1.04 – 1.06: The library director has changed. Should I report information for the director for the reporting fiscal year or the current library director?

When providing the library director information in 1.04-1.06 please report on the current library director. The majority of the survey is meant to gather retrospective information on the library’s most recent fiscal year. However, library director information is intended to make sure the State Library has the most up to date contact information for the head of the library. In order to accomplish this, fields 1.04, 1.05, and 1.06 should report the most recent information available.

1.19 How are library district legal service area populations determined and can they be changed?

Library district legal service area populations are determined by the State Library and updated after each Decennial Census. Due to the complexity involved with determining these populations they are only updated with complete populations counts from the Decennial Census. If you have questions or concerns with your library’s determined legal service area or population, please contact Cory Mihalik at the State Library.

1.25 How do I know if my library is part of a “federation or cooperative”?

These federations or cooperatives usually consist of groups of libraries working together cooperatively through shared cost structures and/or resource sharing. Most library consortia would be included under this category. Common groups in Missouri that would be included here include MoLib2Go, MOBIUS, Municipal Library Consortium, Grand River Libraries Conference, or Missouri Evergreen. Paid services such as OCLC or MOREnet would not be considered here.

1.33 – 1.34 How do I determine if I have a “Main” outlet or only “Branch” outlets?

For libraries with only a single physical location, this single outlet will always be considered the main outlet. For libraries with multiple locations, this will be a judgement from the library. There are no absolute criteria for determining whether a library is the main outlet, but a Library district’s main outlet will usually have significantly larger collections, receive larger amounts of traffic, may offer additional services and professional staff than branch libraries, and will usually house the library district’s administration. If most branches are equal in collections or services you may only have branch outlets.

1.35 We have a library vehicle that drops books off at offsite locations around the community. Would this be considered a Bookmobile?

This would likely not be considered a Bookmobile. All outlets, including Bookmobiles must have an organized collection, paid staff, and regularly scheduled visits for the public. A Bookmobile would need to have a browsable collection and staff to check out materials at the site. Library vehicles responsible for simple deliveries would not be counted here.

1.37 Our library uses little free libraries, and offsite book pickup and drop-off sites at other local businesses and community centers, would these be counted here?

This question is specific to offsite automated circulation facilities such as electronic kiosks and lockers. Offsite resources that do not provide automated checkouts through the library’s ILS would not be counted here.

1.01 Legal Name of Library District (pre-filled, locked, IMLS reported) – This will be the full legal name of the library without acronyms or abbreviations. This name will rarely if ever change, and all names are formatted for consistency between annual surveys.       

1.02 Other Name(s) (pre-filled and locked) – Commonly used names other than the official, legal name for the library. This information assists in tracking and reporting. This should only be used if the commonly used name for the library differs from the legal name of the library district.

1.03 Legal Basis Code (pre-filled, locked, IMLS reported) – The legal basis is the type of local government structure within which the library functions. The codes are as follows:

• LD – Library District: Established under RSMo 182 as a separate government entity supported from a citizen–voted tax dedicated to library purposes.
• CI – Municipal Government: Library is operated as part of city government and supported with funds from that city, town or village.
• NP – Non–Profit Association or Agency: An entity privately controlled but meeting the statutory definition of a public library in the state; includes association libraries and libraries with 501(c) designation.
• OT – Other

1.04 - 1.06 Information about Current Head of Library – Provide the name, title and direct email address for the current person officially charged with and paid for day to day management of the library. Do not report a trustee or an elected official as head of library. If you are a new Director, this information will need to be updated with your most current information.

1.07 – 1.15 Administrative Office Location and Mailing Address (pre-filled, locked, IMLS reported) – Provide the physical and mailing addresses of the library’s administrative entity. This will often be the main library, but can also be administrative offices housed outside of a library outlet.

1.16 Library’s Email (pre-filled) – Email address used by the general public to reach the library. This may or may not differ from the library address listed for the head of the library.

1.17 Library-s Web Address (pre-filled) – Web address for the library’s homepage. This should be the main address for library information, not a link to the library’s catalog.

1.18 Does the library provide a mobile-device accessible version of its website (pre-filled) – If website is formatted to be mobile device accessible please select yes. All library websites created through the State Library’s PLOUD program will by default be mobile device accessible.

1.19 2020 Census Population of Legal Service Area (pre-filled and locked) – Total population residing in library district’s legal service area as determined by the 2020 decennial census counts. These figures are calculated by the state library. For libraries affected by the 1965 boundary law, LSA population may not match the Census population figures of matching municipality or county. If you have questions about determination of LSA populations, please contact the State Library.

1.20 – 1.23 Library Legislative Districts (pre-filled and locked) – Listing of all state and federal legislative districts overlapping the libraries legal service area. Legislative are updated by the State Library after redistricting occurs for each decennial census.

1.24 Meets FSCS Definition of a Library – Indicate yes, if your library currently meets the Federal-State Cooperative System (FSCS) definition of a library, which states that:

“A public library is an entity that is established under state enabling laws or regulations to serve a community, district, or region, and that provides at least the following:

(1) an organized collection of printed or other library materials, or a combination thereof

(2) paid staff

(3) an established schedule in which services of the staff are available to the public

(4) the facilities necessary to support such a collection, staff and schedule

(5) is supported in whole or in part with public funds.”

1.25 Is this library  district a member of a federation or cooperative – Indicate “yes” if your library district is (a) joined by formal or informal agreement(s) with another library district(s) in Missouri to perform various services cooperatively, such as resource sharing, or (b) part of a national, multi–state or statewide library federation or cooperative such as MoLib2Go, MOBIUS, Municipal Library Consortium, Grand River Libraries Conference or Missouri Evergreen. Do not consider OCLC or MOREnet memberships for this question.

1.26 – 1.27 Reporting Period (pre-filled, locked, IMLS reported) – Reporting period for the survey is based on the library’s most recently completed fiscal year.

1.28 Were there any changes to your library district's legal service area during this report period (pre-filled, locked, IMLS reported) – Report any changes to the library district’s legal service area through library district mergers, adoptions, or dissolutions

1.29 Counties in Library's Legal Service Area (pre-filled and locked) - List the counties within the legal service area of the library and all its outlets. For multi–county libraries, list the county of the administrative office/main library first.

1.30 Geographic Type (pre-filled, locked, IMLS reported) – Geography type that best matches the library district based on U.S. Census Bureau geographies. Geographies are assigned by the State Library. Missouri libraries can fall into one of the following:

• PL1 – Place Entirety (library exactly matches current legal boundaries of a municipality)
• PL2 – Place Overlap (library is based on boundaries of municipality but does not exactly match current legal boundaries)
• CO1 – County Entirety (library exactly matches current legal boundaries of county)
• CO3 – County Remainder (library is based on boundaries of county, but excludes areas belonging to contained municipal libraries)
• MC1 – Multi-County (library exactly matches current legal boundaries of two or more counties)
• MC3 – Multi-County Remainder (library is based on boundaries of two or more counties, but excludes areas belonging to contained municipal libraries)
• SU1 – School-District Unified (library district boundaries match those of a unified school district, or combined unified school districts)

1.31 Locale (pre-filled and locked) – National Center for Education Statistics locale code, that best matches the library district. Locales are assigned by the State Library.

1.32 Matches (pre-filled and locked) – Specifies whether the library district matches NCES locale code exactly or nearly. Larger library districts may match multiple locale codes, and code that is most appropriate is used.

For a library location or service to be reported as an outlet it must meet four criteria:

1. Separate quarters, i.e. a physical space that can be a building, truck or van
2. Organized collection of library materials
3. Paid staff
4. Regularly scheduled public hours

All library outlets reported in 1.33-1.35 will also be reported in detail in section 2 of the survey. Library kiosks and lockers are not library outlets and will not be reported in the outlet section of the survey, but are reported in the administrative information.

1.33 Main (pre-filled, locked, IMLS reported) – This must be reported as either a 1 or a 0. A library district cannot have more than one main outlet. All single outlet libraries will report one main outlet. For a multiple-outlet library district, a zero may be reported if the library operates several co-equal outlets with no principal collection housed in one location. In cases where collections and/or administration is primarily housed at one location, that will be considered the main outlet.

1.34 Branches (pre-filled, locked, IMLS reported) – Auxiliary outlet that his housed separately from the main outlet. A branch outlet must have an organized collection of library materials, paid staff, and regularly scheduled public hours.

1.35 Bookmobiles (pre-filled, locked, IMLS reported) – A traveling branch library with an organized collection, paid staff, and regularly scheduled visits open to the public. Vehicles used solely to carry items between branches or to outside locations will not be counted here. Provide the number of vehicles in use, not the number of stops the vehicle makes.

