Using statistics to increase public library budgets

Abstract

Discusses the use of library statistics to justify budget increases for public library programs. Focuses on three major budget areas: staff, collection, and facilities. Provides guidance on deciding which data are relevant to a specific argument. Identifies internal and external sources of data. Describes methods of using data to create an effective budget presentation including simple data use techniques and tips for creating more straightforward and effective graphical displays of data.

Users' behaviour patterns in academic libraries' OPACs: a multivariate statistical analysis

“…Their analysis focuses on the ability to apply multivariate statistical analysis on both qualitative and quantitative data and to derive valuable conclusions for locating users' behaviour patterns, failures and attributes that will eventually be applied by libraries to their OPAC software, their user training programs, etc. To date, the data derived from libraries were processed and analyzed statistically using univariate or even bivariate statistical techniques (Hardy, 1989; Naylor and Walsh, 1994; Todd, 1994; Mantzopoulos, 1995; Healey, 1996; Smith, 1996; Stephen and Hornby, 1996; Hafner, 1998; Li, 1999; Ramsdale and Fuegi, 1999; Bertot et al , 2000; Pors, 2000; Liu, 2001; Ambrožic, 2003). The suggested multivariate statistical method is designed to become a tool for analyzing statistically qualitative data and to be used in other library applications apart from the user behaviour analysis presented here.…”

The collection development literature of 1996: a bibliographic essay

“…Drawing on the experience of Brown University, Lynden (1996) explored foreign currency exchange's effect on materials budgets. Finally, Smith (1996) explained how statistics can be used to justify increased funding for a public library, including the materials budget.…”