2024 Annual Report Guide: Let's Get Started

Helpful Information for Completing Your Library's Annual Report Survey

• See Collect Connect's FAQ's found at the top of the dashboard for best practices in working with their software.
   
• Time Frames Before starting each section, take note of the time frame that you should report on. Some sections ask you to use your Fiscal Year, some ask for the answers as of the end of the Calendar Year, and the current Trustees at Feb. 1, 2025 are to be listed in Section 10..
   
• Tab to move between questions. Subtotals and Totals which will calculate automatically.  Even though the software was updated to save after each entry or change, we recommend clicking the SAVE button before leaving each page.
   
• SHOW Last Year's Answers by clicking the link at the top right of the page.  RCLS highly recommends working in the survey this way.
   
• Quick Instructions Next to every question on the survey is a question mark icon that provides instructions for answering that particular question.
   
• Leave nothing blank. All questions must be answered. If a question does not pertain to your library and the box is looking for text data, write N/A; if the box requires a numerical entry, enter 0.
   

• Edit Checks When the 2024 answers differ substantially (about 30%) from the 2023 data, a Note that compares and explains the difference is required. An Edit Check will be generated if a note is not included. Make sure that your notes include enough detail for clarity and that it answers the question being asked by the edit check.
   

• Flags If you need to skip a question, click the Flag underneath the answer box. Once you are ready to revisit the question, enter the answer and click the Flag again to remove it.
   
• All of your Active Flags, Unanswered Questions, and Edit Checks can be found by clicking the Status button at the top of the survey.
   
• Do not submit a report with active Flags, Unanswered Questions, or unresolved Edit Checks. There may be a period especially at the beginning of Annual Report Season when NYS DLD and/or Bibliostat are working out issues with their software. You may see incorrect Edit Checks. Please report those to the RCLS Annual Report Team so that  we can investigate and notify everyone when they have been resolved.
   
• Proofread your report before submitting. The RCLS Annual Report Team will do a final review also before it is submitted to NYS DLD.
   
• When finished with your session, be sure to SAVE one last time and then click on Close at the top right of the page. Do not use the tab's X to close.

Ready?

Log-in to Bibliostat CollectConnect to begin the survey!

Important Items from NYS DLD:
• The State Library due date of the annual reports will be March 1, 2025.

• The report now saves automatically after every new entry or change.

• Multiple users can now view and edit reports at the same time. When logging in, you will receive a pop-up message notifying you if someone else is also using the report to enable coordination.

• All questions, including those in repeating groups, can now display last year’s entry as well as the five years preceding that (by clicking History). Note: only this and last year’s entries are able to be printed.

• IMLS has issued a new set of 22 questions intended to more clearly and accurately record electronic collections and usage. These are voluntary for this report, but we encourage libraries to complete them as this will help us make adjustments if needed. All but 4 are simple Yes/No questions, and the remaining simply break e-material circulation into e-books, e-serials, e-audio, and e-video. To reduce disruption, all of these have been placed in section 5.

• There has been some survey re-numbering due to a small amount of questions added, removed, or re-ordered since the 2023 Annual Report.

• Please see updates in Instructions and note the rewording in questions and Instructions. Not all changes are noted in this outline.

• Instructions intended for more than one question are marked as such.

• On the Edit Check Review page, when an Edit Check is resolved with a note, the red exclamation point becomes a large green check mark. Note that All Edit Checks must have green check marks before the report can be submitted.

Tips and Tools
• Auto-save is now enabled, but it is recommended to save often to ensure data retention. The Save button is located at the top and bottom of each page. (On some pages, you may have to scroll down.)

• To print the report with page numbers, click on the Printer icon in the menu at the top of the page, go to “Show Web Report” and then Control-P for Print.