San Antonio Public Library

PLAmetrics Case Study

Using PLAmetrics to Advantage

San Antonio Public Library

David Cooksey, Performance & Innovation Manager

Evidence-Based Management

Public libraries are increasingly employing PLAmetrics to support a wide variety of local operational and advocacy needs.

San Antonio Public Library, TX

David Cooksey, Performance & Innovation Manager

“PLAmetrics has been a great resource for SAPL” advises David. “We use it for a variety of both planned and ad hoc purposes. In terms of planned, SAPL looks at the data from three primary benchmarking perspectives:

1. libraries with comparable income (revenues) per capita
2. City of San Antonio identified peers and
3. comparable population served libraries.

   It is truly helpful having the capacity to simultaneously view these different perspectives. In terms of specific use, the PLAmetrics generated reports are used...

   1. to inform the Library Board of Trustees
   2. as part of the library’s annual budget process with the City and
   3. for convenient access to data to assist in responding to ad hoc situations with meaningful evidence that before would likely not have been possible or if so, would have taken a lot of staff effort.

We’ve had a number of successes where PLAmetrics has been an important contributor. It sure works for us!”

About PLAmetrics

PLAmetrics is an online public library data management tool for employing historical and current PLDSPublic Library Data Service data for benchmarking, trend reports, analyses, etc. PLAmetrics also provides access to historical IMLSInstitute of Museum and Library Services data.

Note: 1,400+ public libraries across North America annually provide operational data.

The PLA supports PLAmetrics on behalf of its member libraries and retains Counting Opinions to manage the annual PLDSPublic Library Data Service data collection and the PLAmetrics data tool.

For more information and to subscribe, go to http://www.plametrics.org.

About Counting Opinions

Facing constant competitive challenges, libraries and library organizations need better tools to understand and manage customer needs and to compete more effectively for scarce resources. In business since 2004, Counting Opinions provides libraries and library organizations with a cost-effective, evidence-based management solutions’ platform for the comprehensive management of their performance and customer satisfaction data. Solutions for custom surveys, open-ended customer feedback, trends, benchmarking, outcomes and peer comparisons are also available.

Note: Interview conducted and case study prepared by Counting Opinions (SQUIREThe 6 key dimensions of service Satisfaction, Quality, re-Use, Importance, Recommendation, Expectation) Ltd.

Please cite this article as: San Antonio Public Library; David Cooksey, Performance & Innovation Manager