LISU Annual Library Statistics 1998; Featuring Trend Analysis of UK Public and Academic Libraries 1987‐97. Including Public Library Statistics Reports, 12

Citation

Calvert, P. (1999), "LISU Annual Library Statistics 1998; Featuring Trend Analysis of UK Public and Academic Libraries 1987‐97. Including Public Library Statistics Reports, 12", Asian Libraries, Vol. 8 No. 5, pp. 187-188. https://doi.org/10.1108/al.1999.8.5.187.12

The Library and Information Statistics Unit (LISU) has established a reputation for thorough and accurate compilations of data originating from, and relevant to, libraries in the UK. This annual collection includes data from public, academic, national, special and school libraries. In fact, it seems that LISU have adopted a new publishing policy with this volume by including data previously published separately as the Public Library Statistics Report, the Academic Book Prices Report, its US book prices equivalent, and other similar outputs. It means that library managers, students and researchers now have all these data in one convenient publication.

There are five major sections: basic statistics (demographics, inflation, price indices), public library statistics, higher education statistics, a combined section for national, special and school libraries, and a final section of miscellaneous statistics such as price trends for periodicals and books, book trade statistics, library users and book buyers, and public lending right results.

Much of the value of large data sets such as this volume lies in trend analysis, so most tables show the figures for at least the last ten years. Among the tables and graphs are numerous short pieces of text written by LISU staff that analyse the trends found in the data. These short pieces are written so clearly that even librarians claiming innumeracy will be able to understand them. Unfortunately, almost all the observations about trends make gloomy reading, except perhaps for the ones showing library managers’ ability to increase revenue by charging for services.

It seems to become harder each year to maintain the integrity of the data sets. For example, changes in the governance of public libraries (this year the unitary authorities have made a huge impact) and the recent establishment of many new universities have made it hard to keep data sets consistent. Add to this a reluctance to supply data in the competitive environment of higher education, and the problems for LISU start to mount. The writers point out that a lot of their time is spent chasing missing or apparently erroneous data. They also need to make adjustments to data sets to keep them complete, and they apparently have a methodology for filling gaps as they arise.

There is value to Asian librarians in this volume. It sets a fine example of the way to collect and present large sets of data from libraries. It also gives very useful data for managers wishing to compare the performance of their library to that of others. This is the stage of formal benchmarking that enables managers to examine strengths and weaknesses of their organisations, and plan and lobby for future developments. Larger collections of LIS material should purchase a copy.