102 · ARL Statistics 2008–2009
Question 25. Computer hardware and software. Report expenditures from the library budget for computer hardware and software
used to support library operations, whether purchased or leased, mainframe or microcomputer, and whether for staff or public
use. Include expenditures for: maintenance equipment used to run information service products when those expenditures can be
separated from the price of the product telecommunications infrastructure costs, such as wiring, hubs, routers, etc. Include only
expenditures that are part of Other Operating Expenditures (20).
Question 26. Document Delivery/Interlibrary Loan. Report expenditures for document delivery and interlibrary loan services
(both borrowing and lending). Include fees paid for photocopies, costs of telefacsimile transmission, royalties and access fees paid to
provide document delivery or interlibrary loan. Include fees paid to bibliographic utilities if the portion paid for interlibrary loan can
be separately counted. Include only expenditures that are part of Miscellaneous Materials Expenditures (16d) or Other Operating
Expenditures (20), and only for those ILL/DD programs with data recorded in Questions (35)-(36).
Questions 27. Personnel. Report the number of FTE (full-time equivalent) staff in filled positions, or positions that are only
temporarily vacant. ARL defines temporarily vacant positions as positions that were vacated during the fiscal year for which ARL
data were submitted, for which there is a firm intent to refill, and for which there are expenditures for salaries reported on line (18).
Include cost recovery positions and staff hired for special projects and grants, but provide an explanatory footnote indicating the
number of such staff. If such staff cannot be included, provide a footnote. To compute full-time equivalents of part-time employees
and student assistants, take the total number of hours per week (or year) worked by part-time employees in each category and divide
it by the number of hours considered by the reporting library to be a full-time work week (or year). Round figures to the nearest
whole numbers.
Question 27a. Professional Staff. Since the criteria for determining professional status vary among libraries, there is no attempt to
define the term “professional.” Each library should report those staff members it considers professional, including, when appropriate,
staff who are not librarians in the strict sense of the term, for example computer experts, systems analysts, or budget officers.
Question 27b. Support Staff. Report the total FTE (see instruction (27) of staff not included in (27a).
Question 27c. Student Assistants. Report the total FTE (see instruction Q27) of student assistants employed on an hourly basis
whose wages are paid from funds under library control or from a budget other than the library’s, including federal work-study
programs. Exclude maintenance and custodial staff.
Question 28. Number of staffed library service points. Count the number of staffed public service points in the main library and in
all branch libraries reported in this inventory, including reference desks, information desks, circulation, current periodicals, reserve
rooms, reprographic services (if staffed as a public facility), etc. Report the number of designated locations, not the number of staff.
Question 29. Number of weekly public service hours. Report an unduplicated count of the total public service hours per typical
full-service week (i.e., no holidays or other special accommodations) across both main library and branches using the following
method (corresponds to IPEDS): If a library is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, it should report 40 hours
per week. If several of its branches are also open during these hours, the figure remains 40 hours per week. Should Branch A also
be open one evening from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the total hours during which users can find service somewhere within the system
becomes 42 hours per week. If Branch B is open the same hours on the same evening, the count is still 42, but if Branch B is open
two hours on another evening, or remains open two hours later, the total is then 44 hours per week. Exclude 24-hour unstaffed
reserve or similar reading rooms. The maximum total is 168 (i.e., a staffed reading room open 7 days per week, 24 hours per day).
Questions 30-31. Instruction. Sampling based on a typical week may be used to extrapolate TO A FULL YEAR for Questions (30)
and (31). Please indicate if responses are based on sampling.
Question 25. Computer hardware and software. Report expenditures from the library budget for computer hardware and software
used to support library operations, whether purchased or leased, mainframe or microcomputer, and whether for staff or public
use. Include expenditures for: maintenance equipment used to run information service products when those expenditures can be
separated from the price of the product telecommunications infrastructure costs, such as wiring, hubs, routers, etc. Include only
expenditures that are part of Other Operating Expenditures (20).
Question 26. Document Delivery/Interlibrary Loan. Report expenditures for document delivery and interlibrary loan services
(both borrowing and lending). Include fees paid for photocopies, costs of telefacsimile transmission, royalties and access fees paid to
provide document delivery or interlibrary loan. Include fees paid to bibliographic utilities if the portion paid for interlibrary loan can
be separately counted. Include only expenditures that are part of Miscellaneous Materials Expenditures (16d) or Other Operating
Expenditures (20), and only for those ILL/DD programs with data recorded in Questions (35)-(36).
Questions 27. Personnel. Report the number of FTE (full-time equivalent) staff in filled positions, or positions that are only
temporarily vacant. ARL defines temporarily vacant positions as positions that were vacated during the fiscal year for which ARL
data were submitted, for which there is a firm intent to refill, and for which there are expenditures for salaries reported on line (18).
Include cost recovery positions and staff hired for special projects and grants, but provide an explanatory footnote indicating the
number of such staff. If such staff cannot be included, provide a footnote. To compute full-time equivalents of part-time employees
and student assistants, take the total number of hours per week (or year) worked by part-time employees in each category and divide
it by the number of hours considered by the reporting library to be a full-time work week (or year). Round figures to the nearest
whole numbers.
Question 27a. Professional Staff. Since the criteria for determining professional status vary among libraries, there is no attempt to
define the term “professional.” Each library should report those staff members it considers professional, including, when appropriate,
staff who are not librarians in the strict sense of the term, for example computer experts, systems analysts, or budget officers.
Question 27b. Support Staff. Report the total FTE (see instruction (27) of staff not included in (27a).
Question 27c. Student Assistants. Report the total FTE (see instruction Q27) of student assistants employed on an hourly basis
whose wages are paid from funds under library control or from a budget other than the library’s, including federal work-study
programs. Exclude maintenance and custodial staff.
Question 28. Number of staffed library service points. Count the number of staffed public service points in the main library and in
all branch libraries reported in this inventory, including reference desks, information desks, circulation, current periodicals, reserve
rooms, reprographic services (if staffed as a public facility), etc. Report the number of designated locations, not the number of staff.
Question 29. Number of weekly public service hours. Report an unduplicated count of the total public service hours per typical
full-service week (i.e., no holidays or other special accommodations) across both main library and branches using the following
method (corresponds to IPEDS): If a library is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, it should report 40 hours
per week. If several of its branches are also open during these hours, the figure remains 40 hours per week. Should Branch A also
be open one evening from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the total hours during which users can find service somewhere within the system
becomes 42 hours per week. If Branch B is open the same hours on the same evening, the count is still 42, but if Branch B is open
two hours on another evening, or remains open two hours later, the total is then 44 hours per week. Exclude 24-hour unstaffed
reserve or similar reading rooms. The maximum total is 168 (i.e., a staffed reading room open 7 days per week, 24 hours per day).
Questions 30-31. Instruction. Sampling based on a typical week may be used to extrapolate TO A FULL YEAR for Questions (30)
and (31). Please indicate if responses are based on sampling.
