Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

5-19-2012

Description

Objectives: The purpose is to see if there is a relationship between declining walk-in visitor counts and increased library web access. The overall objective is to evaluate library services and find better and more efficient ways to meet the needs of walk-in and virtual patrons. Methods: Compile past five years of walk-in visitor statistics from the library. Retrieve past five years of website statistics from Google Analytics. These two sets of data will be compared and analyzed for any correlation. We hypothesize the data will show a steady decrease in walk-in visitors along with a continued increase in website visitors. We hope to find a period during the past five years where the two values intersect. If a clear relation exists, we will identify possible factors that can be attributed to these changes. Results: The combination of online “visits” combined with walkin visits gives an entirely different picture of the use of libraries by patrons. Conclusion: Librarians should not be wedded to success markers of past eras. By updating measures of recording “attendance,” a more truthful picture emerges about the true popularity of libraries. This type of data is essential, since libraries are under more pressure to justify their existence.

Location

Seattle, WA

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