1.37 Offsite Circulating Kiosks/Lockers - Unstaffed locations outside of a library branch or central library that circulate physical and/or electronic materials. Reported kiosks and lockers should be permanent or semi-permanent locations that allow for circulation of library materials and may or may not provide other library services such as wireless internet access. These locations are counted separately from library outlets and will not be reported in the outlet portion of the survey.         

1.37 Is your Administrative Office housed in a separate building from all direct service outlet(s) (pre-filled, locked, IMLS reported) – Indicate if your main administrative offices are housed in a location other than any of the main or branch outlets indicated above.      

1.38 Does the library have an allied Library Foundation – Indicate if your library has a separate legal entity who collects and manages donations, investments, and other private funds for the library district.

1.39 Does the library have a 'Friends of the Library' group – Indicate if your library has an associated volunteer-led charitable nonprofit focused on supporting the library district.           

1.40 Does the library offer book delivery outreach services (home delivery of books by car or van) – Indicate if your library offers direct delivery of library items to patron residences by staff or volunteers.

1.41 Does the library offer a books by mail service – Indicate if your library offers direct delivery of library items to patron residences by mail.

Our library just opened up a new branch or bookmobile. How do I get this outlet added to the survey?

Branches should only be added to the survey if they were in operation during your library’s reporting period. If the branch was open to the public at any point during the reporting period please email cory.mihalik@sos.mo.gov with the relevant branch information. You will submit the legal name of the outlet, other name used if it is commonly referred to by another name, address, phone number, and square footage. Once this information is sent, the outlet will be added to the survey and you will be able to input annual hours and other information. If the new branch was opened after the end of your reporting fiscal year, this information will be submitted during the next annual survey and the branch will be added at that point.

I don’t have an FSCS for my new outlet, how do I obtain one?

FSCS numbers are generated for outlets at the point the survey is submitted to IMLS for review. For the first year the branch is reported, the FSCS number will be blank. If you need an FSCS number for a new branch outside of the normal survey timeline, please contact cory.mihalik@sos.mo.gov to see about expediting the process.

Our library just closed one of our outlets. How do I remove this outlet from the survey?

If a branch was open for any amount of time during your reporting period it will still be reported on the annual survey. Branches can only be removed from the survey if they had no operating hours in the reporting fiscal year. If you have a branch that was closed the prior fiscal year and had no operating hours, please contact cory.mihalik@sos.mo.gov to have the outlet permanently removed from your survey.

We have a library vehicle that drops books off at offsite locations around the community. Should this be included as a bookmobile outlet?

This would likely not be considered a bookmobile. All outlets, including bookmobiles must have an organized collection, paid staff, and regularly scheduled visits for the public. A bookmobile would need to have a browsable collection and staff to check out materials at the site. Library vehicles responsible for simple deliveries would not be reported here.

Our library uses offsite circulating kiosks, book lockers, little free libraries, and offsite book pickup and drop-off sites at other local businesses and community centers, would any of these be considered an outlet?

None of these would be included as an outlet. Outlets require regular operating hours, separate quarters, paid staff, and regularly scheduled public hours. These types of services would not meet the definition of a library outlet. While the number of circulating kiosks and book lockers are reported in field 1.36, these devices do not meet the official definitions of an outlet and would not be reported here.

2.33 How do I determine if work done on a library building is considered a "major renovation"?

This may be slightly subjective, but generally a major renovation would require significant expenditures and would most likely cause the library to be closed for a portion of time. A major renovation will usually require the library to save or set aside a large amount of funds for a specific project and require significant planning involving contractors, architects, or specialists. It would also usually involve some sort of improvements or significant upgrades to the library, rather than repairing or replacing existing systems or structures (such as replacing an HVAC system or repairing a damaged roof).

2.00 Library System Name (pre-filled, locked) – This will match the legal name of the library in use for 1.01.

2.01a Legal Name of Outlet (pre-filled, locked) – This is the legal name of the outlet used by your library. This information will be pre-filled, but if a library outlet has undergone a name change, please contact the State Library to have the name changed.

2.01b FSCS (pre-filled, locked) – An outlet’s FSCS code is a unique identifier assigned by IMLS for all reported library outlets. A unique FSCS is created for an outlet the first time it is submitted to IMLS through the PLS. This code will be unchanged year to year.

2.02 Other Name (pre-filled, locked) - Commonly used names other than the official, legal name for the outlet. This information assists in tracking and reporting. This should only be used if the commonly used name for the library differs from official name of the outlet.

2.03 - 2.07 – Library address and contact information (pre-filled, locked) – Report the address for the physical location of the outlet. If reporting a Bookmobile, report the physical location the Bookmobile usually resides, likely the same address as the main library outlet. If a library has changed locations, or an address has changed for another reason, please contact the State Library with revised information.

2.08a Metropolitan Status Code (pre-filled, locked) – Denotes whether a library location resides inside of a Census designated metropolitan area.

• CC – Within Central City of Census designated Metropolitan Area (namely Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Jackson, Jefferson City, Joplin, Kansas City, St. Charles, St. Joseph, St. Louis, and Springfield)
• NC – In Census designated Metropolitan Area, but not in Central City
• NO – Not in a Census designated Metropolitan Area

2.08b Locale (pre-filled, locked) - National Center for Education Statistics locale code, that best matches the location of the outlet. Locales are assigned by the State Library.

2.09 Outlet Type (pre-filled, locked) – This will report the type of outlet being reported to match reporting definitions used in 1.33 – 1.35. The district’s main library will be identified here, and all others will be reported as a branch or bookmobile.

2.10 Square Footage of the Outlet (pre-filled, locked) - This is the area, in square feet, of all floors enclosed by the outer walls. Include all area occupied by the outlet, including those areas off–limits to the public. Include any areas shared with another agency(ies) if the outlet has use of that area. Square footage will not be reported for bookmobiles. If a library has moved or been renovated in a way that changes square footage, please contact the State Library with new square footage.

2.11 Number of Bookmobiles (pre-filled, locked) – This will be reported as 1 for all Bookmobiles and 0 for all other types of outlets.

2.12 – 2.15 Mailing Address (pre-filled, locked) – Only enter new address if mailing address is different from outlet address listed in 2.03-2.05.

2.16 Outlet Manager – Please provide the name of the current manager of this outlet. If this is a single outlet library, and the director fulfills the duties of day to day management of the outlet, provide the directors name.

Please note, auto-summing is not enabled in the outlet portions of the survey. All fields that calculate based on prior answers will need to be calculated by hand.

2.17 – 2.23 Total Hours/Day – Report the number of hours your library is open to the public each day of the week. If your library has different seasonal operating hours you will report the standard hours for the majority of the year here. If your hours are not a whole number use decimal places. If your library was open 8:30 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. you would report 8.5 hours for that day.

2.24 Total Outlet Hours Per Week – This will be the sum of all hours reported per day. Summing fields 2.17 – 2.23 will give the total outlet hours per week. This should reflect the weekly hours your library operated at for the majority of the year.

2.25 Weeks Open During the Year (IMLS reported) – Libraries will normally operate for 52 weeks out of the year. If the library outlet was closed to the public at any point during the reporting year, please indicate as such (by subtracting the number of weeks closed from 52) and provide the number of weeks the outlet was open. For this survey, a “week closed” should be counted as 4 or more consecutive days closed, or being closed for more than half of the scheduled hours in a given week. Closures can be due to natural disasters, renovation or other planned or unexpected events.

2.26 Did this outlet have regular hours during the reporting year that were different than those provided above? – Mark yes here if the library had seasonal hours that differed from those reported in 2.17 – 2.23, or changed hours for any other reason during the reporting period.

2.27a If yes, please list the differing day(s) and hours here - If the library has regularly scheduled abbreviated hours (for instance, summer hours), please indicate the differing hours and days. Provide operating hours by day for those that differ from 2.17 – 2.23. For instance, if your library was open 8:30 – 7:00 on weekdays in the summer instead of 8:30 – 5:00 the rest of the year, 2.27a would note M-F 8:30 AM – 7:00 PM.

2.27b For how many weeks did the outlet operate with these differing hours – Provide the number of weeks the library operated with the differing hours reported in 2.27a. Round to the whole week.

2.28 Total Outlet Hours per Year - This is the total number of hours an outlet was open to the public in a year’s time. This can be figured by multiplying the total outlet hours per week by the weeks open during the year and adding/subtracting the seasonal hours, holidays, and any other closures (if applicable).

2.29a Does this outlet offer public meeting space – Indicate yes if the library offers a separate space in a library building set aside for meetings that can be used by the public. The library may or may not charge a fee for the use of the room.

