New! (July 9, 2009)
I am adding analysis based on the trend data presented here. I am starting with a correction of an error I made in the forthcoming 2009 Library and Book Trade Almanac (LBTA) (full citation at the link) that overestimated the effects of inflation on U.S. public libraries. These effects are bad enough without my error. In order to correct that error and to provide the most accurate information I can, I have provided corrected analysis. I will over the next few weeks probe these effects in more detail to develop the important issues I dealt with in the LBTA. I have also included in the analysis a look at total circulations in the U.S. Other trend analysis will appear as time permits.
Library Data Archive
Robert E. Molyneux
Introduction
The Library Research Service has graciously offered to house two of the various longitudinal files I began when at the now-closed National Commission of Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS). While there, through the efforts of a number of people, we also assembled a large number of digital versions of publications reporting statistics on various types of libraries. This site includes an archive of these publications, too. Now that these data have a home, we can add to the collection. Next will be the State Library Agencies (StLA) data.
There were three CDs issued by NCLIS of the data in the waning days of the Commission. Most but not all of the data available are now here at the Library Research Service site but there other data that are not yet added. The public library data on those CDs are now obsolete with the addition of the FY 2006 and FY 2007 now published by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
These files consist of compilations of raw annual data, longitudinal recompilations of those annual data, summary analysis of the libraries, reports on them, methodoligical studies, and documentation. In addition, there is an extensive addition of older documents originally issued in paper but scanned into electronic form at NCES.
Recompilation of these data into longitudinal files was done first at the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science as a part of its mission and have been updated since they were originally compiled. Another effort of NCLIS was to gather and make available historic data files and publications about libraries from NCES. Many had been forgotten and finding, organizing, and making these historic documents available took considerable effort. This series, then, constitutes an archive of all NCES publications on libraries we were able to assemble as well as the updated recompilations of raw NCES data into longitudinal files done under the aegis of NCLIS.
Currently you will find here:
| By Type of Library | Comments |
|---|---|
| Public Library Data File (PLDF3) | Longitudinal data of a universe file of U.S. public libraries, FY 1987-FY 2007. Updated through FY 2007. |
| State Summary/State Characteristics Data File (PUSUM) | Longitudinal compilation of summary data on public libraries at the state level, FY 1992-FY 2007. Updated through FY 2007. |
| Raw data, documentation, reports, and summary analysis of public libraries | A substantial number of current and historical publications about these libraries is available now. |
All materials in this archive are in the public domain.
Introduction to the NCES Data
The publications here were collected from a number of sources. Most came from the NCES Web site which was rather a jumble and organizing it took some time. Indexing the NCES pages originally appeared on the NCLIS Web site. A page on the NCLIS site listed those sources on the NCES site—in effect, it was an index to the NCES library data. Public library data for 1987-1991 were no longer on the NCES site and, as indicated, came from other sources. Early NCES publications that had been scanned and were sent to me are also included here.
As mentioned, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has taken over the collection of the public library data and state library data from NCES. There is page for IMLS's public library data effort IMLS's page on State Library Data will have current information on this series.
A characteristic of the NCES file names for library data is that they currently have a number based on the year of their publication. The FY 2004 public library data were released in 2006 so the files are numbered 2006347, apparently the 347th file released in 2006 by NCES. If the data are subsequently revised, the new file comes out with a new number and usually in a new year. Practically, it is impossible to tell from the file name what you are looking at. I have taken the liberty occasionally of renaming the files on this CD more logically.
Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research
The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research ICPSR, a part of the Institute for Social Research, is located on the University of Michigan Campus. ICPSR maintains an archive of social science data. A number of files of library data in this CD came from ICPSR, which processed them on behalf on NCES. When I was looking for the early years of the FSCS data, these were available on the ICSPR site and I collected them. I also discovered other data on other types of libraries and these data are available on this CD, also. A spreadsheet lists all the files from ICPSR.
June 9, 2009
Last modified July 9th, 2009
