See also:  http://plsc.pbworks.com/w/page/76180367/Endorsed%20FY2014%20Data%20Elements

12/16/2014

From Susan Mark (WY)

These are resources on counting wireless sessions I picked up from the ARSL listserv. Haven't reviewed them yet.

http://www.lrs.org/data-tools/public-libraries/strategies-tracking-reporting-wifi-usage/

http://tln.lib.mi.us/dept/technology-services/wifi/files/techcomm/Oct15_Powerpoint_Presentation.pdf

3/10/14

Question

Bob Keith (NJ)

Greetings!   In preparation for the likely adoption of the Annual Wireless Sessions data element I have been trying to put together a list of collection options that I can give to libraries.  I’m basically trying to head off all the questions I’m bound to get about how to capture the data for this data element.  Are any of you planning on doing the same?  For those that already have this data element on their survey, how do your libraries capture this information?  There is a broad spread of hardware types in NJ libraries and I’d like to come up with a solution that most libraries can use at little to no additional cost in money or staff time.  Any ideas?  Thanks,

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SDC Comments

Jamie McCanless (WI)

This is our second year collecting wireless Internet session data in the Wisconsin annual report. Libraries choose from these methods of counting sessions:  Not Counted, Password Controlled, or Router Count. I think we’ve also had one library add a note that theirs was “actual count.”

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Michael Golrick (LA)

I have good news, and I have bad news. The good news is that many libraries have already figured this out. I asked for this data for 2012, so I am getting the second round of data now. For me, many of the smaller libraries have hardware which the State Library installed for them, and the data is reported automatically to an extranet site where they can collect monthly data.

Here is the bad news: My initial impression is that the data that I am collecting may be significantly less reliable than “reference transactions” or “database use.” It seems like each wireless router will treat its interactions with difference devices differently. When I look at monthly use data reports, there are huge, generally inexplicable anomalies. I think the comparison to database uses may be most apt, because we “rely on the kindness of strangers” (and some of them are very strange) in collecting the data. We rely on “the other’s” definition of “use” and what one reports as one use, others may count multiple times.

Hang on for the adventure!

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Bob Keith (NJ)

Have you left the logistics of how to collect the data up to the individual library or did you have to do some handholding?  I’m worried most about the handholding and trying to walk librarians who are not tech savvy through the process of getting this data out of hardware they seldom even think about, let alone know how to use. 

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Jamie McCanless (WI)

Our regional library systems have been holding those hands. Actually, because they (regional systems) provide ILS services or are part of a multi-system ILS, they (regional systems) typically report wireless data for their member libraries. Libraries that are not part of a regional system ILS, however, must fend for that data themselves.

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Katrice Stewart (FL)

In October of last year I had an in-depth conversation with some of our library directors at our annual directors’ meeting.  Some of the same issues came about.  One director, however, shared that they use http://www.hotspotsystem.com/  to track their wireless sessions.  From what I understood, the patron has to “acknowledge” terms and conditions and that action is really what is counted. 

Bob, I do plan to being to communicate with the field to begin trying to capture this information.  I fear, however, that Michael’s issue with instability may hold very true initially……

Holding very tightly  

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Nicolle Steffen (CO)

We’ve collected wireless usage data for a couple of years. Collection methods vary from library to library and, like Michael, we have concerns about the data quality. But, we keep looking for ways to help our libraries collect this data. (Thanks Katrice, I’ll be passing http://www.hotspotsystem.com/  along to our libraries).

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