2023 Annual Report Guide: 3 - Programs & Services

Section 3: LIBRARY PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND SERVICES

NOTE: Section 3 is for library sponsored programs, both in and out of the building. Non-library sponsored programs are tracked in section 9.

Q3.2 – 3.3 Registered borrowers: Your Resident and Non-Resident totals are found in the User Count Resident/Nonresident report in your RCLS Reports packet.

2023 Changes to Part 3: Library Programs, Policies, and Services

Renamed and Restructured Sections

Program sections have been restructured and renamed:

• Visits/ Borrowers/ Policies/ Accessibility
• Library Sponsored Programs
• Teen Led / Promotion / Summer Reading
• Early Literacy
• Adult Literacy, and
• ESOL / Digital Literacy

Summer Reading, Early Literacy, Adult Literacy, ESOL, and Digital Literacy are now if/then sections only requiring subsequent answers if Yes is entered. If No is answered the rest of the questions in that section will disappear.

Restructured Questions

Q3.4 – 3.10 Written Policies. These questions will be pre-filled with prior year answers but not locked to allow changes if needed.

Q3.14 Accessibility. This is now an if/then question only requiring subsequent answers if Yes is entered.

Q3.17-3.32 Program Questions. These have been significantly restructured to better match library data capturing, with four new subsections: Live Programs Categorized by Age, Live Programs Categorized by Venue, and Prerecorded and One-on-One Programs.

Q3.33 Did your library offer teen-led activities during the 2023 calendar year? This was previously asked toward the end of this section and has been moved to be before the Summer Reading section.

 

Definition Changes:

Synchronous Programs has been changed to Live Programs.

Asynchronous Programs has been changed to Prerecorded Programs.

New Definition:

A live program session is any planned event which introduces the group attending to library services or which provides information to participants.
Program sessions may cover use of the library, library services, or library tours. Program sessions may also provide cultural, recreational, or educational information.
Examples of these types of program sessions include, but are not limited to, film showings, lectures, story hours, literacy programs, citizenship classes, and book discussions.

Previous definitions:
What was previously called Programs is now called Synchronous Programs. Programs happening live, (which are all in-person programs and some virtual programs) are now referred to as Synchronous Program Sessions. Since the definition of a library program already included all in-person programs and live virtual programs, this revision does not change the method in which the data was previously collected.

Programs – Definition of Children’s

The 2023 Annual Report has separate questions for ages 0-5 and ages 6-11. Family or muli-age programs may be included under question 3.21a - 3.21b- General Interest Program Sessions

 

Tip: Total number of Live Program sessions by Age (3.22) and Venue (3.27) should be the same, and total attendance at live programs by Age (3.23) and Venue (3.28) should be the same

 

Q3.31 (One-on-One Program Attendance) – If one walk-in time is scheduled but one individual brings along an additional person, count as 1 session with 2 attendees.

With one-on-one Program Sessions and and Attendance, they should be equal or the Attendance double that of the Sessions.  If they are not equal or double, then a note to explain is REQUIRED.  

 

RCLS Road Trip

RCLS Road Trip participation is not counted as an individual program. However, statistics such as library visits, reference questions, and library card holders are counted in other sections on the annual report. If any item increased significantly as a result of the Road Trip, you may include the following note:

Increase over previous year due to participation in RCLS Road Trip summer program.

FAQs

Q: Where do I count notary service? What about passport assistance?
A: Count notary services and passport assistance as on-on-one program sessions

Q: How should I count live programs (either in-person or virtual) that were recorded, and the recording posted online?
A: Every program should be counted only once, but attendance and views of it may be split across types. So, if you offered a live onsite program that two people attend in person, two people view online while it’s happening, and two people watch later, this counts as one live onsite program, with 2 live onsite attendees, 2 live virtual attendees, and 2 views of prerecorded program presentations.

Q: My library offered one-on-one computer help. Should this be counted only as on-on-one sessions, or can it also be counted in the digital literacy section?
A: For the Summer Reading, Early Literacy, Adult Literacy, ESOL, and Digital Literacy sections, libraries should report these both in the Library Sponsored Programs fields and in the categorical field, as these are state-level questions that are sub-groups of the previous.