Purpose: Describes the development of a Counter 5 Quarterly Stats Playbook
for Librarians to standardize and simplify the data collection and
reporting process.
Setting/ Participants / Resources: Twenty-two Healthcare Librarians in 20
states reporting selected local library usage statistics.
Brief Description: Under the guidance of The Library Measurements Team,
librarians reported selected usage stats in 2020. For 2021, we needed to
upgrade to the Counter 5 (C5) industry standard. Therefore, the team
determined what to track going forward. After immersing ourselves in C5, we
mapped C5 equivalents to previous metrics, adding improved C5 metrics. To
disseminate our recommendations, we created a Playbook with C5 training
resources, definitions, worksheets, administrative links, screenshots and
explanations for each resource. The Playbook led librarians step-by-step
through the new process, addressing a previously unmet need as a job aid
for standardizing the collection of usage stats. The Measurements Team
charted a path through Counter 5, so that individual librarians did not
have to struggle on their own.
Results/Outcome: The Quarterly Stats Playbook resulted in: More consistent,
cleaner data; Faster, more efficient and standardized data
collection; Happier Librarians who knew how to pull required metrics, how
to interpret reports.
Evaluation Method: Feedback from Librarians; analysis of data submitted via
the new process determined the utility and impact of The Playbook.
Why this is important: This data is used to show the value and fiscal
stewardship of Library Services to executive leadership and stakeholders.
