AG Statistik BBS Library Statistics and Benchmarking in Switzerland W. Lochbühler ZHB Luzern - Central and University Library Lucerne, Switzerland Chair,

AG Statistik BBS

Library Statistics and Benchmarking in Switzerland W. Lochbühler

ZHB Luzern - Central and University Library Lucerne, SwitzerlandChair, Statistics Working Group, BBS (Library Association of Switzerland)

Contents

•Political Background

•History and development of library statistics

•Revised library statistics

•Statistics and benchmarking

Political Background• Switzerland: small country

in Middle Europe (41’285 sq km; 15’940 sq miles ( ½ inhabitable); 7.5 mio inhabitants

• in Germany: Niedersachsen, Lower Saxony 18‘383 sq miles, 7.8 mio inhabitants

• in the US: New Jersey 7‘419 sq miles, 8 mio inhabitants

Political Background

Matterhorn / Zermatt

here: Zurich

Others:

Basilea

Geneva

Berne


4 Languages – German 65%; – French 20%; – Italian 6%; – Rhaeto-Rumantsch 0.5%; – others / immigrants 9%

http://www.swissworld.org/en/people/language/)



• Political structure• Switzerland is a federal state and a democracy

with strong participation rights of people (grassroots democracy)

• Federalism and subsidiarity: The main political structure is the 26 Cantons

• The „Bund“ (the confederation) itself has only a few core competences (like foreign policy or military – but not culture!)


Cantons have as main competences:

culture, education, parts of law, police

Often the confederation gives only some basic rules; the cantons make the concretisation

Cantonal laws and structures differ from each other

Cantons or Switzerland


• The structure of libraries in Switzerland is often different:

• There are differences in mission, governance, financing, NPM structures

• it is not easy to generate a central structure for common library affairs

• This special situation must be considered when we talk about statistics and benchmarking and about comparing indicators

History of library statistics

• The annual national statistics began in 1927 with a few selected libraries, operated by the Swiss Library Association (BBS)

• 1950: more libraries were integrated in the Statistic

• 1960: library statistics were adopted by the Federal Office of Statistics of Switzerland (BFS)

• It was published yearly in print until 2002

History of library statistics

Problems of these „older“ statistics:

Data of 47 libraries; some new important libraries were missing

Many indicators became outdated; indicators for new developments (like electronic media) were missing

Some definitions of indicators were not precise enough

Revised Library Statistics

• A working group of the BBS and the BFS began the revision in 2001

• Test survey in 2003 (data for 2002)• Start of revised statistics in 2004 (data for 2003)• Cooperation with the Swiss library benchmarking

project: as many identical data as possible since 2006

• Online survey since 2007• Cooperation with official statistics of the cantons

(expected)


The revised library statistics (since 2004) should:• give an overview about the resources and the

performance of the libraries (output-orientation)• present the development of the libraries over the

years (compatibility with former library statistics where possible)

• be able to take up new developments (e.g. usage of electronic resources)

• be compatible with international standards (e.g. ISO 2789/Eurostat)


Questionnaire with 72 indicators in 7 sections:1. local data (inhabitants, students)2. Users (registered users; in-house users)3. Library staff4. Access and facility (effective area, opening

hours, presentation of the library stock)5. Finances (expenditure, income/funding, without

investments)6. Collection in stock (incl. electronic media)7. Use of the library (documents of collection,

electronic media, user-trainings, events)


Categories in revised library statistics:

National libraries 3

University libraries 14

Libraries of the universities (faculty libraries) 7 (222)

Libraries of universities of applied sciences 7 (47+)

Public libraries (towns over 10‘000 inhabitants) 128


Presentation:

All data are online available for everyone

on the homepage of the Federal Office of Statistics (BFS):

http://www.bfs.admin.ch („Kultur/culture“)

http://www.bfs.admin.ch/





BFS and the statistics working group analyse the data for selected subjects (areas) and publish the results in reports: http://www.bfs.admin.ch („Kultur“)

e.g. university libraries






Limits:Library statistics now are enlarged; but are far

away from being complete:Public libraries are surveyed only from towns

with more than 10‘000 inhabitantsThe other public libraries are surveyed in

various local library statistics, which exist in most cantons. But these statistics are not standardized yet – we try to get them, too...


Special libraries are not part of the statistics

• We had to learn that it is too difficult to find all the special libraries in Switzerland (including industrial and commercial libraries)

• But without this basis, you can never make a methodologically correct analysis!


Measuring the use of electronic resources is difficult

• Lack of standardisation

• Only a part of providers deliver Counter based data

• Difficulties in measuring the sessions by library

Statistics and Benchmarking

Library Benchmarking in Switzerland

Start in 1999 (independent from the library statistics) – organized by a group of librarians

Now yearly organized by Zurich University of Applied Sciences (Institute for Public Mana-gement IPM)

Total: 21 libraries


Differences:Benchmarking IPM•normative•Point of view: library•Performance indicators•Libraries arranged in comparison circles •Results are confidential and access is restricted to participating libraries •Participating libraries pay a fee

Statistics BFS•descriptive•Point of view: society•Statistical data•Libraries arranged by standardized typology (ISO 2789)•Results are publicly accessible•For free


Benchmarking: performance indicators• Registered user per inhabitant or student• Library visits per inhabitants or students• Library visits per opening hour• Cost per inhabitant or student• Cost per opening hour• Time of document processing • etc.


• 70% of the basic indicators of benchmarking are contained in the annual libray statistics

• Benchmarking needs 33 additional indicators

• Cooperation in data survey between the benchmarking project and the official statistics

• on the basis of the eSurvey-tool of the BFS

E-Survey-Tool

E-Survey

E-Survey

[email protected]

Thanks for your attention !!

Documents

AG Statistik BBS Library Statistics and Benchmarking in Switzerland W. Lochbühler ZHB Luzern - Central and University Library Lucerne, Switzerland Chair,