2.29b What is the seating capacity of the largest single meeting space (if applicable) – If 2.29a is reported as yes, please provide the seating capacity of the largest single meeting space. This would be the maximum amount of seating that could be available for a meeting or event.

2.30 Total number of times meeting rooms used by outside groups for non-library programs - Please report the total number of times meeting or study rooms were used by outside groups or individuals for events not sponsored or co–sponsored by the library. Do not include use of the room for library programs, service or other use by library boards or staff.

2.31 Year Outlet Opened - Please provide the year the outlet officially opened to the public.

2.32 Age of Building - This will be the age of the physical structure of the outlet in years. If the age is unknown, please provide the best estimate for the building age.

2.33 Year of Last Major Renovation - Please select the time range that most matches when the outlet last underwent a major renovation. A major renovation means the outlet underwent significant upgrades, repairs and/or expansion. This would usually involve the expenditure of a large amount of capital funds, and closure of the branch for a short or extended period of time.

2.34a - 2.34o Needed Library Repairs - Please select all options that most apply to your library. “Need” can be determined in a variety of ways, but could include being at or past the normal lifespan of building materials/mechanical systems, structures that do not meet current codes or ADA compliance, potential health, safety or security concerns, areas of frequent patron complaint, or other issues that may contribute to the outlet being less likely to be used by the public.

3.01 How do I know if a staff position is a “librarian”?

Staff reported as librarians will usually, but not always have the job title of librarian. There are no absolute criteria for determining if a staff position is or is not a librarian, but these are usually professional positions requiring specific training and skills in librarianship. If a position is primarily responsible for tasks such as answering reference questions and programming, these would usually be librarian positions. Individuals primarily responsible for administrative or clerical duties such as shelving materials, circulation, management, human resources, accounting, etc. would likely not be classified as librarians.

3.01 – 3.04 What personnel category should the library director be reported in?

This may vary by library. The director should be reported in the category that matches their primary job duties and whether or not they have an ALA-MLS degree. For small libraries where a director’s main job duties include direct patron assistance, programming, collection development, and cataloging, they may be classified as a librarian. For libraries where a director’s duties are primarily administrative, they will likely be classified as non-librarian ALA-MLS staff or other staff depending on whether or not they possess an MLS degree.

3.01 – 3.04 Our library utilizes substitutes that have irregular and/or infrequent hours. How should they be reported on the survey?

These staff will be reported for the position that most meets their primary job duties as a librarian or other staff. Each substitute will be reported as one staff member. To determine average weekly hours you will determine, or make a best estimate, of the total hours worked in a year and divide this out by 52 total weeks to get the average hours per week these staff worked. This may be a very small number, but the position and hours should still be reported on the survey.

3.01 – 3.04 We had several positions open at the end of our fiscal year. Should these vacant positions be reported in the total number of staff, or only the positions that were filled at the end the fiscal year?

You will be reporting for all budgeted positions. If a position was open at the end of the fiscal year you will still report the position and budgeted hours in the appropriate categories. However, if a position was permanently eliminated and will not be filled in the future it will not be reported.

3.07 – 3.09 Why does the survey ask questions specifically about the director’s salary, tenure and education?

This information is valuable in a number of ways. Primarily, this is information that is frequently requested by library boards or directors for salary comparisons and determinations. Ideally, we would be able to collect salary information for all library positions that could be utilized by libraries statewide for salary studies, but this would be extremely burdensome. We currently only collect information about the director as it is by far the most requested personnel information.

3.07 – 3.09 I am a new director reporting on the survey, and the director who previously held this position is no longer here. They were still in the position on the last day of the fiscal year. When filling in the information about the library director should I report my information or information on the previous director?

You will report information for the previous director if available. Information provided here will be for the director on the last day of the fiscal year. While the director contact information provided in the administrative information portion of the survey will be for the current director, information on salary and tenure will be reflective of the fiscal year being reported, as this will match the revenue and expenses reported on the survey as well. If no information on the previous director is available to you, you can report on the current director only in the case where no other information is available.

When reporting total staff and average weekly hours, remember to include the library director in the most applicable reporting category

3.01a – 3.01c Librarians (IMLS reported) – Report the total number of library staff positions on the last day of your fiscal year that held the title of librarian, and the average number of hours per week worked by these staff. These will be staff positions paid from the library budget with the title or function of librarian, defined as persons who do paid work that usually requires professional training and skill in the theoretical or scientific aspects of library work, or both, as distinct from its mechanical or clerical aspect.

3.02a – 3.02c Librarians with ALA-MLS (IMLS reported) – Of the librarians reported in 3.01 provide the number of staff and average weekly hours for those that have a master’s degree from programs of library and information studies accredited by the American Library Association. Only count MLS staff here whose primarily job description is that of a librarian. Please note that the number of staff and hours reported in 3.02 cannot be greater than 3.01.

 3.03a – 3.03c All other staff with ALA-MLS (IMLS reported) – Report the total number of staff positions and average weekly hours on the last day of your fiscal year for those staff that have a master’s degree from programs of library and information studies accredited by the American Library Association, but do not have the job title of librarian. Any staff reported in 3.01 and 3.02 will not be reported here. This could include the Library Director, a branch Manager, Personnel Officer, etc.

3.04a – 3.04d All other paid staff (IMLS reported) – Report the total number of staff positions and average annual hours on the last day of the fiscal year for all staff who do not perform the duties of a librarian and do not have an ALA-MLS degree. These could include including circulation, security, maintenance staff, pages, etc. Any staff reported in 3.01 – 3.04 should not be reported here. Do NOT count any staff paid with grant funds (i.e., those hired to work only on a special grant–funded project).

3.05a – 3.05c Total staff (autosum, locked, IMLS reported) – The total number of staff, average weekly hours and average FTEs will automatically calculate based on the answers provided in 3.01 – 3.04. If the totals in 3.05 look to be incorrect, this indicates an error in entering staff in 3.01 – 3.04. No direct changes can be made to 3.05a – 3.05c.

3.06a – 3.06b Library volunteers - Provide the number of people who volunteered at the library during the reporting period and an estimate of the average volunteer hours donated per year (e.g., volunteers serving in the library 2 hours per day for five days per week would donate 520 hours per year).

Questions about Library Director or Executive Officer

3.07 Hours worked per week – Indicate the number of hours the director works in an average week.

3.08a Annual salary (in dollars) – Indicate total annual salary before deductions but excluding benefits.

3.08b Annual Benefits (in dollars) - Benefits outside of salary paid and accruing to Director, such as retirement, medical insurance, life insurance, guaranteed disability income protection, tuition and housing benefits.

3.08c Tenure of Library Director – Select from the dropdown menu to select the amount of time most closely matches how long the director has held this position.

3.09 Highest Education Level Completed – Select from the dropdown menu to indicate the current highest educational attainment of the Director (check only one).

4.02 How do I find out my libraries assessed valuation?

The county clerk or county assessor should be able to provide you with your library’s assessed valuations. The State Auditor also keeps records of tax district assessed valuations that are available on their website. These values are also reported on the annual State Aid application, so you may check your copy of the application for assessed valuations and tax rates that have already been vetted by the State Library.

 4.03 – 4.04b What is the difference in the three tax rates in these questions, and how do I find these values?

Due to potential rollbacks due to the Hancock Amendment, your library’s final collected tax rate may differ from the actual tax rate passed by voters. Your library board also has the ability to collect taxes at a lower rate than the rate passed by voters. For this reason we ask for the tax rate last approved by voters (this will be the rate established by the most recently passed library tax), the tax rate ceiling set by the auditor (this will be the rate provided to your library as the maximum amount your library can collect and includes any Hancock rollbacks), and the tax rate set by the library board (this will be the rate approved by your board and was the actual collected tax rate). The voter approved and auditor ceiling rates can be located on your annual pro forma documents from the State Auditor. The board approved/collected tax rate should be available from internal documents from your board votes, or from the collector’s office. These values are also reported on your annual State Aid application, so you may just reference this document to locate all three rates easily in one place.

4.03 – 4.07 We are a city budget library. What should I report for tax rates and local tax income?

As a city budget library, there will be no tax rate to report in 4.03-4.04b, so all of these values will be zero. There should also not be any income to report in 4.05 or 4.06 for tax income, as this would be reporting for income specifically from a library tax. The library funding provided for your library by the city will be reported in 4.07 “any additional funds from the local government.”

4.05 Do I include collected delinquent taxes in annual tax levy income.

Yes, delinquent tax income will be included in 4.05 as regular tax income, and not in 4.06 other local tax income.

