1, 2006

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Write a book

- I hope it will be useful for the busy librarian!
- Wish me luck!

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

## Conclusion

- There are many roads to success.
- As you have heard here today.
- You are on the right road just be attending this seminar.

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Last Saturday. My Partner, Jim, and I had a common goal and I want to tell you about it as an illustrated allegorical tale.

## Slide 85

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
We both wanted to go to the top of Pikes’ Peak in Colorado Springs.
It’s 14,100 feet high with a 7000 foot vertical ascent.
Jim and I choose different paths to our goal.
Use Pen

He choose to what straight up and did so in 5 hours and 45 minutes, his second personal best by 15 minutes.

I choose to walk about the flatter Garden of the Gods park.

## Slide 86

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Which afford me beautiful views of the path he took.

## Slide 87

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
The I drove up which had it’s own challenges.

Different paths.. Same objectives the mountain top with it’s beautiful views.

## Slide 88

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
But only one of our objectives were met! It was socked in!

So even though you take different paths to the same objective, the end result might be entirely different than you planned.

So it all comes down to a basic princple.  

## Slide 89

- MLA Benchmarking Network

- October 2004

**Notes:**
Balance

Which that word of caution,  I end with again a call for participation!

## MLA Benchmarking Network

**Participate, when asked!**

**Survey 2006!**

- October 2004