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Annual Report Overview and FAQ

A resource for general information and frequently asked questions revolving around Pennsylvania's Annual Report (Public Library Survey).

Section D. General Services

Both calendar year and fiscal year libraries should report services for the period January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024.

Things to remember when completing this section:

  • Overdue fines do not include charges for lost or damaged items.

Status

Number

Data Element

Description/Definition

D-1

Annual Number of Library Visits

Annual Number of Library Visits. Report the total number of persons entering the library for whatever purpose during the year. NOTE: If an actual count of visits is unavailable, determine an annual estimate by counting visits during a typical week in October and multiply the count by 52. A typical week is a time that is neither unusually busy nor unusually slow. Avoid holiday times, vacation periods for key staff, or days when unusual events are taking place in the community or in the library. Choose a week the library is open its regular hours. Include seven consecutive calendar days from Sunday through Saturday or whenever the library is usually open.

D-1a

Library Visits Reporting Method

Regarding the number of Library Visits entered, is this an annual count or an annual estimate based on a typical week or weeks? Select one of the following: CT= Annual Count; ES= Annual Estimate Based on Typical Week(s)

MODIFIED: Updated Data Element and Description

D-2

Number of Reference Transactions (Questions)

Reference Transactions are information consultations in which library staff recommend, interpret, evaluate, and/or use information resources to help others to meet particular information needs.

Reference transactions do not include formal instruction or exchanges that provide assistance with locations, schedules, equipment, supplies, or policy statements.

NOTES:

(1) A reference transaction includes information and referral service, scheduled and unscheduled individual instruction and assistance in using information sources (including websites and computer-assisted instruction).

(2) Count Readers Advisory questions as reference transactions.

(3) Information sources include (a) printed and nonprinted material; (b) machine-readable databases (including computer-assisted instruction); (c) the library’s own catalogs and other holdings records; (d) other libraries and institutions through communication or referral; and (e) persons both inside and outside the library.

(4) When a staff member uses information gained from previous use of information sources to answer a question, the transaction is reported as a reference transaction even if the source is not consulted again.

(5) If a contact includes both reference and directional services, it should be reported as one reference transaction.

(6) Duration should not be an element in determining whether a transaction is a reference transaction.

(7) Do not include transactions that include only a directional service, such as instruction for locating staff, library users, or physical features within the library. Examples of directional transactions include, “Where is the reference librarian? Where is Susan Smith? Where is the restroom? Where are the 600s? Can you help me make a photocopy?”

Annual Count vs. Annual Estimate

If an annual count of reference transactions is unavailable, count reference transactions during a typical week or weeks, and multiply the count to represent an annual estimate. busy nor unusually slow. Avoid holiday times, vacation periods for key staff, or days when unusual events are taking place in the community or in the library. Choose a week in which the library is open its regular hours.

Example: If there are four weeks sampled, multiply the totals for those four weeks by 13 to get an estimate for the full year. If the sample is done twice a year (one week at each time, two weeks total) multiply the count by 26 to get the estimated annual count.

D-2a

Reference Transactions Reporting Method

Regarding the number of Reference Transactions entered, is this an annual count or an annual estimate based on a typical week or weeks? Select one of the following: CT = Annual Count ES = Annual Estimate Based on Typical Week(s)

D-3

As of the end of the reporting period, does the library charge overdue fines to any users when they failed to return physical print materials by the due date?

Overdue fines are monetary penalties that typically increase according to the number of days the materials are overdue.  Overdue fines are not replacements costs for lost or damaged materials.

 

 

Computer and Internet Use 

Both calendar year and fiscal year libraries should report usage for the period January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024.

Things to remember while completing this subsection:

  • A patron sitting on the internet for three hours is one use/session, just like a patron using the internet for five minutes is one use/session.

