New programming questions for the annual survey

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Dear Director,

I want to let you know of some major changes in how we collect programming statistics for the annual survey. I normally don’t announce changes ahead of time, but in this case, there are so many changes that I felt that I had to let you know. Starting July 1, 2021, I recommend that you begin counting the following programming related data. This new data is something that IMLS, our federal agency, is asking for. When we make these changes to the annual survey we will remain consistent with programming data collected nationwide.  I know this is a long list, so if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I plan to add these questions into next year's survey for FY22. They will not be in the upcoming survey for this current year.

Please note that we do not expect libraries to begin new programs. This is a new way of counting existing programs that libraries already offer. The way you answer these new questions will have no bearing on your current or future accreditation status.

There are a couple of changes in the audience sections. We have broken the children’s section into two specific age categories. The Age 0-5 category was created to account for pre-literacy programming. If you have children’s programs that are more general in age and could cover the full 0-11 range, report them under the 6-11 category.

The other new difference in audience is that we have broken the “General Interest” programs out of the adult category.

A general interest program is a program that appeals to a wide audience from children to adults such as a family movie night intended for anyone.

An adult program is a program intended specifically for adults aged 19+ and not suitable or of interest to children or young adults. An example is a retirement education program for older adults.

The definition of “program sessions” has undergone a major revision. Here are short definitions for each new category:

In-Person Onsite Program Sessions: These are traditional library programs. They are programs with people in attendance on library grounds. This would include inside the library building, any attached or detached meeting rooms, attached outside grounds, or any kind of bookmobile programming.

In-Person Offsite Program Sessions: are programs with a live audience in a non-library location. Examples are programs for daycares, senior housing, fairgrounds, parades, etc. Do not count home delivery as programming.

Live-Virtual Program Sessions: Online events held in real time with a live audience present. Also known as synchronous events. An example would be a story hour, held before a live audience, on an online platform such as Zoom or Facebook Live. NOTE: If you hold a hybrid program that has a partial live in-house audience and a partial live online audience, count it as an In-Person onsite program session.

Prerecorded Program Sessions: A recording of a live, in-person or virtual program session posted for online viewing. This can also be a pre-recorded event created without a live audience and then played online. Also known as an asynchronous session.

Please note that we are still not counting “Passive” programs on the annual survey. These are also known as indirect, drop in, or self-directed programs. Passive programs are very difficult to quantify and we still do not have a solid definition for reporting on the annual survey. Some examples of passive programming are story walks, some make and take bags, or a table set up for coloring or puzzling.

Here are the edited definitions of programs and participants as a reminder:

Programs:  Count all programs in each category that are sponsored or co-sponsored by the library. Do not include programs sponsored by other groups that use library facilities. If programs are offered as a series, count each program in the series. For example, a story hour offered once a week, 48 weeks a year, should be counted as 48 programs. Exclude library activities for patrons delivered on a one-to-one basis, rather than to a group, such as one-to-one literacy tutoring, services to homebound, homework assistance, and mentoring activities. Count the total annual number of library programs. A program is any planned event which introduces the group attending to any of the broad range of library services, library tours, or activities which directly provides information to participants. Programs may also provide cultural, recreational, or educational information, often designed to meet a specific social need.

Participants:   Count the participants of all programs that are sponsored or co-sponsored by the library. Do not include participants of programs sponsored by other groups that use library facilities. If programs are offered as a series, count the number of participants in each program of the series. For example, a story hour offered once a week, 48 weeks a year, with 10 attendees each, should be counted as 480 attendees. When reporting attendees count total number of attendees regardless of the age. A children’s program attended by 10 children and 10 adults is counted as 20, not as 10. Exclude library activities for patrons delivered on a one-to-one basis, rather than to a group, such as one-to-one literacy tutoring, services to homebound, homework assistance, and mentoring activities.