Anna Złakowska-Kusznierz
Statistics in library system PROLIB
The date of sending information on library’s work in a financial year is approaching. Every year, at the beginning of February, a library sends K-03 form “Library Report” for Statistics Poland.
K-03 “Library Report” for Statistics Poland in Prolib system
PROLIB system in a financial year scrupulously registers each operation conducted by a reader. It is possible to download from the system to a K-03 “Library report” information to the following sections:
• Section 4. Library stocks
• Section 5. Expenses on library materials in a financial year
• Section 6. Libraries users and visits within a year
• Section 7. Usage of library services
All information is gathered by a launch of the following reports:
- Statistics Poland – Condition of library stocks – program egz2r025.w
- Statistics Poland – Expenses on library materials – program egz2r026.w
- Statistics Poland – Number of active readers – program wyp2r007.w
- Statistics Poland – Users registered in a library – program wyp2r009.w
- Statistics Poland – Readers actively borrowing materials according to the age and status – program wyp2r011.w
- Statistics Poland – Visits in a library – program wyp2r012.w
- Statistics Poland – Usage of library services – program egz2r027.w
Section 4. Library stocks
The report presents information on a number of documents which enriched (incomes) and were removed from (voids) the library assets in a financial year. Each stock is qualified to one category exclusively.
The program gives the possibility to divide the information about the stocks in a whole library to one / a few locations. By location we mean an organizational unit described by a library. It may be one branch, or one branch consisting of a Reading Room and Lending Library which, depending on the needs, may show information together or separately.
By default, the report period covers 1 calendar year, e.g. 01.01.2019 to 31.12.2019, but the report date may be changed to receive information on a shorter (e.g. a quarter or a year, half a year) or longer (e.g. 2 years, 5 years) period.
K-03 form – “Library report” includes 105 fields, 81 of which are filled by a library. PROLIB system provides information to fill sections concerning: a book collection (books and magazines), special collections (manuscripts, old prints, music prints, cartographic documents, graphic documents, regulations and patent descroptions audio-visual materials: films, audio documents, spoken books, specifying audiobooks), electronically registered and other stocks.
Section “State as of 31.12.2018” – the program counts copies which have a registration date earlier than the date entered into a starting form, i.e. 01.01.2019.
Section marked “Incomes during a year” – presents a number of all copies whose date of registration falls within the chosen period. It informs about all the incomes (acquisitions) regardless of the financing source and extracts the number of documents bought by a library.
Section “Removed during a year” – presents a number of all removed copies – status lack (removed), whose date of removal falls in the period given in a starting form.
The last section “State as of 31.12.2019” – includes a mathematical calculation. It adds incomes and subtracts removed copies from the state for the previous year.
Section 5. Expenses on library materials in an accounting period
The report calculates in PLN the value of documents entered into PROLIB, whose date of registration falls between the dates chosen in a starting form. The report – depending on needs – may be prepared for a whole library or a chosen location.
The value of acquisitions is entered into the K-03 form:
• Books – the value of all copies of monographs creator is calculated, provided they registration date falls within the dates chosen in a starting form;
• Magazines – the field is not filled by the program, it stays empty;
• Special collections – the value of all copies of the following creators is calculated:
◦ manuscripts,
◦ old prints,
◦ music prints,
◦ cartographic documents,
◦ iconographic documents,
◦ standards,
◦ films,
◦ audio documents,
◦ spoken books,
◦ Social Life Documents,
◦ audio-visual materials,
◦ audiobooks,
◦ technical and commercial documents,
whose registration date falls within the dates chosen in a starting form;
• Special collections specify:
◦ audio-visual materials – the value of films, audio documents and spoken books is calculated, provided their registration date falls within the dates chosen in a starting form;
◦ audiobooks – the value of copies of spoken books only is calculated, provided their registration date falls within the dates chosen in a starting form;
◦ electronic documents – the value of electronic documents is calculated, provided their registration date falls within the dates chosen in a starting form;
Section 6. Libraries users and visits within a year
Section 6 is divided into 2 subsections:
1. Number of readers;
2. Readers in accordance with criteria, which is divided into library types:
a. For public libraries – 2. Readers (users actively borrowing materials) in accordance with their age and occupation;
b. For pedagogical libraries – 3. Readers (users actively borrowing materials) in accordance with their occupation;
c. For science libraries (university libraries) – 4. Readers (users actively borrowing materials) in accordance with their occupation;
In form 1. Number, 3 pieces of information are required:
1. Users registered in a library;
2. Readers (users actively borrowing materials);
3. Visits in a library;
The information is received from 3 different reports:
Report: “Users registered in a library” – gives a number of readers who joined the library divided into new members (added in the financial period) and re-registered (registered earlier, but actively using the library resources).
Readers who were registered in the library automatically (by the XMLClient, e.g. students) are omitted. They are not treated as registered, but if they activate their account, e.g. by borrowing something, a librarian will mark library information, the report will include them as registered when the activation took place, e.g. a reader was signed automatically in September, but he came to a library (and for example borrowed something) in October. The report will show him as registered in October.
For the needs of public libraries, information on a number of readers of up to 15 is added, of those who are included in the report. The age of a reader of up to 15 is calculated from his birthday until the first activity in his reader’s activity, e.g. joining the library or returning a document borrowed in the previous financial period.
Readers (users actively borrowing materials) – information on the number of active readers may be obtained from the report “Number of active readers”. It shows readers who have entries concerning library registration information, sharing, borrowing, document prolongation. The report includes also the readers who have been removed from the library database.
Visits in a library – the report gives a number of readers who used library services. It includes more information than Statistics Poland requires. In gives information of reader’s visits in the lending and sharing section.
A reader is counted only once. If he borrowed a material and shared, he will be counted only in the column of the activity which was conducted first. Prolongation and return are differentiated between prolongation and return of a borrowed document and the shared one (example: is a reader returns a borrowed document, it is registered as “Visit in a lending library”, if he returns a shared document, it is registered as “Visit in a sharing section”.
Section 7. Usage of library services
PROLIB system will provide us with information concerning point 1. Number of borrowings and shared materials within a year. The report presents a number of borrowings and shared materials together with a possibility of adding a prolongation done by a librarian or a reader (via OPAC WWW / INTEGRO). It includes the division into the document types:
• books – with additional division not required by Statistics Poland – into literature for children, literature for adults and non-fiction literature;
• bound magazines;
• special collections which include MS (manuscripts), STD (old prints), DRM (music prints); DK (cartographic documents, maps, atlases), N (standards), MA (alternative materials, DTH *technical and commercial materials), F (films), DD (audio documents), KM (spoken books).
• special collections are additionally divided into:
◦ audio-visual documents: F (films), DD (audio documents), KM (spoken books),
◦ audiobooks: KM (spoken book).
• electronic documents on a physical medium: DE (electronic documents).
The task of a good library system is to support librarians in gathering data.