  • The library should have a reliable way of gathering this data.  If the library does not have web-log tracking software, the library may use a typical week of use using sign-up forms or manual tallies and then multiplying that number by the number of weeks the library is open for the reporting period. A “typical week” is a time that is neither unusually busy nor unusually slow. Avoid holiday times, vacation periods for key staff, or days when unusual events are taking place in the community or in the library. Choose a week in which the library is open its regular hours.

  • The Wi-Fi policy does not need to be a standalone policy. As long as Wi-Fi is addressed in another policy, the library can report "Yes" that is has a Wi-Fi policy. 

  • Any significant change between reporting year data should be explained using an external public annotation.  

Status

Number

Data Element

Description/Definition

D-4

Number of Internet Computers Provided by the Library For Use by General Public

Report the number of the library's Internet computers [personal computers (PCs), laptops, and tablets], whether purchased, leased, or donated, used by the general public in the library. Do not include computers that connect to the Internet for a dedicated purpose (e.g., to access an OPAC or specific database, or to train the public).

D-5

Number of Uses (Sessions) of Public Internet Computers per Year

Report the total number of uses (sessions) of the library's Internet computers in the library during the last year. If the computer is used for multiple purposes (Internet access, word-processing, OPAC, etc.) and Internet uses (sessions) cannot be isolated, report all usage. A typical week or other reliable estimate may be used to determine the annual number. Sign-up forms or Web-log tracking software also may provide a reliable count of uses (sessions). NOTE: This count includes only the library's Internet computers. Do not include Wi-Fi access using nonlibrary computers. The number of uses (sessions) may be counted manually, using registration logs. Count each use (session) for public internet computers, regardless of the amount of time spent on the computer. A use (session) on the library's public internet computer(s) three times a year would count as three uses (sessions).
 

D-5a

Reporting Method for Number of Uses of Public Internet Computers Per Year

Regarding the Number of Uses (Sessions) of Public Internet Computers per Year entered, is this an annual count or an annual estimate based on a typical week or weeks?  Select one of the following: CT=Annual Count; ES=Annual Estimate Based on Typical Week(s)

MODIFIED: REMOVED

This information is now reported on the SALSA

Does the Library have an Acceptable Use Policy for the Internet?

D-6

Does the Library Provide Wireless Internet Connection to the Public?

Answer Yes if the library provides the ability for individuals with their personal devices to connect to the internet via a wireless connection while on or near library grounds.

D-7

Does the library have a policy for the use of the wireless network?

Do you have a policy for the use of the wireless network?

D-8

Is a log-in required to access the library's wireless network?

A log-in requires the use of a password in order to gain access to the wireless network.  A splash page that requires acknowledgment and agreement of the internet policy IS NOT considered a log-in.

D-9

Number of Sessions of Wireless Internet Connection per Year

Report the number of wireless sessions provided by the library wireless service annually. Count one session for each time a device connects to the library's wireless network, regardless of the duration of connection. If possible, only count sessions for patron devices and exclude library devices such as routers, access points, printers, and public access computers; otherwise, if patron devices cannot be isolated, report sessions for all devices. Note: If an annual count of wireless sessions is unavailable, count wireless sessions during a typical week or weeks using methods like hardware logging or network scanning, and multiply the count to represent an annual estimate. (Do not conduct visual surveys of devices in use as a method to establish a count of a typical week.) A typical week is a time that is neither unusually busy nor unusually slow. Avoid holiday times, vacation periods for key staff, or days when unusual events are taking place in the community or in the library. Choose a week in which the library is open its regular hours.

D-9a

Reporting Method for Wireless Sessions

Regarding the number of Wireless Sessions entered, is this an annual count or an annual estimate based on a typical week or weeks of hardware logging or network scanning? Select one of the following: CT=Annual Count; ES=Annual Estimate Based on Typical Week(s)

MODIFIED: Not monitored Removed from the PLS; kept for local use only.

D-10

Report the YEARLY number of visits, by all users, to the library WEBSITE.

Beginning with FY2024, this information will not be monitored by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries and has been removed from the Public Libraries Survey.