Implementing Standardized Statistical Measures and Metrics for Public Services in Archival Repositories and Special Collections Libraries

Abstract

Developed by a three-year task force composed of members of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Rare Books and Manuscripts Section and the Society of American Archivists, the “Standardized Statistical Measures and Metrics for Public Services in Archival Repositories and Special Collections Libraries” report provides these types of institutions—for the first time—with commonly accepted guidelines for quantifying use and measuring impact. In response to the report, Louisiana State University Libraries began efforts to apply the newly approved measures and metrics in the special collections unit. We first evaluated the existing statistical data collected in past years, moving away from paper and pencil tallies toward robust software solutions, primarily through two applications: SpringShare’s LibApps platform and Aeon, a request and workflow management software for special collections. We identified new areas of reporting to implement in 2018. We initiated the changes and launched the final version of the reporting measurements on July 1, 2018, to coincide with the new fiscal year. This paper presents one potential approach to implementing the Standardized Statistical Measures and Metrics task force report.