4.06 What should be counted as “other local tax income”?

Taxes not collected from a citizen voted library tax will be included here. Citizen voted taxes would include the standard voted tax, and additional levies such as temporary levies for buildings. However, any income from sales taxes, intangible tax, or surtaxes will be included here.

4.14 Where do I find the totals for what our library received for LSTA grants?

Your library should be tracking LSTA funds specific to grants internally separate from all other funds. If you are not exactly sure when payments received line up with your reporting period, you should be able to view EFT payments or checks received from the Missouri State Library, which will be dated and have a short identifier for the specific grants the funds were paid from. If you have any questions on payments you can contact Terry Blauvelt at terry.blauvelt@sos.mo.gov.

4.17a What would be included in the “other income” category?

This would include any annual income you receive that was not from a local, state, or federal tax income source. The most common of these sources of income would be from library fines, donations, earned interest, or funds raised from local friends groups.

4.17b Our library collects fines on specific items (adult materials, audiovisual materials, etc.), but not on others. Would we mark yes or no in 4.17b?

If your library charges any fines for late items of any material type, you will respond “yes” in 4.17b. Even if the majority of your items do not accrue fines, your library still collects some income as library fines. Please remember if your library charges replacement costs for lost or damaged items, this would not be considered a fine, and you would respond no to 4.17b if that is the only charges patrons receive.

4.01 Name of Library District (pre-filled, locked) - This will be the full legal name of the library without acronyms or abbreviations. Regional libraries will now which district they are reporting for based on the name pre-filled in 4.01.

4.02 Assessed valuation of library district (in dollars) - Report the value of property in the library’s legal service area. This information is available from the city or county clerk, as reported on your state aid application. For regional libraries, report the assessed value for each library district separately.

4.03 Tax rate last approved by voters (in cents) - Report the library’s most recent official, citizen–voted tax rate. This will be the official tax rate without any Hancock rollbacks. If the library receives income at multiple tax rates (residential, commercial, personal property, etc.), report the rate that generates the majority of the library’s tax income. The tax rates are usually available from your city or county clerk, as reported on your state aid application. Do NOT include any tax rates for temporary bond issues, only the district’s ongoing standard tax rate.

4.04a Tax rate ceiling set by auditor for reporting year (in cents) - Report the library’s tax rate, after auditor suggested rollbacks. If the library receives income at multiple tax rates (residential, commercial, personal property, etc.), report the rate that generates the majority of the library’s tax income. The tax rates are usually available from your city or county clerk, or from the annual pro forma tax documents from the State Auditor as reported on your state aid application. Do NOT include that which was voter approved under a bond issue.

4.04b Tax rate set by library board for reporting year (in cents) - Provide the rate agreed upon by the library board for the reporting year, and levied for the fiscal year reported.

4.05 Income from the library's tax levy (in dollars) - Report only the official tax receipts for the library from the library citizen–voted tax for the reporting period. Your city or county clerk can verify and provide those figures.

4.06 Other local tax income  - Local tax income not from the citizen–voted library tax. Examples would include sales tax, intangible tax, or any surtax. These taxes are uncommon and most libraries will report no funds here.

4.07 Any additional funds from the local government - Any additional funds from the local government not previously reported in this section. This would include funds designated by the local government for expenditure for library services. City-budget libraries will report all tax money provided by the municipality here.

4.08 Total local income (autosum, IMLS reported) – Sum of all local tax income reported in 4.05 – 4.07.

4.09 – 4.11 State Aid, Equalization, and A&E funds received (pre-filled, locked) – These are state funds received by the State Library for per capita State Aid, Equalization and A&E. These amounts are pre-filled by that State Library based on funds distributed for the library’s most recently completed fiscal year. You may check these values against your own records to verify there are no discrepancies and contact the State Library if you have questions.

4.12 Other state funds from local or state agencies – Report any state funds other than State Aid Equalization, and A&E funds. These may come from other state agencies, or from local agencies distributing funds received from the state. Do not report any federal funds distributed by state or local agencies, including the State Library here. Libraries receiving CSLP funds from the State Library will report those funds received here.

4.13 Total State Income (autosum, IMLS reported) - Sum of all state tax income reported in 4.09 – 4.12.

4.14 LSTA grants – Report all funds received by your library from LSTA grants during the reporting period. Examples of LSTA grants include Library Cooperation grants, Technology Ladder grants, and Show–Me–Steps to Career Development grants.

4.15 Other federal funds from local, state or federal agencies - All other federal funds, such as Green Thumb grants or emergency relief funds, distributed by local, state or federal entities to public libraries. All federal funds other than LSTA funds will be reported here.

4.16 Total Federal Income (autosum, IMLS reported) - Sum of all federal income reported in 4.14 and 4.15

4.17a Other Income - This includes all library income received during the fiscal year that was not reported as government income (Local, State, or Federal). This could be from private donations, interest, friends organizations, or any other source not reported in 4.01 – 4.16. Do NOT include the value of any contributed or in–kind services or the value of any non–monetary gifts and donations.

4.17b Are fines charged for overdue items? Overdue fines are monetary fines charged to patrons for items returned later than the item’s due date. These may be flat fees, or fees assessed on a daily or weekly basis based on the item type and length of time overdue. Mark yes if your library charges any type of overdue fine. This does not include other types of library fees such as charges for damaged or lost items. NOTE: Overdue fines are monetary penalties that typically increase according to the number of days the materials are overdue. Overdue fines are not replacement costs for lost or damaged materials.

4.18 Total Library District Operating Revenue (autosum, IMLS reported) – Sum of all income reported in 4.08, 4.13, 4.16, and 4.17a.

Fields 4.19 through 4.30 will only be filled out for regional libraries with multiple districts to report. These fields will be reported exactly the same as for 4.01 – 4.18. You may refer back to instructions for 4.01 – 4.18 for reference.

Fields 4.31 – 4.47 will total all applicable fields for regional library reporting. For single district libraries, these will correspond to the totals already calculated in 4.01 – 4.18. These final totals will be the values reported to IMLS. When viewing edit checks the valid checks will reference the final values in this section. To resolve any edit check issues, you may need to check the original cells being referenced to find the source of the errors.

I have expenditures that do not seem to fit into any of the budget categories provided, where should they be reported?

Any expenditures that are not reported in the personnel, collections, or capital expenditures category will always be reported in 5.14 “Other Operating Expenditures.” The instructions give examples of the kinds of expenditures reported in this category, but this it not an exhaustive list, and all remaining expenditures will always be reported here.

5.01 Our library uses contract employees for certain services (inter-branch deliveries, lawn services, cleaning services, etc.). Would the wages for these contract employees be included in salaries or in other operating expenditures?

These expenditures would be included in “other operating expenditures”, not with salaries. These contract service individuals would not be considered library employees, and would not be counted in totals for annual salaries. Rather, this would be a service the library contracts for.

5.08 Our library receives access to electronic databases and/or circulating electronic material collections through a consortia membership and/or MOREnet. Should these consortia/MOREnet fees be reported as electronic material expenditures or other operating expenditures?

If the group providing the electronic materials provides a breakdown of services by cost, you can report the amount of the membership that goes towards electronic materials in 5.08, and the remaining cost in 5.14. If you do not know the exact breakdowns, but know that the majority of the cost of the service is for an electronic material collection or shared database access, you can report the total cost of the membership in 5.08. Otherwise, the total cost of membership will be reported in 5.14, even though part of the fee goes towards electronic materials. MOLIB2GO members will always report the full cost of MOLIB2GO membership in 5.08.

5.09 Do Playaway audio devices count as electronic or physical materials?

These all-in-one units will be counted as a physical material. Even though it is technically a digital audio book, the patron is checking out a physical copy of an audio material.

5.16a – 5.16b Equalization and A&E funds received are already filled in on the survey, but how do we know how much was expended? Is it the same amount?

Your library should be tracking expenditures of Equalization and A&E funds in a separate budget category throughout the year. These funds are reported to the State Library in a special report in mid-February. You will only report the amount of these funds expended in your reporting period, so the total amount expended at the point of reporting may differ from the total amount received during the same time period, as these funds do not have to be expended until the end of the calendar year.

5.01 Salaries and Wages (IMLS reported) – Include all salaries or wages paid out of the library budget for all library staff before deductions. This should include all staff reported in section 3 of the survey.

5.02a Employer FICA Contributions - Report FICA as employer’s portion of Social Security (OASDI – 6.2%) plus the employer’s portion of Medicare (HI – 1.45%) contributions paid. The amount of FICA the library pays can be affected by cafeteria plans, employees with salaries above the tax threshold, etc., so please enter the correct amount of employer contributions in the space provided.

5.02b Other Benefits - This should include all benefits for library staff outside of FICA contributions, including workers compensation premiums, health care costs, retirement, life insurance, guaranteed disability income protection, unemployment compensation, tuition, housing benefits, and any others.

