24
StatsQUAL™ is a gateway to library assessment tools that describe the role, character, and
impact of physical and digital libraries on research, teaching and learning including both new and
innovative tools as well as the traditional descriptive data collected through ARL Statistics. StatsQUAL™
is an effort to present these tools in a single powerful interactive framework that integrates and enhances
data mining and presentation both within and across institutions. Enhancements and improvements in
the StatsQUAL™ interface are iterative and evolving as we move into the future.
In conclusion, those using the ARL Statistics to compare individual libraries should consult the
extensive “Footnotes” section and the symbols in the “ARL Library Data Tables.” Although definitions used
in the Statistics aim for consistency, differing reporting practices do exist. To aid comparability, Canadian
library expenditures are expressed in U.S. dollars, at the rate of 1.24971 Canadian dollars to one U.S. dollar.
This exchange rate is the average monthly noon exchange rate published in the Bank of Canada Review for the
period July 2004–June 2005. Expenditures reported in Canadian dollars are given in the “Footnotes.”
The quantitative rank‐order tables presented in this publication are not indicative of performance
and outcomes and should not be used as measures of library quality. In comparing any individual library to
ARL medians or to other libraries, one must be careful to make such comparisons within the context of
differing institutional goals and local characteristics.
Martha Kyrillidou and Mark Young
Association of Research Libraries
October 31, 2006
StatsQUAL™ is a gateway to library assessment tools that describe the role, character, and
impact of physical and digital libraries on research, teaching and learning including both new and
innovative tools as well as the traditional descriptive data collected through ARL Statistics. StatsQUAL™
is an effort to present these tools in a single powerful interactive framework that integrates and enhances
data mining and presentation both within and across institutions. Enhancements and improvements in
the StatsQUAL™ interface are iterative and evolving as we move into the future.
In conclusion, those using the ARL Statistics to compare individual libraries should consult the
extensive “Footnotes” section and the symbols in the “ARL Library Data Tables.” Although definitions used
in the Statistics aim for consistency, differing reporting practices do exist. To aid comparability, Canadian
library expenditures are expressed in U.S. dollars, at the rate of 1.24971 Canadian dollars to one U.S. dollar.
This exchange rate is the average monthly noon exchange rate published in the Bank of Canada Review for the
period July 2004–June 2005. Expenditures reported in Canadian dollars are given in the “Footnotes.”
The quantitative rank‐order tables presented in this publication are not indicative of performance
and outcomes and should not be used as measures of library quality. In comparing any individual library to
ARL medians or to other libraries, one must be careful to make such comparisons within the context of
differing institutional goals and local characteristics.
Martha Kyrillidou and Mark Young
Association of Research Libraries
October 31, 2006
