Academic Library Data * Federal Library Data

* Library Cooperative Data * Public Library

Data * School Library Media Center Data *

State Library Agency Data * Academic Library

Library

Statistics

Cooperative

Program

Data * Federal Library Data * Library

Cooperative Data * Public Library Data *

School Library Media Center Data * State

Library Agency Data * Academic Library Data

* Federal Library Data * Library Cooperative

Data * Public Library Data * School Library

Media Center Data * State Library Agency

Data * Academic Library Data * Federal

Library Data * Library Cooperative Data *

Public Library Data * School Library Media

Center Data * State Library Agency Data *

Academic Library Data * Federal Library Data

Prepared for the

National Center for Education Statistics

by the

U.S. National Commission on Libraries

and Information Science

1997
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Answering Your Questions

The Library Statistics Cooperative Program collects

statistics about all types of libraries. These statistics are

available to answer your questions. For example:

Academic Libraries

• How many volumes are in the collections of academic

libraries?

• How many items per year do academic libraries

circulate?

Public Libraries

• What are the total annual operating incomes of public

libraries?

• How many branches, bookmobiles, and other public

library service outlets are operated by public libraries?

• How many books and other items do public libraries

circulate in a year?

• What is the nationwide attendance at children’s

programs?

• How many people visit public libraries annually?

School Library Media Centers

• How many school library media specialists are on

elementary and secondary school staffs?

• How do expenditures for school library media center

services relate to total school expenditures?

State Library Agencies

• Under what branches of state government do state

library agencies operate?

• What services do state library agencies provide?

Federal Libraries and Information Centers

• What are typical services of federal libraries and

information centers?

• To what degree do they serve the general public?

• What types of electronic services are provided?

Library Cooperatives

• What types of libraries, and how many of each type,

are members of library cooperatives?

• What are the principal types of services provided?
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Library Statistics Cooperative Program

The Library Statistics Cooperative Program depends on collaboration with

all types of libraries and all levels of government. The following

organizations have a key role in its success.

NCES Role: The mandate of the National Center for Education Statistics

(NCES) to collect library statistics is included in the National Education

Statistics Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–382). The Library Statistics

Cooperative Program is administered and funded by the NCES, which

regularly collects and disseminates statistical information on libraries under

six surveys. These surveys include the Public Libraries Survey, the

Academic Libraries Survey, the School Library Media Centers Survey, the

State Library Agencies Survey, the Federal Libraries Survey, and the

Library Cooperatives Survey. The National Center for Education Statistics

also sponsors data analysis projects, meetings, training workshops, training

and technical assistance grants, and an annual policy forum and a

newsletter. Library data and analyses are used by federal, state, and local

officials, professional associations, and local practitioners, and researchers

for policy, planning, evaluation, research, and drawing samples for special

surveys.

NCLIS Role: The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information

Science (NCLIS) works cooperatively with NCES in implementing the

Library Statistics Cooperative Program. The U.S. National Commission on

Libraries and Information Science serves as a liaison to the library

community, organizes meetings and training workshops, organizes training

and technical assistance, monitors trends, and advises NCES on policy

matters.

Bureau of the Census Role: The Bureau of the Census works

cooperatively with NCES in implementing the Library Statistics

Cooperative Program. The Bureau of the Census plays a key role in data

collection, processing, and dissemination activities.

Partners in Cooperation:

• Coordinators, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System

 (IPEDS)

• Federal librarians

• Federal-State Cooperative System (FSCS) Data Use Task Force

• FSCS State Data Coordinators

• FSCS Steering Committee

• Library Cooperatives Survey data providers

• Library Representatives, Academic Libraries Survey

• Local public, school, and academic library data providers

Other Cooperating Organizations: The following organizations perform

a variety of activities that contribute to the development of the Library

Statistics Cooperative Program:

• American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

• American Library Association (ALA)

Advisory Committee on Academic Library Statistics

Office of Research and Statistics

• Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)

• Association of Research Libraries (ARL)

• Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies

 (ASCLA)

• Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA)
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• Institute of Museum and Library Services

Office of Library Programs (OLP)

• Library of Congress (LC)

Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC)

• National Education Data Resource Center (NEDRC)

• Public Library Association (PLA)

• State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAA)

• U.S. Department of Education

Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI)

The National Institute on Postsecondary Education, Libraries, and

Lifelong Learning (PLLI)

About the Surveys:

Academic Libraries Survey

Frequency of

data collection:

Biennial

Year survey

began:

1988

Number of

academic

libraries

reporting:

About 3,500

Type of data

collected:

Total operating expenditures; full-time equivalent

library staff; service outlets; total volumes held at

the end of the fiscal year; circulation; interlibrary

loans; public service hours; gate count; reference

transactions per typical week; and on-line services.

Beginning in 1996 the libraries were asked whether

they offered the following electronic services: an

electronic catalog that includes the library’s

holdings; electronic full-text periodicals; Internet

access; library reference services by e-mail;

electronic document delivery to patron’s accountaddress?

How collected: The Academic Libraries Survey (ALS) is a

component of the Integrated Postsecondary

Education Data System (IPEDS). The Academic

Libraries Survey has established a steering

committee composed of representatives of the

academic library community. A network of

academic library professionals works closely with

state IPEDS coordinators (representatives from each

state who work with NCES to coordinate the

collection of IPEDS data from academic libraries in

postsecondary institutions in each of their states).

Reports: • E.D. TABS (biennial)

• The Status of Academic Libraries in the U.S.:

1990 and 1992

File available? Yes, survey-universe file

NCES staff: Jeffrey Williams: 202–219–1362;

 jeffrey_williams@ed.gov
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Public Libraries Survey

Frequency of

data collection:

Annual

Year survey

began:

1988

Number of

public libraries

reporting:

Nearly 9,000 nationwide

Type of data

collected - public

libraries:

Identifying information; staffing; number of service

outlets; operating income and expenditures; size of

collection; administrative structure; and service

measures, such as library visits, reference

transactions, interlibrary loans, circulation, public

service hours per year, circulation of children’s

materials, and children’s program attendance;

interlibrary relationship; legal basis; population of

legal service area; Internet Access; is Internet used

by staff and/or patrons; access to electronic services;

number of and expenditures for electronic library

materials; operating expenditures for electronic

access.

Type of data

collected - public

library service

outlets:

Identifying information; location of outlet relative

to a metropolitan area.

How collected: Electronically via the Federal-State Cooperative

System (FSCS) for Public Library Data. The

Federal-State Cooperative System is administered

by NCES in cooperation with NCLIS. At the state

level and in the outlying areas, FSCS is

administered by data coordinators, appointed by

each state or outlying area’s chief officer of the state

library agency. The Federal-State Cooperative

System is a working network. For example, some

data collection is being done via the Internet. The

National Center for Education Statistics has also

implemented an early release policy for public

library data. Data provided by states are provided

over the Internet as received at NCES. This is

preliminary data and subject to revision until

replaced by a final fully edited data file. An annual

training conference is provided for the state data

coordinators and a steering committee that

represents them and other interested organizations is

active in the development of the Public Libraries

Survey and its software.

Reports: • E.D. TABS (annual)

• Geographic mapping of public libraries (1998)

• Public library inflation index (Fall 1997)

File available? Yes, survey-universe file

NCES staff: Adrienne Chute: 202–219–1772;

adrienne_chute@ed.gov

Elaine Kroe: 202–219–1361; pkroe@inet.ed.gov
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School Library Media Centers Survey

Frequency of

data collection:

Every five years.

Year survey

began:

1991

Number of

school library

media centers

reporting:

A sample of 5,000 public schools and 2,500 private

schools.

Type of data

collected:

Expenditures; staffing; collection; and descriptive

data on the school library specialists.

How collected: In school year 1993–94, NCES, with the assistance

of the U.S. Bureau of the Census, conducted this

survey as part of the 1994 Schools and Staffing

Survey (SASS).