5.05 Print Materials – Annual expenditures for the purchase of books, government documents, and any other print acquisitions. Do not include purchases of serials in this category, only print monographs. These can be circulating or non-circulating materials.

5.06 Print Serial Subscriptions – Annual expenditures for current serial subscriptions or binding or filling in serial back files. Do not include microfilm/microfiche expenditures here.

5.08 Electronic Materials (IMLS reported) – This field will report be all annual expenditures for electronic (digital) materials. This would include direct purchase costs, consortia fees, digitization expenses and annual subscription costs where applicable. Types of electronic materials include e–books, audio and video downloadables, e–serials (including journals), government documents, databases (including locally mounted, full text or not) electronic files, reference tools, scores, maps, or pictures in electronic or digital format, including materials digitized by the library. Electronic materials can be accessed via a computer, via access to the Internet, or by using a portable device, such as an e–book reader, tablet or smartphone, and may be available via download or streaming. Include expenditures for materials held locally and for remote electronic materials for which permanent or temporary access rights have been acquired. Include expenditures for database licenses. If electronic materials are provided through a cooperative (such as MOLIB2GO), include the total amount the library expends to be a member of the cooperative.

5.09 Audio – Physical Materials - These are physical materials on which sounds (only) are stored (recorded) and that can be reproduced (played back) mechanically, electronically, or both. Include records, audiocassettes, audio cartridges, audio discs, (including audio–CD–ROM s), audio–reels, talking books, Playaways, and other sound recordings. Expenditures for downloadable, electronic audio files should be included under Electronic Materials.

5.10 Video – Physical Materials - Videos are physical materials on which moving pictures are recorded, with or without sound. Electronic playback reproduces pictures, with or without sound, using a television receiver or monitor. Video formats may include tape, DVD, CD–ROM, etc. Expenditures for downloadable, electronic video files should be included under Electronic Materials.

5.11 All Other Physical Materials in Library Collection – Circulating and non-circulating physical materials for patron use other than print books, physical audio units, physical video units, and serials. These are materials in a fixed, physical format and can include a variety of item types, including microfilm, microfiche, wi-fi hotspots, sewing machines, tablets, cake pans, tools, and materials in new formats or formats not included in the above.

5.14 Other Operating Expenditures - All expenditures other than those reported in 5.01-5.11 for staff and collections. Include expenses such as binding, supplies, postage, repair or replacement of existing furnishings and equipment; and costs of computer hardware, software, and subscriptions used to support library operations (automation systems) or to link to external networks, including the Internet (MOREnet fees). Report contracts for services, such as costs of operating and maintaining physical facilities (telephone, utilities, lease, insurance, etc.), and fees paid to a consultant, auditor, architect, attorney, etc.

5.16a Athletes and Entertainer Tax Funds Used During Reporting Year - Report the amount of the library’s Total Operating Expenditures during the reporting year that were from A&E funds. This total may or may not equal the total funds received during your fiscal year.

5.16b Equalization Tax Funds Used During Reporting Year - Report the amount of the library’s Total Operating Expenditures during the reporting year that were from Equalization funds. This total may or may not equal the total funds received during your fiscal year.

7.02 – 7.07 How do I know which age group a material should be reported in?

Age groupings will generally be reported based on your library’s own classification. Items shelved in children’s areas will be reported as children’s items, and items shelved in the adult section will be considered adult items. Your ILS should have an age designation within the bibliographic record and should be able to run collection reports based on these designations.

7.01 – 7.14 Should we report items housed in the library at the time of the report or any items the library owns? What about materials that patrons have checked out and never returned?

You will count the total items owned by your library. It should include all materials currently checked out, including items that may be overdue. If item records are still available in your cataloging system, they will be counted. Withdrawn items will not be counted.

7.01 – 7.14 Where do we count reference materials and other items that are only for onsite use?

All items will be counted in their appropriate format and age categories. Materials that are only for onsite use will still be counted in the appropriate category, with the exception of materials in 7.14, which will only be counted if they circulate outside of the library. Physical materials available for onsite patron use will be counted in the appropriate category.

7.08 Our library has YA fiction collections, but not nonfiction. How should we answer when asking where YA items are categorized?

The “N/A-Young Adult fiction/nonfiction” option should only be used if your library has both a YA fiction and YA nonfiction section within the library. If your library does not have dedicated collections for either YA nonfiction or fiction you will specify whether these items are kept with the adult or children’s collections.

7.12 Do Playaway audio devices count as electronic or physical materials?

These all-in-one units will be counted as a physical material. Even though it is technically a digital audio book, the patron is checking out a physical copy of an audio material.

7.14 Our library has non-accessioned items that can be taken by patrons without checking them out. We also give out books as prizes for certain children’s events, and give out take and make programming kits. Are any or all of these items included in the “other circulating items” category?

No, these items would not be counted as other circulating items. This category is for circulating items that are not in a format counted in other categories. To be counted within this category an item will need to be cataloged and have a set loan period. Any items that patrons do not check out and return will not be counted anywhere in library collections. Similarly items to be used only within the library will not be counted in this category either.

How do I determine if an electronic resource is a database, electronic collection, or online learning platform?

You can always consult the Guide to Counting Electronic Resources document for guidance on determining where items will be categorized, and to find a listing of where the most common resources are categorized. Generally, an electronic collection will consist almost solely of full-text materials that have a set circulation period for the patrons, and the library will pay for access to individual titles or pay per use. Databases usually allow for bibliographic searching and if full-text materials are provided they will not have a circulation period. Databases are usually purchased as a whole without purchasing individual items. Online learning platforms primarily provide instructional resources, which may be presented in a variety of formats (print, video, audio). These usually focus on teaching certain skills, or accomplishing specific tasks such as creating a resume or preparing for a standardized test. 

If one platform provides electronic access to multiple electronic material types (Ebooks, Eaudios, Evideos, Eserials) how should this be reported?

The majority of the electronic material reporting is simply asking for yes/no responses on whether your library provides any of a specific electronic material type. If one platform contains several material types, you can answer "yes" to all included material types. If the platform access is not from a consortia and the collection is purchased directly (not pay-per-use) then the collection totals for each material type will be reported in the library held electronic collections fields.

Some research databases may provide full text access to specific material types, such as EBSCO Ebook collections or being able to access full text serials through a resource like NewsBank. How do we report this in the electronic collections portion of the survey?

If the primary purpose of the resource is a research database, you will answer "yes" to the database portion of the survey. If that database also provides full text content that is intended to be utilized in a full text format you can also count that type of material in the electronic materials portion of the survey. If the full text content is primarily intended to be accessed piecemeal through the indexing and abstracting service it would not be reported outside of being a database. For example, if a database allows searching to bring up individual full-text articles from a serial, this would be counted as a research database. If that database also provides a simple way to view the full text of the entirety of an issue of that serial as the content was originally presented, it could also be counted as library owned or consortia electronic serials.

Our library does not provide access to any electronic resources, but the survey has auto-filled that we provide access to resources from the State Library. I am unable to change this, what should I do?

If your library website does not provide links to the resources provided free of charge from the State Library, please let Cory know and he can change the response on the survey. The State Library has recently begun to require hosting these resources on library websites as requisite to receive state assistance. If you do not have a website, or your current website is unable to host these materials, please contact the State Library and we can discuss providing website services through our PLOUD (Public Libraries in the Cloud) program. 

Print materials:

Print materials are non–serial printed publications (including music and maps) that are bound in hard or soft covers, or in loose–leaf format. Include non–serial government documents. Report the number of physical units, including duplicates. For smaller libraries, if volume data are not available, count the number of titles. Books packaged together as a unit (e.g., a 2–volume set) and checked out as a unit are counted as one physical unit.

7.01 Government Documents – Works published by federal, state or local government. These items may be in a variety of formats, but all printed materials published by government agencies will be reported here.

7.02 Adult Nonfiction – Print nonfiction materials classified as primarily for an adult audience. Factual materials, including reference works and bibliographies. Also include publications of music and maps that are bound in hard or soft covers, or in loose–leaf format. Do not include individual pieces of sheet music.

7.03 Young Adult Nonfiction - Print nonfiction materials classified as primarily for a young adult audience (generally considered to be 12-18). Will include factual print materials, including reference works and bibliographies. If your library does not classify or shelve materials using a young adult designation, this may be reported as zero.

7.04 Children’s Nonfiction - Print nonfiction materials classified as primarily for a children (generally considered to be ages 0-11). Will include factual print materials, including reference works and bibliographies.

