BIX - The Library Index

1. BIX - The Library Index Roswitha Poll Chair of ISO TC 46 SC 8: Quality – Statistics and performance evaluation Hamar 2010

2. BIX – The Library Index • a benchmarking system for public and academic libraries • since 1999 (public libraries) resp. 2004 (academic libraries) • participation voluntary, but the indicators a must • annual fee: 170 € • organized by: Bertelsmann Foundation (start); German Library Association (DBV) • Participants 2009: 257 libraries • 177 public libraries (of ca. 2.200) • 80 academic libraries (Germany: 68 of ca. 350; 12 from Austria))

3. BIX – The Library Index • 2 separate indices (public/academic) • 17 indicators each • 4 dimensions = Balanced Scorecard • resources • customer focus (use) • efficiency • development (potentials) Kaplan, R.S./Norton, D.P.: The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action. Boston 1996

4. BIX – Ranking • 4 dimensional scores and ranks • 1 overall score and ranked list • 8 categories - public libraries by size (5 categories) - academic libraries by organisation - integrated library systems • - two-tier-systems (central libraries only) • - polytechnics Indicators for academic libraries are not weighted !

5. Indicator values Indicator values Library Library BIX results Total rank Total score resources rank and score customer focus rank and score efficiency rank and score

6. BIX – Publication of results • BIX-magazine • press releases • blueprints for participants‘ press releases • seminars • individual analysis /consultancy • BIX website http://www.bix-bibliotheksindex.de/

7. BIX-Magazine • Tables of results • Best Practices • Stories • Testimonials/ Interviews

8. Methods of quality assessment in libraries Performance indicatorsmeasure the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of library services: quantitative, objective User satisfaction surveysmeasure the perceived quality, the users‘ impression of library services: qualitative, subjective Outcome assessmenttries to show the benefits, the value for individual users and society

9. BIX – benchmarking with performance indicators Only a few indicators - but for all services and all stakeholders • The performance indicators • Shouldhave informative content: show whether the service or activity that is „measured“ is „good“ or „bad“ • Results should be comparable between libraries of similar structure and clientele • The data for the indicators should for the most part be taken from the national library statistics: practical

10. Collections of performance indicators for libraries • ISO 11620, 2nd ed. (2008), Information and documentation – Library performance indicators(45 indicators) • ISO TR 28118 (2008), Information and documentation – Performance indicators for national libraries(30 indicators) • Poll, R. andte Boekhorst, P., 2nd ed. (2007), Measuring quality, performance measurement in libraries, Saur, München (IFLA Publications 127)(40 indicators)

11. BIX indicators for public libraries

12. Indicators for public libraries:Internet services • Sum of yes-answers • Library website • WEB–OPAC • Interactive functions (account, reservations, etc.) • e-mail reference service • Electronic collection • Active information services (news, events…) Probably most public libraries will have such services

13. Resources / Infrastructure Academic libraries Square meters of user area per 1,000 membersof the population Library staff Expenditure on literature and information Percentage of that expenditure spent on the electronic collection Opening hours per week

14. Usage Library visits per capita (physical visits) Electronic usage (virtual visits; central counting of homepage and OPAC page visits) User training attendances per 1,000 members of the population Immediate availability (Immediate loans as a percentage of total loans including reservations and ILL) User satisfaction rate(Identical online survey in all libraries, not used at the moment)

15. Efficiency Library expenditure per active user (acquisitions, material costs, staff) Ratio of acquisitions expenditure to staff costs Efficiency of processes (Example: Media processing. Processed media per FTE staff) Efficiency of processes (Example: Lending. Processed loans and ILL per FTE staff)

16. Development (Potentials) Days of training per staff member Percentage of the university budget allocated to the library Percentage of library means received through third-party funds, special funds and income generation Percentage of library staff providing and developing electronic services

17. BIX - A method for counting virtual visits • Counting sessions on the homepage and the OPAC start page by a counting pixel downloadedfrom a central server • (Sebastian Mundt,Stuttgart Media University mundt@hdm-stuttgart.de) • The advantage of this method is that it easy to use • The disadvantage is that access to other pages • is not counted

18. Advantages of benchmarking • Explains the library‘s own results • Shows „best practice“ • Detects problems in processes and organisation • Higher attention for the results in the public, the media and funding institutions • Higher credibility of the library’s reports "The value of benchmarking as a proven tool to achieve quality management should be rated very highly indeed"

19. BIX: Survey 2010 • 1.570 libraries; responses 694 = 44 % • Which data are most important for your daily work?1. A practical user satisfaction survey 2. Data showing cost-efficiency 3. Reliable measuring for use of electronic services 4. Data for impact and outcome • In what direction should BIX develop? 1. More participants (ca. 80 %) 2. No ranking, only groups (ca. 51 %) 3. Additional analysis of the results (ca. 47 %) “More indicators”, “less indicators” and “anonymous participation” all lower than 40 %.

20. BIX: Satisfaction with the system (1 to 5, 1 = best)

21. Play alone and you're bound to win Arabian Proverb