A Report Card Worth Sharing

Once all the data is received and double-checked by the State Library, it's
compiled into comparative tables reproduced in California Library
Statistics, an annual publication. It's the standard tool for measuring and
comparing library productivity and performance indicators. Admittedly, the

by Steve Fjeldsted, City Librarian
As leaves turn brown and begin to drop, they mark the falling of the curtain
on summer and the dawn of a new school year. To public libraries they also
mean that it's time to file a lengthy annual report to the California State
Library in Sacramento. Each data profile submitted by one of the 179 public
library jurisdictions in the Golden State provides a detailed snapshot of
year-long activities at a given library institution. Among those reporting,
of course, is the South Pasadena Public Library.
mustard-colored, plain-wrap paperback is very modest-looking as it contains
no illustrations. No colorful writing is to be found either. It's merely one
chart after another for 141 pages.

Without fanfare, the document is mailed to every library in the State, but
few eyes outside the library profession ever see it. California Library
Statistics 2006, featuring data from the 2004/2005 fiscal year, has just
been released. Some of the statistical tidbits in the new edition should be
of particular interest to local residents and visitors, as South Pasadena
Public Library is a standout in many important areas.

As far as statewide comparisons are concerned, South Pasadena Library's
budget per capita was a solid $51.17 in 04/05, placing it 44th among the
other 178 library jurisdictions -- almost double the statewide average of
$27.54.  With $6.72 for "Per Capita Materials Expenditures" (books, audios,
videos, etc.), South Pasadena stands in 31st place, head and shoulders above
the statewide mean of $2.80.  For "Population Served Per FTE Staff"
(full-time equivalency) it's ranked 19th and for "Books Per Capita" it
stands in 22ndplace. These lofty rankings are, to put it mildly, very
impressive indeed.

All of the libraries are also grouped into seven categories by size of
population served. South Pasadena's statistics are reflected in Group 6, for
those institutions serving 25,000 to 50,000. Looking into the Group 6
tables, South Pasadena is even more impressive. Of the 28 public libraries
in Group 6, South Pasadena is the sixth highest in circulations per capita,
checking out over 346,000 items in just one year from a single facility that
serves an area less than 3 ½ square miles.  This breaks out to about 13 ½
checkouts for every man, woman, and child in a population of 25,789.  By my
rough estimation, if placed end-to-end these, 346,000 materials would span
approximately 60 miles -or well more than half the distance to San Diego.

The Library's Reference staff answered a startling 56,000 reference
questions during 04/05, far beyond the 35,000 it answered in 2000/2001. This
increase stands in stark contrast to the 17% drop in statewide reference
activity for the same time period. Circulation staff should be commended as
well, as South Pasadena attained the 5th highest circulations per hour for
the 28 libraries in Group 6. Some children's services performance indicators
should be mentioned as well, especially the fact that a whopping 5,362 of
the City's 6,265 children 14 and under (86%) have library cards.  This
legion of young users checked out 158,000 materials, the 4th highest total
in Group 6 (even though South Pasadena's population barely qualifies it for
Group 6 in the first place). In addition, the total attendance at Children's
programs for the year exceeded 20,000.

But perhaps the most remarkable South Pasadena statistic in California
Library Statistics 2006 is the fact that the total number of library
cardholders at 36,600 far exceeds the number of residents. While this will
probably never appear on a welcome sign or in the Guinness Book of World
Records, it deserves to be a source of local pride nonetheless.  It shows
that the attractiveness of the South Pasadena Library and the appeal of its
services draw visitors from beyond the city's boundaries.

That alone speaks volumes about the dedication of the Library's staff,
volunteers, and affiliate groups, namely the Friends of the South Pasadena
Library, the Library Board of Trustees, and the City of South Pasadena. The
exemplary support of the community-at-large, in the form of taxpayers,
voters, and of course our library users as well, cannot be overstated.

To underscore a basic point in simplified terms: for the price of just over
$50 per year -roughly the price of 3 books- South Pasadenans check out an
average of more than 13 materials each, out of an expansive collection of
more than 150,000 titles. And for 7 days each week they are afforded an
inviting place to read, study, and associate with other members of the
community, not to mention all the other library services they can utilize.
In my opinion, those are high marks worth sharing.