7.05 Adult Fiction - Novels and short stories in the adult collection.

7.06 Young Adult Fiction - Novels and short stories in the classified as primarily for a young adult audience (generally considered to be 12-18). If your library does not classify or shelve materials using a young adult designation, this may be reported as zero.

7.07 Children’s Fiction - Novels and short stories in the classified as primarily for children (generally considered to be 0-11).

7.08 If the young adult materials are not counted as an independent category, which of the following categories include young adult materials? - If total YA nonfiction or fiction was reported as zero indicate whether the YA print materials are included in the adult or children’s totals. If YA materials are classified separately, you will respond “N/A Young Adult Fiction/Nonfiction”

7.09a Bound Serial Volumes – Number of volumes of bound serials. One bound serial volume may contain multiple single-issue periodicals bound into one volume and may be a year-long, or multi-year run. Do not count individual unbound back issues of periodicals.

7.09b Number of Print Serial Subscriptions - Report the number of current print serial subscriptions, including duplicates, for all outlets. Examples of serials are periodicals (magazines), newspapers, annuals, some government documents, some reference tools, and numbered monographic series. Count both purchased and donated subscriptions. List only the number of titles (including duplicates) —not the number of individual issues.

7.11 Microforms – Number of physical documents in microfilm or microfiche owned by the library.

7.12 Physical Audio Units - These are materials circulated in a fixed, physical format on which sounds (only) are stored (recorded) and that can be reproduced (played back) mechanically, electronically, or both. Include records, audiocassettes, audio cartridges, audio discs (including audio–CD–ROMs), audio–reels, talking books, Playaways, and other sound recordings. Do NOT include downloadable electronic audio files. Report the number of physical units, including duplicates. Items packaged together as a unit (i.e., two audiocassettes for one recorded book) and checked out as a unit are counted as one physical unit.

7.13 Physical Video Units - Videos are materials circulated in a fixed, physical format on which moving pictures are recorded, with or without sound. Electronic playback reproduces pictures, with or without sound, using a television receiver or computer monitor. Video formats may include tape, DVD, Blu-Ray and CD–ROM. Do NOT include downloadable electronic video titles. Report the number of physical units, including duplicates. Items packaged together as a unit and checked out as a unit are counted as one physical unit.

7.14 Other Circulating Physical Items - Report a single figure that includes the following: all circulating physical items other than print materials, physical audio units, physical video units, and serials reported in 7.01 – 7.13.

Report materials in a fixed, physical format available for use outside the library. These can include a variety of items types, such as wi-fi hotspots, sewing machines, cake pans, tools, etc. Report the number of units, including duplicates. Items packaged together as a unit (such as a set of cookie cutters) and checked out as a unit are counted as one physical unit. Do not include items that do not circulate outside of the library, such as laptops or other devices available for in-library use only.

Helpful Resources:

Electronic Materials

Electronic content is content that can be accessed online from an electronic device. For each material type you will report whether your library provided that material type through a variety of means (purchased directly by the library, provided by the State Library, or via a consortium or cooperative).

Reporting of the actual number of “library-held items”, will only report those electronic items that are purchased directly by the library. This will exclude pay-per-use, consortium, or subscription-based materials, and will only include items “owned” directly by the library similar to library-held print materials.

7.16a - 7.17d Electronic Books - E-books are the digital equivalent of printed books that may be accessed online from an electronic device. E-books also include e-comics. Do not consider resources available for free in the public domain when answering these questions.

7.18a - 7.18d Electronic Audio - E-audio are digital files of sound only (e.g., audiobooks, music) that may be accessed online from an electronic device. Do not consider resources available for free in the public domain when answering these questions.

7.19a - 7.19d Electronic Video  - E-videos are digital files of moving visual images with or without sound (e.g., movies, television shows) that may be accessed online from an electronic device. Do not consider resources available for free in the public domain when answering these questions.

7.20a - 7.20c Electronic Serials - E-serials are periodic digital publications equivalent to printed newspapers, magazines, and similar media that are viewed as entire issues rather than as single articles returned from a research query. Do not consider resources available for free in the public domain when answering these questions.

7.21a - 7.21d Research Databases - Research databases are organized collections of electronic data or records (e.g., facts, abstracts, articles, bibliographic data, texts, photographs) that can be searched to retrieve information. Do not consider resources available for free when answering these questions.

7.22a - 7.22c Online Learning Platforms - Online learning platforms primarily provide instruction, tools, and resources to enhance education, lifelong learning, and skill building. Platforms may offer homework assistance, language learning, test preparation, professional development, resume assistance, hobby instruction, etc. Do not consider resources available for free when answering these questions.

8.01a Traffic was counted for a portion of the year, but not all. Should I report the traffic as an annual count or an estimate?

If an actual count was used for the vast majority of the year, traffic will be reported as an annual count. If there were long periods of time (generally greater than two weeks) where actual counts were not collected and were estimated from count data, then visits will be reported as an estimate. You may need to use your best discretion in making this determination.

8.02a Our library does not have designated OPACs, but patrons often use public internet computers to look up items. How should this use be counted?

Use of these computers will still be counted in 8.02a as a use of a public internet computer. It is unreasonable a library would be able to determine exactly what all patrons are using internet computers for each time they are used. Additionally, they may be using the computer for the catalog as well as other services.

8.02a Is there any specific length of time that should qualify as a computer use? If a patron uses a computer for several hours should that count as multiple uses?

You will only count the number of times a patron uses a computer regardless of the length of time. However, if your library is using tracking software to count logins and the computer has a time limit, it is acceptable to count each additional login as a new session.

8.03a How do I know how many times devices connected to our wireless network? Are there instructions for obtaining this information?

This will be device specific. Most wireless routers will have an administrative login that will allow you to access some level of use statistics for the device. How detailed the information is and for what length of time it is collected will vary by device. For those devices where an annual count is unavailable, you may use weekly counts, or daily counts for a week’s time, to create an estimate for annual use. Instructions on how to obtain this information should be available from the device manufacturer. MOREnet members may be able to contact MOREnet for assistance on pulling this information from their devices.

8.04a Do we count reference transactions as the number of patrons we answer questions for, or the total number of questions answered?

Reference transactions will be the total number of questions answered, not the number of individuals asking questions. One patron interaction may involve multiple reference questions.

8.06 Should I count registered users who have not used the library in some time? How do I know if a patron is still an active registered user?

Libraries should periodically purge records that have not been used. If a patron record has had no activity for three years, it should be purged and removed from the total count. If patrons have active bills or checked out materials that would mean the record needs to be retained by your library, these older records should still be removed from the total registered user count in some way.

8.08 – 8.10 Our library uses auto-renewals on library items. Does an automatic renewal still count as a circulation?

Annual circulation counts both checkouts and renewals. Auto-renewals will count the same as a manual renewal and will be included in total circulation counts. Please remember to also report that your library does provide automatic renewals in 8.07.

8.08 – 8.10c If a library item does not have an age designation where should its circulation be counted?

By default, materials without an age designation will be counted as an adult circulation. This is more common in electronic materials than in physical items, as some electronic platforms do not break out circulation by age group. Be aware that many physical items that would be cataloged without an age designation will fall into the category of “other circulating item” and should be counted in 8.08d instead of by age group in 8.08a, 8.08b, or 8.08c.

8.08b Our library does not have a young adult section. What should I report here?

If you do not have a classification for young adult materials you will report zero circulation in this category and count circulation by the age group the material is classified in. If it does not have an age designation it will be counted as an adult item by default.

8.08d Our library “checks out” devices to be used by patrons within the library. Does this circulation count here, or do the items have to be checked out to use outside the library?

Materials borrowed for internal use should not be counted in the overall circulation figures. Ideally total circulation would only count items that circulate outside of the library, not intended for in-library use only.

8.10a-d Do we count circulation of electronic materials provided through a consortia and/or pay-per-use items here, or only circulation of library held materials as reported in 7.16b, 7.18b, 7.19b and 7.20b?

You will count use of all circulating electronic materials in this section, regardless of if those materials came from a consortia or are purchased directly by your library. This will also include pay-per-use items. In this case, one use will count as one circulation. If you are reporting circulation of consortia materials, please only report circulation of materials by your library's patrons, not circulation for the whole of the consortia.

8.10a-d If we have a database that also contains full-text Ebooks, Eaudio, Evideo, or Eserials, do we count that materials use in the electronic circulation section?

Use of these materials is generally not reported here, as this section is asking specifically about circulation of electronic materials. Circulation means that the material is checked out by the patron for a set amount of time. This will mean that the material is available to the patron for a set amount of time, may be unavailable to others during the time of use, and/or the library pays each time a patron uses that specific item. If the database has a method for checking out full-text materials to a patron, then its use will be counted as electronic circulation in 8.10a-d.