Reports: • School Library Media Centers: 1993–94

(Summer 1997)

File available? Yes, survey file on a sample (summer 1997)

NCES staff: Jeffrey Williams: 202–219–1362;

 jeffrey_williams@ed.gov

State Library Agencies Survey

Frequency of

data collection:

Annual

Year survey

began:

1994

Number of state

library agencies

reporting:

50 states and the District of Columbia

Type of data

collected:

Direct library services; library development

services; resources assigned to allied operations

such as archive and records management;

organizational and governance structure within

which the agency operates; electronic networking;

staffing; collections; and expenditures.

How collected: Electronically from each of the state library

agencies. These are the units of state government

designated by law as the state agency responsible

for statewide library development and administering

federal funds under the Library Services and

Technology Act (LSTA).

Reports: • E.D. TABS (annual)

File available? Yes, survey-universe file

NCES staff Elaine Kroe: 202–219–1361; pkroe@inet.ed.gov
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Federal Libraries and Information Centers Survey

Frequency of

data collection:

Every five years.

Year survey

began:

1994

Number of

federal libraries

and information

centers

reporting:

1,234 nationwide; elementary and secondary school

libraries under federal agency operation are

excluded.

Type of data

collected:

Staffing; collections; services for typical week;

automation; technology; and preservation for 50

states and DC.

How collected: Cooperative effort with the Federal Library and

Information Center Committee (FLICC) of the

Library of Congress. Data are collected by mail by

the U.S. Bureau of the Census, acting as agent for

NCES.

Reports: • E.D. TABS (every 5 years)

• Issues on the Health of Federal Libraries (June

1997)

• Directory (every 5 years)

File available? Yes, survey-universe file

NCES staff: Martha Hollins: 202–219–1462;

 martha_hollins@ed.gov

Library Cooperatives Survey

Frequency of

data collection:

Every five years.

Year survey

began:

To begin in 1997

Number of

library

cooperatives

reporting:

Approximately 1,000 nationwide

Type of data

collected:

Cooperative membership; collections; finances;

staffing; library support; and electronic services and

activities.

How collected: This survey is in the review and testing stage and is

expected to be fielded in paper and electronic

formats in 1997 by the U.S. Bureau of the Census,

acting as agent for NCES. It is to include library

organizations having formal arrangements, budgets,

and paid staff to provide library and information

services for the mutual benefit of participating

libraries.

Reports: • E.D. TABS (every 5 years, beginning in 1998)

File available? Survey file and universe file in development

NCES staff: Rosa Fernandez: 202–219–1358;

 rosa_fernandez@ed.gov
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How to Access the Data

Under its six library surveys, NCES regularly publishes E.D. TABS

which consist of tables, usually presenting state and national totals, a survey

description, and data highlights. The National Center for Education

Statistics also publishes separate, more in-depth studies analyzing these data.

Many of these publications are available in printed format and over the

Internet. Edited raw data from the library surveys are made available on

data diskettes, CD-ROM, and also over the Internet.

To reach NCES library products on the U.S. Department of Education,

NCES World Wide Web site, type the URL address:

http://www.ed.gov/NCES. Then select “Data and Surveys”, then

“Libraries”, then choose from a list of options.

To reach NCES products on the U.S. Department of Education, OERI

Gopher Server (gopher.ed.gov), select from the root directory: “#7. (OERI

& NCES)”, then “#3. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)”,

then “#5. NCES Data (surveys & raw data)”, then “#4. Library Programs

Data”, then choose from a list of options.

To Obtain Reports, Data Files, Special

Tabulations, and Help with Internet:

For help obtaining NCES reports and data files through Internet,

Government Printing Office (GPO) or the National Education Data

Resource Center (NEDRC), or for special tabulations, contact the NEDRC,

1900 N. Beauregard St., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22311–1722,

telephone: (703) 845–3151, fax: (703) 820–7465; or e-mail:

<nedrc@inet.ed.gov>.