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Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2017-18
The changes from the memo are included in the package below.
IPEDS Help Desk
(877) 225-2568 or ipedshelp@rti.org
NCES National Center for Education Statistics
date: 7/26/2017
2017-18 Survey Materials > Form
Academic Libraries
Overview
Academic Libraries Overview
Welcome to the IPEDS Academic Libraries (AL) survey component. The purpose of the AL component of IPEDS is to collect information on library collections, library
expenses, and library services for libraries in degree-granting postsecondary institutions.
Recent changes
There are a few changes to the 2016-17 Academic Libraries component from the 2015-16 collection. Visit the Academic Libraries Resource page for a list of the changes
and additional reporting resources.
Data Reporting Reminders
Report all data for fiscal year (FY) 2017. Fiscal year 2017 is defined as the most recent 12-month period that ends before October 1, 2017, that corresponds to the
institution’s fiscal year.
Coverage:
Include data for the main or central academic library and all branch and independent libraries that were open all or part of the fiscal year 2017. Branch and independent
libraries are defined as auxiliary library service outlets with quarters separate from the central library that houses the basic collection. The central library administers the
branches. Libraries on branch campuses that have separate IPEDS unit identification numbers are reported as separate libraries.
Resources:
To download the survey materials for this component: Survey Materials
To access your prior year data submission for this component: Reported Data
For more information about the previous survey: Academic Libraries Survey
If you have questions about completing this survey, please contact the IPEDS Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568.
Screening Questions
Were your annual total library expenses for Fiscal Year 2017:
Less than $100,000
Greater than or equal to $100,000
Is the library collection entirely electronic?
No
Yes
Library Collections/Circulation and Interlibrary Loan Services
Section I:
For all degree-granting institutions with
library expenses >0
NOTE - This section of the survey collects data on selected types of material. It does not cover all materials. Report the total number of each category held at the END of
Fiscal Year 2017.
Physical
Library Collections
Digital/Electronic
Prior Year
Amount
Total
Prior Year
Amount
Books
Databases
Media
Serials
Total
Library Circulation
Does your instituion have Interlibrary Loan Services ?
No
Yes
Interlibrary Loan Services
Number
Prior Year Amount
Total interlibrary loans and documents provided to other libraries
Total interlibrary loans and documents received
You may use the space below to provide context for the data you've reported above.This context box will not be posted on the College Navigator Website.
Expenses
Section II:
For degree-granting institutions with
library expenses >= $100,000
Library expenses should be reported for the most recent 12-month period that corresponds to your institution's fiscal year that ends before October 1, 2017.
Prior Year Amount
Indicate the number of branch and independent libraries
(exclude the main or central library).
Expenses
Amount
Total salaries and wages for the library staff
Are staff fringe benefits paid out of the library budget?
No
Yes
Total Fringe benefits
Materials/services expenses
One-time purchases of books, serial backfiles, and other materials
Ongoing commitments to subscriptions
All other materials/service cost
Total materials/services expenses
Operations and maintenance expenses
Preservation services
All other operations and maintenance expenses
Total operations and maintenance expenses
Total Expenses
Total Expenses (minus Fringe Benefits)
You may use the space below to provide context for the data you've reported above.This context box will not be posted on the College Navigator Website.
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IPEDS Help Desk
(877) 225-2568 or ipedshelp@rti.org
NCES National Center for Education Statistics
2017-18 Survey Materials > Instructions
date: 7/26/2017
Academic Libraries
Purpose of Component
Changes in Reporting for 2017-18
General Instructions
Reporting Period Covered
Context boxes
Coverage
Where to Get Help for Reporting
Where the Data Will Appear
Detailed Instructions
Section I: for degree granting institutions with library expenses >0 and/or degree granting institutions with access to a
library collection
Section II: for degree granting institutions with library expenses >$100,000
Purpose of Component
The purpose of the Academic Libraries (AL) component of IPEDS is to collect information on library collections, expenses, and services for
degree-granting postsecondary institutions.
Changes In Reporting
There are a few changes to the 2017-18 Academic Libraries component from the 2016-17 collection. Visit the Academic Libraries Resource
page for a list of the changes and additional reporting resources.
General Instructions
Please respond to each item in this survey. If the appropriate answer for an item is zero or none, or if a material is provided and counts are
not measurable, use "0." If a material is not provided or not applicable, leave the item blank.
Reporting Period Covered
Report all data for fiscal year (FY) 2017. Fiscal year 2017 is defined as the most recent 12-month period that ends before October 1, 2017,
that corresponds to the institution’s fiscal year.
Context Boxes
Context boxes are provided to allow institutions to provide more information regarding survey component items. Note that some context
boxes are posted on the College Navigator Website, which is the college search tool offered by NCES. NCES will review entries in these
context boxes for applicability and appropriateness before posting them on the College Navigator Website; institutions should check
grammar and spelling of their entries.
