Public Library Data Service Statistical Report
The Public Library Data Service (PLDS) Statistical Report is designed to meet the needs of public library administrators and others, including media outlets, for timely and relevant library-specific data that supports a wide variety of management decisions. Published annually, the PLDS Statistical Report collects information from more than 800 public libraries across the United States and Canada on finances, library resources, annual use figures and technology. In addition, each annual PLDS report contains a special survey highlighting statistics on one service area or public library topic.
2010 PLDS Statistical Report
The 2010 Statistical Report also features a special section on children’s services in public libraries. This section details populations, materials holdings, material expenditures and fines, annual counts, literacy programming, borrowing policy, and technology in children’s departments throughout North America.
Click here to order a copy of the 2010 PLDS Statistical Report ($120).
Want to really make the data work for you? Order the PLDS Online database. A subscription to the database provides unlimited Web access for one year to all data and reports currently available (2006-2010). Users can:
- View PLDS Tables with searchable data exportable into Excel/CSV file formats and linked data from other report sections.
- Access summary tables in interactive charts (breakdown by legal service area as well as by state and legal services within each state).
- Create customized PLDS datasets with user-defined data, calculations, charts, and other analysis that can be saved and exported into Excel/CSV file formats.
Available online at the ALA Store
Customized PLDS Statistical Reports
The data collected for the PLDS Statistical Report is versatile and can be manipulated to provide a customized report about how your library compares to other libraries. The basic fee is $100 for PLDS participants, $150 for non-participants, and includes a consultation, approximately one hour of data analysis, and preparation of a final report. Projects requiring additional time will be billed at an hourly rate of $100 for PLDS participants and $150 for non-participants.
If you are interested in learning more about customized reports, contact Virgil Varvel at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Center for Informatics Research in Science and Scholarship, Library Research Center, at vvarvel@uiuc.edu or 217-333-1980.
For more information about the PLDS Statistical Report contact the PLA office at 800-545-2433, ext. 5PLA or pla@ala.org.