The Best Libraries in America? An Explanation of the HAPLR Index
Thomas J. Hennen, Jr., Hennen's American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR)

Thomas J. Hennen, Jr., author of Hennen's American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR) and Hennen's Public Library Planner (Neal-Schuman, 2004), will provide an explanation of the HAPLR ratings and discuss strategic planning using Hennen's Public Library Planner. American Libraries has featured five editions of Thomas J. Hennen, Jr.'s HAPLR ratings since January 1999. The ratings have received newspaper, radio, and television coverage in scores of communities throughout the U.S. The controversial rating system employs six input and six output measures to construct individualized rating summaries for the thousands of libraries in the U.S. The rankings are similar to an ACT or SAT score.

Updated October 2005