Coverage
Include data for the main or central academic library and all branch and independent libraries that were open all or part of the fiscal year
2017. Branch and independent libraries are defined as auxiliary library service outlets with quarters separate from the central library that
houses the basic collection. The central library administers the branches. Libraries on branch campuses that have separate IPEDS unit
identification numbers are reported as separate libraries.
Where to Get Help with Reporting
IPEDS Help Desk
Phone: 1-877-225-2568
Email: ipedshelp@rti.org
Web Tutorials
You can also consult the IPEDS Website Trainings & Outreach page which contains several tutorials on IPEDS data collection, a self-paced
overview of IPEDS tools, and other valuable resources.
IPEDS Resource Page
The IPEDS Website Reporting Tools page contains frequently asked questions, a link to data tip sheets, tutorials, taxonomies, information
centers (e.g., academic libraries, average net price, human resources, race/ethnicity, etc.), and other valuable information.
Where the Reported Data Will Appear
Data collected through IPEDS will be accessible at the institution- and aggregate-levels.
At the institution-level, data will appear in the:
College Navigator Website
IPEDS Data Center
IPEDS Data Feedback Reports
College Affordability and Transparency Center Website
At the aggregate-level, data will appear in:
IPEDS First Looks
IPEDS Table Library
IPEDS Data Feedback Reports
The Digest of Education Statistics
The Condition of Education
Detailed Instructions
Screening Questions:
Before entering any data, a screening question will need to be answered.
Were your annual total library expenses for Fiscal Year 2017:
Indicate whether the annual total library expenses in Fiscal Year 2017 were less than $100,000 or equal to or greater than $100,000.
Fiscal Year 2017 is defined as the most recent 12-month period that ends before October 1, 2017, that corresponds to the institution's
fiscal year. Expenses include funds expended by the library (regardless of when received) from its regular budget and from all other
sources; e.g., research grants, special projects, gifts and endowments, and fees for services. All expenses should be reported in whole
dollars. Exclude expenses for new buildings and building renovation. Include fringe benefits only IF paid from the library budget. Other
library expenses that should be included are:
•Salaries and wages (from the library budget and all other sources)
•One time purchases of books, serial back-files, and other materials
•Ongoing commitments to subscriptions
•Other materials/service costs
•Preservation services
•All other operations and maintenance expenses
If annual total library expenses are less than $100,000, the institution will submit Section I of the AL component. If annual total library
expenses are equal to or greater than $100,000, the institution will report Section I and additional expenses and interlibrary services
information in Section II of the AL component.
Is the library collection entirely electronic
Select "Yes" if your library collection is comprised entirely of digital/electronic items. Select "No" if your library collection is comprised of both
physical and digital/electronic items.
Section I: For all degree-granting institutions with library expenses > $0 and/or access to a library collection
NOTE - This section of the survey collects data on selected types of material. It does not cover all materials. Report the total number of
each category held at the END OF Fiscal Year 2017.
Count only those materials that are considered part of your collection. Collections comprise of documents held locally and remote
resources for which permanent or temporary access rights have been acquired. Access rights may be acquired by the library itself, by a
consortium and/or through external funding. Acquisition is to be understood as securing access rights and including it in the library catalog,
other library databases or discovery systems. Interlibrary lending and document delivery are excluded from the collection. Include
government documents that are cataloged and/or searchable through the library catalog or discovery system.
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Physical Books (include government documents) - Report physical book titles owned or leased by the library if individual titles are
catalog and/or searchable through the library catalog or discovery system. Exclude serials, microforms, maps, nonprint materials, and
uncataloged items. Include music scores if searchable by title through the library catalog or discovery system. Include government
documents that are accessible through the library's catalogs regardless of whether they are separately classified and/or shelved.
"Cataloged" includes documents for which records are provided by the library or downloaded from other sources into the library catalog
or discovery system.
Physical Media – Report the number of titles of media materials. Include microforms, audiovisual materials, cartographic, and graphic
materials and three-dimensional artifacts realia.
Physical Serials – Report the number of physical serial titles that are accessible through the library’s catalog or discovery system. A
serial is a publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological designations and intended to be
continued indefinitely. This definition includes, in any physical format, periodicals, newspapers, and annuals (reports, yearbooks, etc.);
the journals, memoirs, proceedings, transactions, etc. of societies; and numbered monographic series. Report serial titles, not
subscriptions. If possible, report the count of only those de-duplicated or otherwise unique serial titles searchable through the library’s
catalog or discovery system. If possible, do not include earlier title changes; however, do not worry about removing them if it is not
possible/feasible.
