INHOUSE USAGE STATISTICS: AN EXPERIENCE OF UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA LIBRARY

1. INHOUSE USAGE STATISTICS: AN EXPERIENCE OF UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA LIBRARY PRESENTED BY TUELO NTLOTLANG

2. Outline • INTRODUCTION • UB LIBRARY-ITS EXPERIENCE • OBJECTIVES • SCANNING PROCESSES • DOWNLOADING PROCESS • CHALLENGES • RECOMENDATIONS

3. Introduction • Statistics is an important tool used by any service organization to measure the volume and nature of work it carries out in serving its various users. • It informs the planning and budgeting processes • Therefore libraries should take statistics as a major component that can be used to show where gaps exist in order to make meaningful decisions • Usage statistics are collected in conjunction with almost every library process, examples of library statistics are as follows; Number of loans, Library acquisitions (ordering), Library shelving, Number of library visitors ( Chiware and Mbambo-Thata, 2009)

4. UB Library-its experience • University of Botswana library has found it important to buy 13 hand- held scanners for capturing in-house usage statistics • Each faculty team (floor) has been assigned some hand held scanner and the shelving team in each faculty (floor) is responsible for capturing data through the use of the scanners • The scanning process is normally done before shelving starts every day

5. Objectives of capturing In-house statistics • Identify items that are frequently used within the library • Determine staffing workload at the floors (faculty team) • Combine with circulation statistics to identify items that have never been used • Use in conjunction with circulation statistics to assess book use to help decide which titles need to be increased

6. Scanning processes • Switch on the scanner • Choose option one “collect data” through the use of white arrows • Press Enter • Scan barcodes -press the yellow button plus the left blue button. • Switch off the scanner after the process

7. Downloading process-from the scanner to the PC • Connect the hand held scanner to the computer • Switch on the scanner • Choose option two “up load data” • Click ENTER from the scanner • Double click on the portable reader “scanner icon” from your computer • Type the file name • Click OK for the scanner to start loading

8. Downloading Process-to Millennium • Login on Millennium Circulation, then click on Count Use

9. Downloading Process-to Millennium cont… • Select Portable Reader

10. Downloading Process-to Millennium cont… • Click Process File

11. Downloading Process-to Millennium cont… • Choose the file you want to download

12. Downloading Process-to Millennium cont… • Take note of the pop up messages as the scanner download

13. Summary • During the downloading process, you can identify items that share barcodes and those that are not in the system N.B: For you to know the internal/inhouseusage of each item, you should create list

14. Summary cont…

15. Challenges • Some barcodes are written by hand • Scanning process is time consuming • Downloading of scanners and statistics analysis is done after a long period of time by assistant librarian (circulation) • Inconsistence of scanning

16. Recommendations • Hand written barcode should be printed • Employ full time shelvers • Each assistant librarian should download their own scanner and analyze statistics

17. References • Chiware , E. and Mbambo-Thata, B. (2009) Current trends in the collection and use of statistics in academic and public libraries in Africa. In Heaney, M. (ed.) Library statistics for the twenty-first century world: IFLA publications 138, national conference, 71-87. • Millennium Manual