Press Release:

For release on: December 10, 1999

For further Information:  Thomas J. Hennen Jr. 262-886-1625

thennen@haplr-index.com

Further coverage at:

http://www.haplr-index.com/OCLCPortalDec1999.htm 

Celebrating the Best Ranked HAPLR Index Libraries in Ohio 

Ohio has less than 3% of the nation’s libraries but fully 25% of the best-rated libraries according to the data in the Hennen’s American Library Rating Index.  How can that be?

At a luncheon hosted on December 10 the Online Library Computing Consortium (OCLC) in Columbus, the HAPLR Index Author Thomas J. Hennen Jr. addressed that and other questions.  The luncheon was held as a tribute to the five libraries in Ohio that finished number one in their respective population categories.   

Hennen noted that Ohio has a unique set of factors that allow it too, as he put it “Think and finance globally yet act locally,” leading to excellence in library service.   

He hopes that someday soon there will be a program to provide “best practices” information from the great libraries in Ohio and elsewhere to other libraries in the nation.  Best performing Libraries would serve as mentor institutions to others seeking to become excellent.   The program would be similar to Genius Grants in which the best libraries would get grants to strive for even greater excellence and be encouraged to share their experiences with others.  Such benchmarking is becoming increasingly common in private industry and the public sector as well.  

He noted that Ohio:

1.       is second nationally in spending levels per capita.

2.       is second only to Hawaii in proportion of state support.

3.       has a positive legal basis for libraries that serve multiple jurisdictions county, metropolitan, and so forth.  There are many such libraries among the top Ohio libraries. 

4.       may have the right mix of urban and rural population. Some states are dominated by politics that pit a single urban area (Chicago or New York) against the rest of the state.  Other states end up dividing over rural and urban divisions. Ohio seems to have enough urban centers, but none to dominate; there appear also to be enough rural centers to balance things.  

5.       has a major library utility in its backyard.  One cannot help but wonder whether or not having one of the premier library consortiums in the state (OCLC) does not help to inspire the type of cooperation that leads to better outcomes. 

The libraries honored at the luncheon were: 

1. Columbus Metropolitan Library
2. Westerville Public Library
3. Washington Centerville Public Library
4. Bexley Public Library
5. Twinsburg Public Library

Hennen also noted that INPUT measures for Ohio are especially good.  For Input measures specifically the following observations can be made:

1. In every population category, Ohio libraries outspend those in the rest of the country.
2. Ohio libraries devote a greater share of their budgets to materials.
3. In all categories, Ohio libraries spend more on materials per capita.
4. Regardless of population category, Ohio libraries are more fully staffed than most libraries.
5. Small Ohio libraries have many more magazines to read; larger libraries have about the average amount.
6. All sizes of Ohio libraries have more books to choose from than their national counterparts do.

For OUTPUT measures specifically the following observations can be made:

1. It costs less to circulate an item in all but the smallest Ohio libraries.
2. Ohio libraries are visited more often on a per capita basis than their national counterpart libraries.
3. Collections in Ohio see a collection turnover rate very close to that of the rest of the country.
4. Circulation per staff member is very similar to that found in most sizes of libraries nationally.
5. People check out a lot more books per person in all sizes of Ohio libraries.
6. Reference per capita in Ohio Libraries is much higher than one finds nationally. 
7. Regardless of size, Ohio libraries check out more items per hour that the library is open.
8. The larger libraries in Ohio are visited less often per open hour than their national counterparts.
9. On an average visit, Ohio residents usually borrow more items from their libraries than most U.S. residents do.

When asked how he would sum up the overall situation, Hennen laughed and said:  “It looks like when it comes to public library services, Buckeyes rule.”  Although the native Wisconsinite added hastily that there are a lot of very good libraries in his state as well.