This guide has been updated as of April 5, 2022, and has up-to-date information and FAQs about the 2022 report. Please use the menu on the left to navigate through the various sections of the report instructions.
Important dates:
An announcement with instructions for how to complete the 2022 report using our new platform will be emailed to all Oregon public library directors, or to staff who completed the 2021 report, by July 15, 2022.
A a complete set of these instructions is available as a PDF below, along with a PDF version of the report form to help with data gathering. You can also print any page of this guide using the Print Page link at the bottom of each page.
Brand new questions and their definitions/guidance are labeled with this fancy "new" icon. Here's a list of all the new questions for 2022 along with brief rationale:
211 Number of full-time permanent positions (37.5 hours/week or more). Our existing (FTE) staffing questions are important, but we are seeking more granularity about the number of actual positions at each library, which the FTE numbers can obscure.
212 Number of part-time permanent positions between 20 and 37.5 hours/week. See above.
213 Number of part-time permanent positions (less than 20 hours/week). See above.
214 Number of temporary or on-call positions. See above.
533b Number of Spanish language items (digital). We are splitting out Spanish-language items into two questions this year: 533a (physical) and 533b (digital).
780 Number of self-directed activities. This is a great place to report take-&-make kits, passive programs, etc.
781 Number of participants in self-directed activities. See above.
Tell us something you're proud of! We'll have an optional free-text space where you can brag about your hard work!
Include a photo of your library. Optional. Please upload a photo of your library. An outdoor photo of your building's main façade is preferred but interior views are okay, too. If your library has multiple branches, please upload a photo of your main or central branch.
Existing questions that have been updated or which have new definitions/guidance can be found with this cool animated gif. Rationale for each change follows each updated question below.
111 Was there a (geographic) boundary change in the legal service area in the last year? We have reverted this question back to being self-reported (rather than pre-filled by the State Library) to catch any boundary changes we were not already aware of.
113 Has the library or any of its branches moved or had a change of address in the last year? We have reverted this question back to being self-reported (rather than pre-filled by the State Library) to catch any changes of address we were not already aware of.
203 Total librarians (in FTE). This question was previously auto-summed from Question 201 (ALA/MLS librarians) and Question 202 (Other Librarians). We've removed Question 202 this year so libraries can still report ALA/MLS librarians in Question 201 and all librarian positions in Question 203.
406 Total expenditures on print materials. We are no longer separating our expenditures on print periodicals. Report expenditures on ALL print materials here (previously auto-summed from Question 404 (Book Expenditures) and Question 405 (Periodical Expenditures)).
533a Number of Spanish language items (physical). We are asking to have Spanish-language items split into two questions this year: 533a (physical) and 533b (digital).
601 Successful Retrievals from Statewide Electronic Resources. Due to differences in how some libraries track usage of our Statewide Databases, these will revert back from being pre-filled to self-reported.
650 Items loaned to another library using the same shared catalog or integrated library system. We have changed the language of this question to distinguish resource-sharing situations from "true" interlibrary loans. The criteria for reporting this number has not changed.
653 Items borrowed from another library using a shared catalog or integrated library system. We have changed the language of this question to distinguish resource-sharing situations from "true" interlibrary loans. The criteria for reporting this number has not changed.
768 - Total Views of Recorded Program Presentations within 30 Days. Last year, the period for counting views of recorded content was seven (7) days. This has now been extended to the first 30 days after a presentation is posted online.
901 Daily overdue fine for adult materials. This is now simply a Yes/No question.
902 Daily overdue fine for children's materials. This is now simply a Yes/No question.
903 Daily overdue fine for young adult materials. Formerly, we asked for the daily fine amount for "other" material types (Library of Things, etc.) We are now asking whether your library charges overdue fines for Young Adult materials. This is a Yes/No question.
In 2019, the Oregon legislature passed HB 2243 which:
The State Library of Oregon uses several data elements collected through the annual Oregon Public Library Statistical Report to help inform our review process of these minimum conditions, and these elements are identified throughout this guide with this blue exclamation point icon. For more information on Minimum Conditions for Public Libraries, please see our guide or contact Darci Hanning, Public Libraries Consultant, with questions.
The following questions have been removed from this year's Oregon Public Library Statistical Report. Rationale for these decisions follow each element.
112 Oregon Congressional District. We have realized this information is better tracked through other means. Some libraries serve multiple districts, and with the creation of the new district (#6) this year, it seemed like a good time to removed this element from the survey.
117 Number of Other Service Outlets. Interpretation of this data element varies too widely to provide concrete meaning, and the State Library has not been using this data in any substantive way.
202 Other (non-ALA/MLS) Librarians (FTE). This statistic can now be deduced from Total Librarians - ALA/MLS Librarians.
208 Library Board. This data will be tracked through other means.
307 Does your library participate in E-Rate? We have found more authoritative data on E-Rate discounts and participation is available via USAC E-Rate datasets.
404 Books and Print Materials Expenditures. All print materials expenditures now reported in 406 Total Print Expenditures.
405 Periodicals Expenditures. All print materials expenditures now reported in 406 Total Print Expenditures.
703 Children's Programs. Now split into 751 (Live Program Sessions for Children Ages 0-5) and 753 (Live Program Sessions for Children Ages 6-11).
704 Children's Program Attendance. Now split into 752 (Attendance at Live Programs for Children Ages 0-5) and 754 (Attendance at Live Programs for Children Ages 6-11).
705 Young Adults' Programs. Replaced with 755 (Live Program Sessions for Young Adults Ages 12-18).
706 Young Adults' Programs Attendance. Replaced with 756 (Attendance at Live Program Sessions for Young Adults Ages 12-18).
707 Number of Programs for Adults or Multi Generational Audiences. Now split between 757 (Live Program Sessions for Adults Age 19 or Older) and 759 (Live General Interest Program Sessions).
708 Number of Programs for Adults or Multi Generational Audiences Attendance. Now split between 758 (Attendance at Live Programs for Adults Age 19 or Older) and 760 (Attendance at Live General Interest Programs).
907 Annual fee for non-resident patrons (household).
CV16 - Other information about COVID-19 pandemic?
This winter, we put out an informal, non-binding, optional survey of Oregon public library directors asking about a handful of proposed changes to the Statistical Report. The responses were heartily in support of adding the additional staffing questions to Part 2 and self-directed activities questions in Part 7.
We also asked about reducing the reporting burden through two other proposals:
While the majority of respondents in favor of both proposals, some comments respondents provided gave us some additional insight which caused us to put the brakes on making changes in these areas. We may revisit these proposed changes again in the future, but for 2022 the questions will remain. Survey results are available in the PDF below.
The full Oregon Public Library Statistical Report data from 2021 is now posted on the State Library of Oregon's website, and the majority of this dataset has been submitted to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), to be released with their national Public Library Survey (PLS) data at a later date.
Our 2021 Snapshot features key data points and library service measures from the 2021 Oregon Public Library Statistical Report (data gathered and reported for the July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 period). It is meant to provide libraries with an easy (and printable!), at-a-glance visualization of some key data. It does not display all data from the Statistical Report. Click the image to explore the dashboard!
A snapshot with 2020 Oregon Public Library Statistical Report data is also available here.
