New Report: “National Statistical and Values Profile of Canadian Libraries”

New from the Canadian Library Association:

CLA is pleased to launch the National Statistical and Values Profile of Canadian Libraries. CLA Executive Council, under past-President Karen Adams, commissioned this research to provide CLA members with a current comprehensive overview of the activities of libraries in Canada. The statistics are supported by a compilation of statements from a wide variety of sources on the value that Canada’s libraries bring to society.

From the Introduction of the Report:

The goal of the project was to produce a Canadian snapshot of library data and library meaning for use in CLA’s national advocacy role with elected officials at every level of public affairs, community leaders, government policy makers, and library partners including library user communities and the general public. Information from the report will also be shared on the CLA Web site for all to use selectively as judged relevant to local advocacy and marketing efforts.

The Report Includes Six Recommendations:

• Enhanced dialogue and sharing of ideas
• Common operational definitions for valid, reliable, inclusive data, especially in
  the area of e-measures
• Economic benefits and return on investment
• Open Access Clearinghouse
• Value propositions
• Regular statistical and values data capture and reporting

Fast Facts About Canadian Libraries From the 35 Page Report

• 360 million visits were made in person to public, academic, and school libraries across Canada
  • 164 million visits were to public libraries
  • 88 million visits were to academic libraries o 108 million visits were to school libraries

• 69 million electronic database sessions were conducted by library users in public, academic, and national special libraries across Canada
  • 18 million sessions by public library users
  • 31 million sessions by academic library users
  • 20 million sessions by national special library users

• 590 million publications were borrowed for off-site use or consulted on site by library users in public, academic, national special (CISTI, LAC, LofP), and school libraries across Canada (including more than 5 million interlibrary loan transactions, both to and from institutions)
  • 362 million uses of public library items, of which 15% were on site
  • 33 million uses of academic library items, of which 24% were on site
  • 168,000 uses of national special library items, of which 37% were on site o 194 million uses of school library items (off-site only)

• 478 million publications, both print and electronic, were owned or leased by public, academic, national special, and school libraries across Canada
  • 101 million items by public libraries
  • 212 million items by academic libraries
  • 60 million items by national special libraries
  • 105 million items by school libraries

• 25 million questions were asked by library users in all public and academic libraries across Canada
  • 21.8 million questions by public library users
  • 3.6 million questions by academic library users

• 8 million library users attended 386,000 programs held by public and academic libraries across Canada
  • 7 million attended 351,000 public library programs
  • 1 million attended 35,000 academic library programs

• 37,000 staff (FTE) provided user services and products through 19,000 service points managed by 16,000 public, academic, national special, and school libraries across Canada
  • 16,000 staff worked in 3,400 service points managed by 1,700 public libraries
  • 8,000 staff worked in 700 service points managed by 200 academic libraries
  • 2,000 staff worked in 7 service points managed by 3 national special libraries
  • 11,000 staff worked in 14,500 service points managed by 14,500 school libraries

• 20 million service hours per year were available in public, academic, national special, and school libraries to the people of Canada in all walks of life (397,000 hours per week for 50 weeks)
  • 3 million hours per year in public libraries (61,000 hours per week for 50 weeks) o 3 million hours per year in academic libraries (62,000 hours per week for 50 weeks)
  • 14,000 hours per year in national special libraries (268 hours per week for 50 weeks)
  • 14 million hours per year in school libraries (380,000 hours per week for 36 weeks)

• $3.5 billion were invested in services, products, and capital assets in public, academic, national special, and school libraries across Canada, of which $2.1 billion went to staff and $558 million to library collection acquisitions and database subscriptions
  • $1.5 billion were invested in public libraries, $925 million for staff and $159 million for collections
  • $952 million were invested in academic libraries, $507 million for staff and $332 million for collections
  • $197 million in national special libraries, $136 million for staff and $11 million for collections
  • $896 million in school libraries, $561 million for staff and $56 million for collections

Direct To Full Text Report (35 pages; PDF)
Also Materials Released by the Canadian Library Association

• National Statistical Profile
• National Values Profile

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Data Files, Libraries, News, Open Access, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries, School Libraries, Special Libraries