Olivia Weiss Post #7 - Statistics and Why They Matter Online and in Real Life

 

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A lot of patrons don't realize it, but libraries count everything. Program attendance, in-person visits, book circulation, books returned in the book drop, and questions asked are just some of the things libraries often count. But why?

Library statistics generally demonstrate to communities, boards of trustees, and funding agencies which resources are used and how often, giving them a better idea of the impact libraries have. Most public libraries receive much of their funding through local taxes, and their annual budgets are voted on by those taxpayers. In order to justify the proposed budget, libraries often make it a point to publicly post annual reports, which are filled with statistics of all kinds. While a $3,780,680 annual budget funded via taxation may seem like a lot, patrons are more likely to approve of this budget when they see that this is just 34 cents per day per person and that there are 190,844 total check-outs and 24,468 people attending programs each year.

While securing funding is very important, it is arguably more important to collect accurate statistics in order to make appropriate improvements. When weeding items from a collection, one of the most important statistics is its circulation. When was the last time it was checked-out, how often is it checked-out, how often is it renewed? Weeding allows us to make room for new items while discarding something that is no longer being used. The same can be done for programming--program interest and attendance statistics may tell us which programs are working and which ones can be phased out. 

The same thing can be said in a library's social media presence. As we have discussed, maintaining a good social media presence can help libraries to market themselves in a way that actually reaches their audience, maybe even a wider audience. The number of followers on each platform can tell librarians which ones are more popular and worth putting more time into. Engagement statistics, like the number of likes and comments, can tell a library which posts are working. Patrons can also give direct written feedback in the form of comments or direct messages, allowing the library to consider appropriate action when needed. And if a library social media page is really doing well, they may be able to use their statistics to justify hiring a social media manager. 

Numbers are important in all businesses and organizations, but libraries especially rely on them in order to improve their day to day operations.