8.13 – 8.14 Our library is a member of a consortia and/or has a reciprocal lending agreement with another library system using a shared catalog. Are items borrowed between libraries within a consortium or using a shared catalog counted as interlibrary loans?

Yes, all items borrowed or lent between library districts using any of these means would still be counted as an interlibrary loan and counted in this section. Any time an item is physically or electronically transferred from one library system to another it would be counted (with the exception of truly shared collections such as MOLIB2GO.) If you are using a shared catalog to facilitate borrowing with other libraries you will need to make sure to check 8.18c to show you use a shared catalog to facilitate interlibrary loans.

8.01 Annual Number of Library Visits - Total number of persons entering the library for whatever purpose during the year. If an actual count of visits is unavailable, determine an annual estimate by counting visits during a typical week and multiplying the count by total weeks open for the year. A “typical week” is a time that is neither unusually busy nor unusually slow. Avoid holidays, vacation periods for key staff, or days when unusual events are taking place in the community or the library. Choose a week in which the library is open its regular hours. The estimate should be gathered from seven consecutive days.

8.02 Annual Number of Uses of Public Internet Computers - Report the total number of uses or sessions for Internet computers owned by the library during the last year. A user who uses the library’s public internet computer(s) three times in a year would count as three uses. If the computer is used by patrons for multiple purposes and the Internet uses cannot be isolated, report all usage. If an actual count of public computer use is unavailable, determine an annual estimate by counting use during a typical week and multiplying the count by weeks open during the year. A “typical week” is a time that is neither unusually busy nor unusually slow. Avoid holidays, vacation periods for key staff, or days when unusual events are taking place in the community or the library. Choose a week in which the library is open its regular hours. The estimate should be gathered from seven consecutive days.

Remember – This count should include only library–owned Internet access computers. Do not include Wi–Fi uses by non–library owned computers

8.03 Annual Number of Wireless Sessions - 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. This information can usually be obtained through an administrative login to the wireless network/router.

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.

8.04 Number of Reference Transactions  - 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. See full instructions included in the survey for further details.

8.05 Number of Registered Users - A registered user is a library user who has applied for and received an identification number or card from the public library that has established conditions under which the user may borrow library materials and gain access to other library resources. Report total number of active registered users. Files should have been purged within the past three (3) years.

Please remember for all circulation totals, this will include total circulations and renewals for library items in all formats.

8.07 Automatic Renewals - Automatic renewals use the Integrated Library System (ILS) to renew materials automatically without any patron action. Answer yes if your library incorporates automatic renewals on any circulating physical materials.

8.08a - c Circulation of Adult Physical Materials - The total annual circulation of physical adult materials of all types, including renewals. This would include circulating print monograms and serials, audio, and video materials. All other circulating physical materials will be reported in the “other physical circulation” category.  Note: Count all materials in all formats that are charged out for use outside the library. Interlibrary loan transactions included are only items borrowed for users. Do not include items checked out to another library. Report all items by the age group designated in the item record. Children’s materials are generally considered to be intended for ages 0 – 11, young adult materials for ages 12-18, and adult materials for those over 18 years of age. If unable to break down circulation by age group, report physical circulation in the adult materials category.

8.08d Other Physical Circulation - Circulation of all physical items other than print books, physical audio units, physical video units, and serials, including renewals. These are materials in a fixed, physical format available for use outside the library. These can include a variety of items types, such as wi-fi hotspots, sewing machines, cake pans, tools, telescopes, board games, video games, etc. Circulation of any item reported in field 7.14 “other circulating physical items” will be reported here. Circulation will be reported in this category regardless of age group.

8.10a E-Book Circulation - Total annual circulation of electronic adult books to all patrons, including renewals. E-books are the digital equivalent of printed books that may be accessed online from an electronic device. E-books also include e-comics. Include library held, consortia held, and qualified non-library held electronic materials.

8.10b E-Audio Circulation - Total annual circulation of electronic audio materials to all patrons, including renewals. E-audio are digital files of sound only (e.g., audiobooks, music) that may be accessed online from an electronic device. Include library held, consortia held, and qualified non–library held electronic materials.

8.10c E-Video Circulation - Total annual circulation of electronic videos to all patrons, including renewals. E-videos are digital files of moving visual images (e.g., movies, television shows) with or without sound that may be accessed online from an electronic device. Include library held, consortia held, and qualified non–library held electronic materials.

8.10d E-Serial Circulation -Total annual circulation of electronic serials to all patrons, including renewals. E-serials are periodic digital publications equivalent to printed newspapers, magazines, and similar media that are viewed as entire issues rather than as single articles returned from a research query. Include library held, consortia held, and qualified non–library held electronic materials.

8.13 – 8.14 Interlibrary Loan - Materials (or copies of materials) provided or received by one autonomous library to another upon request. The libraries involved in interlibrary loans are not under the same library administration. These data are to be reported as annual figures. Libraries part of the same consortium should include all loans within the consortia in this as an interlibrary loan as well. Autonomous libraries with lending agreements and shared catalogs will also report all library materials received or provided to another autonomous libraries as an interlibrary loan.

Libraries will also report how they request interlibrary loan materials from other libraries. Please select all methods that apply to your library and have been used within the last year.

Do we count library programs held that had zero attendance?

A library program must have more than one attendee in order to be counted on the survey. The assumption is that a program with zero attendees would not occur as there would be no reason to go forward with an event with no attendees. A program with one attendee would be a one on one session which does not qualify as a program by IMLS definitions. If planned programs have no attendance they will not be reported on the survey.

8.15 – 8.19 When reporting by age group should we report attendees by age or by the program they are attending. Should adults that bring their children to a children’s storytime be counted in attendance at synchronous adult programs, or attendance at synchronous children’s programs?

All attendance will be reported by the intended age group of the program itself, not the age of attendees. If a program is intended for an audience age 0-5, but has adults and older siblings attending, all attendees regardless of age, will be reported in the total attendance in the early literacy 0-5 range. Likewise, a program intended for adults who may bring their children along will have all attendees, regardless of age, recorded in attendance at adult programs.

8.15 – 8.19 Should all programs that have a mixture of attendees from different age groups always be counted as general interest programs?

General attendance programs are programs intended to appeal to all age groups that do not have a specific targeted age group. The intended audience is key. A true general interest program will be intended to appeal to attendees of all ages, including adults. If a program is intended for youth but with an audience that would maybe include early literacy, children, and young adults, it would be counted in the age group that most fits. General interest programs should be intended for all age groups in a given family.

8.22a We held a library program on the grounds of the library, but it was held outside the physical building. Would this be counted as an onsite or offsite program?

A program will only be counted as an offsite program if it is held off of library property. Programs held in outdoor spaces, but still at a library branch will still be counted as an onsite program.

If our library pre-records program content, but holds live events to show this content is this a synchronous or asynchronous virtual program?

A program is considered synchronous if there is the opportunity for real-time interactions between a presenter and the audience. If programs are pre-recorded, but moderated in real-time by a presenter it would be considered a synchronous virtual program.

Our library has children’s activities set up that patrons can complete on their own at any time. Would these be counted as children’s programs on the survey?

Passive programming does not fit the current IMLS definitions for library programming. In order to be counted as a library program, the event must be a planned event held at a specific time that allows for real-time interaction between attendees and a presenter. These types of passive programs do not fit those criteria. Asynchronous virtual programs are counted on the survey, but are reported separately from total synchronous programming for this very reason.

8.24b When holding live virtual programs, there will often be multiple people watching a program or participating using a single device (for example parents and their children participating in a virtual storytime using one computer). In this case do we count the total number of devices connected, or the total number of participants we can see on the screen?

For simplicity and consistency, it is easier to only count the number of devices or views of the program than to attempt to determine how many individuals are actually watching on each device. If you are easily able to determine that multiple viewers are watching through a single device you could add those additional viewers to the total attendance count for that program. However, you should not attempt to estimate the number of viewers for each device connected to your program. Generally, all individual devices connected will be counted as a single attendee.

8.15a – 8.15b Synchronous Adult Programs and Attendance - An adult program session is any planned event for which the primary audience is adults age 19 or older. Examples of these types of program sessions include, but are not limited to, book discussions, citizenship classes, and lectures. Each program session should only be counted in one age category based on its primary target audience. Exclude asynchronous programming, such as circulating take–home activity kits or recorded virtual programs.

8.16a – 8.16b Synchronous Early Literacy Programs and Attendance - A program session targeted at children ages 0-5 is any planned event for which the primary audience is infants, toddlers, or preschool-age children. Examples of these types of program sessions include, but are not limited to, story hours, every child ready to read programs, musical or sing-along events, and puppet shows. Include program sessions aimed at children ages 0-5 even if adult caregivers also attend. Each program session should only be counted in one age category based on its primary target audience. Exclude asynchronous programming, such as circulating take–home activity kits or recorded virtual programs.

