January 25, 2016

Question

Megan Schulz (KS)

I am currently in my second round of collecting surveys since taking over this position and have received a few questions that I would like to see what the consensus is as far as the answers.

• A technology person at a library does not hold the title of which involves “librarian” but they do have an MLS. This person does answer patron technology questions and also staff questions. Where should they be listed within the paid staff area? The library wants to be able to show that they have this extra MLS on staff, even though the position does not require it. My first thought was to put in “Other Paid Employees” and not within the ALA/MLS question. But I can see both sides. Also, the questions they answer for patrons should be counted within the reference transactions but not the tech questions they help co-workers with, yes or no?

• Computer lab laptops which are only available to patrons during classes, do these get counted within the total for public access computers available? I would think not since not always available to the patrons and only during scheduled classes. I believe the classes and attendance would be counted with the programming sessions and not usage of public access computers. Right?

• Some of our libraries receive the Summer Food Service program grant which is administered in our state by the Dept of Ed but is really money from the USDA. Here is the program- http://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-food-service-program-sfsp Does this money get listed in Federal Government Revenue? Or within Other Revenue.

Thanks in advance,

SDC Comments

Jamie McCanless (WI)

The PLS doesn’t collect the number of staff who have an MLS but are not librarians. That staff would be included in 252 All Other Paid Staff. That said, we rarely question whether a Wisconsin public library position is technically a librarian except in very obvious cases; e.g., pages are not librarians.

The questions that the technology person answers internally (asked by library staff, not the general public) would not be included in 502 Reference Transactions.

Because the definition of 650 Number of Internet Computers Used by General Public reads “used by the general public in the library” I would reluctantly exclude class-only computer lab laptops from 650. As a result, I would include the computer classes and attendance in 600 Total Number of Library Programs and 603 Total Attendance of Library Programs but not in 651 Number of Uses of Public Internet Computers per Year. If the class(es) were primarily for children or young adults, the numbers would be included in the corresponding program data elements.

SLAs administer the IMLS Grants to States program and pass through grant funds to libraries, which are reported as federal revenue. In the same way, I would list the Summer Food Service funds passed through to libraries from the USDA by the state’s Department of Education as federal revenue.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (608) 266-3939 or jamie.mccanless@dpi.wi.gov.

Megan Schulz (KS)

Thanks!

Your explanation helped me to see that the way we have been asking this question “forever” and before my time, changes the order around and makes it not really possible to show an MLS on staff without a librarian title. We ask for librarian hours and then say something like “of those listed above, how many have an MLS”. I will change this in future years as I hadn’t noticed the need for it to be a different way before now.

Agree with all of the rest and appreciate everyone else helping also!