8.17a – 8.17b Synchronous Children’s Programs and Attendance - A program session targeted at children ages 6-11 is any planned event for which the primary audience is elementary-school-age children. Examples of these types of program sessions include, but are not limited to, story hours, science events, crafting classes, and summer reading events. Include program sessions aimed at children ages 6-11 even if adult caregivers also attend with the children. Each program session should only be counted in one age category based on its primary target audience. Exclude asynchronous programming, such as circulating take–home activity kits or recorded virtual programs.

8.18a – 8.18b Synchronous Young Adult Programs and Attendance - A young adult program session is any planned event for which the primary audience is young adults ages 12 to 18 years. Examples of these types of program sessions include, but are not limited to, book clubs, college prep programs, teen tech or gaming clubs, and summer reading events. Each program session should only be counted in one age category based on its primary target audience. Exclude asynchronous programming, such as circulating take–home activity kits or recorded virtual programs.

8.19a – 8.19b Synchronous General Interest Programs and Attendance - A general interest program session is any planned event that is appropriate for any age group or multiple age groups. Include all-age, all-library, family, and intergenerational program sessions. Examples of these types of program sessions include, but are not limited to, family game nights, holiday events, storytelling programs, or chess clubs. Include all programs here that do not fit into the other age category elements. Each program session should only be counted in one age category based on its primary target audience; do not include program sessions here that have already been counted in earlier age category elements. Avoid including program sessions that are targeted at more than one non-adult age category (and are not targeted at adults); these should be counted in the child or young adult age category that best represents the target audience. Exclude asynchronous programming, such as circulating take–home activity kits or recorded virtual programs.

 Program reporting by type is specific to synchronous programs already reported by age group. The total number of programs and total attendance reported for in-person onsite, in-person offsite, and synchronous virtual programs must match the total programs and attendees reported by age group.

8.22a – 8.22b In-Person Onsite Programs and Attendance - An in-person onsite program session is any planned event that includes an in-person attendance option and takes place at library facilities. Examples include, but are not limited to, a job skills class in the library or a nature program on the library grounds. Regardless of the number of formats in which a program session is offered, each program session should only be counted once and in one format category. Include in-person program sessions that also have a virtual attendance option and count them as a single program session.

8.23a- 8.23b In-Person Offsite Programs and Attendance - An in-person offsite program session is any planned event that includes an in-person attendance option and takes place somewhere other than the library or the library grounds. Examples include, but are not limited to, facilitating a book club at a local nursing home, hosting a storytime at a local farmer’s market, or visiting a school to present about library services. Regardless of the number of formats in which a program session is offered, each program session should only be counted once and in one format category. Include in-person program sessions that also have a virtual attendance option and count them as a single program session.

8.24a – 8.24b Synchronous Virtual Programs - A synchronous (live) virtual program session is any planned event that is streamed virtually and can be viewed live as it progresses (i.e., live-streaming). Regardless of the number of formats in which a program session is offered, each program session should only be counted once and in one format category. Include virtual program sessions that are also recorded. Include program sessions hosted on Facebook Premiere that are facilitated by a staff member. Count virtual program sessions at the administrative entity level; do not duplicate numbers at each branch. Exclude program sessions that also have an in-person component; these should be counted under in-person onsite programs Sessions or in-person offsite programs.

For attendance, count each participant device connected to a virtual program as a single attendee. For program sessions hosted on Facebook Live, YouTube Live, or similar platforms, count peak concurrent viewers. For those hosted on videoconferencing platforms, count the maximum number of non-staff participants during the session. For virtual program sessions that are also recorded for later, on-demand, asynchronous viewing, exclude views that occur after the session has ended; these should be counted under Total Views of Asynchronous Program Presentations. For program sessions that also have an in-person component, exclude in-person attendance; this should be counted

Of those programs reported by age and type:

8.27 How many programs were specifically for seniors - Report the total number of programs of those already reported that were specifically targeted towards older adults.

8.28 How many were ESOL, ESL, or ELL courses - Report the total number of programs held for any age group that specifically focused on literacy and language skills for English for Speakers of Other Languages, English as a Second Language or English Language Learners.

8.29 How many were literacy-focused programs – Report the total number of programs held for any age group that specifically focused on literacy skills. Common examples would be story hours and summer reading programs, but any literacy focused program would be counted here.

Other Program Types:

8.31a – 8.30b Asynchronous virtual programs and attendance - An asynchronous program presentation is any recording of program content that cannot be viewed live as it unfolds (i.e., on-demand streaming). Only include program presentations posted during the reporting period. Regardless of the number of platforms on which a presentation is posted, count each unique presentation only once. Include program sessions hosted on Facebook Premiere that are not facilitated by a staff member. Count asynchronous program presentations at the administrative entity level; do not duplicate numbers at each branch. Include recordings of synchronous program sessions that were available for asynchronous viewing after the session ended.

The count of views of asynchronous program presentations for a period of thirty (30) days after the presentation was posted, even if that period extends beyond the survey reporting period (or fiscal year). For program presentations made available via Facebook, count unique 1-minute views of each video. For those made available via other platforms, count unique views of each video. For program presentations that are recordings of synchronous virtual program sessions, exclude synchronous attendance.

NOTE: Program presentations and attendance for asynchronous virtual programs will not be included in synchronous program totals reported by age and type. If a recording of a synchronous program is later reposted as a recording it will be counted independently as one occurrence of a synchronous program and one instance of an asynchronous program with separate attendance and view totals.

8.30c Number of Take-Home Activity Kits Provided - Take–home activity kits are pre–made kits provided by the library containing interactive activities that patrons can use to participate in programming in a non–library setting.

Program Partners – For each type of program partner select yes or no based on whether your library partnered with outside organizations for any of the listed types. In provided boxes list those partner organizations.

9.07 – 9.08 How do I know what my internet connection speed is?

Usually when contracting out for internet service, an expected bandwidth will be given by the service provider. This would be the number reported here. For MOREnet members you can contact help@more.net for assistance in finding your internet connection speed. If no other information is available you can test your internet connection speed through your internet browser, but this will often differ from the predicted speed from your service provider. If testing this way, you may take multiple measurements at different portions of the day and average the totals.

9.09a -9.09b Our library has laptops and/or tablets for in library use. Would these items be counted here?

If an item is checked out to the patron it will be counted here. If the item is available for in library use without circulating the device to the patron it will not be counted.

9.10 Our library has computers set up to access specific databases that are licensed to those devices. Would those computers be counted under internet access computers?

Computers set up for a dedicated purpose such as connection to the library’s catalog or a specific database would not be counted here. However, if that computer is mainly used for general internet access, but also has a licensed database that can be used by that computer it may be counted as an internet access computer. The determination is based on the primary purpose of that device.

9.11a How do we determine if our computer area qualifies as a computer lab?

A computer lab is primarily intended to be an area to provide computer and technology training to the public. If the primary purpose of an area is computer training it will be considered a computer lab. If the primary purpose of an area is to provide general computer access to the public it will not be counted as a computer lab. Computers in a computer lab will not be counted with the total number of internet access computers reported in 9.10a.

9.10a Are the young adult and children’s computers reported in 9.10b and 9.10c included in the total for 9.10a?

Yes, 9.10a will include all internet access computers and will include the totals for children’s and YA dedicated computers reported in 9.10b and 9.10c.

9.01 – 9.04 Library Automation System – This section will report the software system you are currently using for your library’s automation (integrated library system). Last year’s results will be pre-populated and you will only need to make changes if your system has changed in the last year. You will also report if your library upgraded the ILS or performed any other significant technology upgrades in the last year.

9.05 – 9.08 Internet Access – Libraries will report their internet access provider, current bandwidth and related information.

9.09a – 9.09c Technology Lending – Indicate the total number of devices (not total circulation) available for patron loan for your library. Only count items that are circulated to patrons in some way.

9.10a- 9.10c Internet Access Computers - 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) or purposes. This figure should EXCLUDE computers in labs that are regularly used for training classes, or laptops in mobile labs that are stored away during most hours of operation.

All computers will be reported in 9.10a, and the subset of those computers in children’s or young adult areas of the library will be reported in 9.10b and 9.10c.

9.11 – 9.12 Computer Labs and Training - A computer lab is primarily intended to be an area to provide computer and technology training to the public. If the primary purpose of an area is computer training it will be considered a computer lab. Computers listed as part of a training lab will not be counted in total internet access computers in 9.10a – 9.10c.