Total Physical Collection – This line will automatically be calculated for you.
Total Physical Circulation - Report the total number of times physical items are checked out from the general and reserve collections.
Include only initial checkouts (circulation), not renewals. Exclude interlibrary loan lending and borrowing. Include transactions of books,
media, and serials. Do not include transactions of equipment or computers. However, circulation of electronic reading devices (e.g.,
Kindles) can be included if the device is pre-loaded with e-books. For example, if a customer checks out a Kindle that is pre-loaded with
20 e-books, then that transaction counts as 1 physical circulation, not 20 electronic/digital circulations.
Digital/Electronic Books, (include government documents) – Report e-book titles owned or leased by the library if individual titles
are cataloged and/or searchable through the library catalog or discovery system. Examples of discovery systems can be found at
http://librarytechnology.org/discovery/. E-books are digital documents (including those digitized by the library), licensed or not, where
searchable text is prevalent, and which can be seen in analogy to a printed book (monograph). Include e-book titles in aggregated
sets in which the library selected the aggregator even if not each individual e-book title. Report the number at the administrative entity
level; do not duplicate unit count for each branch. Include government documents, locally digitized electronic books and electronic
theses and dissertations. Include digital music scores if searchable by title through the library catalog or discovery system. Include
open access (OA) titles if the individual titles are searchable through the library’s catalog or discovery system, except do not count ebook titles from HathiTrust, Center for Research Libraries, Internet Archive, and similar collections unless the library owns the digitized
item and it is accessible under current copyright law. Do not include titles in Demand-Driven Acquisition (DDA) or Patron-Driven
Acquisition (PDA) collections until they have been purchased by the library.
Digital/Electronic Databases -Report the total number of licensed digital/electronic databases in your collection if there is bibliographic
or discovery access at the database level. Each database is counted individually even if access to several databases is supported
through the same vendor interface.
A database is collection of electronically stored data or unit records (facts, bibliographic data, and texts) with a common user interface
and software for the retrieval and manipulation of the data. The data or records are usually collected with a particular intent and relate
to a defined topic.
Do not include discovery systems in the count of databases. Do not include "individual releases" such as annual updates of content or
the migration of the user interface to the next vendor-release (i.e., interface version 3.0 replaces version 2.0) as separate databases.
Digital/Electronic Media - Report titles of e-media materials owned or leased by the library if the individual titles are cataloged and/or
searchable through the library catalog or discovery system. E-media materials are media materials that are in digital format and are
available for download or streaming. For example, titles from Films on Demand or Alexander Street Press should be reported. Include
digital graphic materials and cartographic materials. Include e-media titles in aggregated sets in which the library selected the
aggregator even if not each individual title. Report the number at the administrative entity level; do not duplicate unit count for each
branch. Do not count image databases (ARTStor, AP Photo Archives) in this category--count as databases. Do not include titles in
Demand-Driven Acquisition (DDA) or Patron-Driven Acquisition (PDA) collections until they have been purchased or leased by the library.
Digital/Electronic Serials – Report the number of e-serial titles that are accessible through the library’s catalog or discovery system.
An e-serial is a periodical publication that is published in digital form to be displayed on a computer screen. Include open access (OA)
titles if the individual titles are searchable through the library’s catalog or discovery system, except do not count e-serial titles from
HathiTrust, Center for Research Libraries, Internet Archive, and similar collections unless the library owns the digitized item and it is
accessible under current copyright law. If possible, report the count of only those de-duplicated or otherwise unique serial titles
searchable through the library’s catalog or discovery system. If possible include ceased titles. If possible, do not count earlier title
changes; however, do not worry about removing them if it is not possible/feasible. A source for counting e-serials may be a library- or
vendor-developed A-Z title list of e-journals.
Total Digital/Electronic Collection - This line will automatically be calculated for you.
Total Digital/Electronic Circulation or Usage – Report usage of digital/electronic titles whether viewed, downloaded, or streamed. Do
not include e-serials and institutional repository documents.
Include usage for e-books and e-media titles only, even if the title was purchased as part of a database. Do not include usage of titles
in Demand-Driven Acquisition (DDA) or Patron-Driven Acquisition (PDA) collections until they have been purchased or leased by the
library. Do not include transactions of VHS, CDs, or DVDs, as the transactions of these materials are reported under "physical
circulation".
Many vendors will provide usage statistics in COUNTER reports. Project COUNTER Code of Practice is available here. Relevant COUNTER
reports for e-books are: BR1-Number of Successful Title Requests by Month and Title; and BR2-Number of Successful Section Requests
by Month and Title. For media, the report MR1-Number of Successful Multimedia Full Content Unit Requests by Month and Collection, is
most relevant.
If COUNTER reports are available, IPEDS suggest that libraries report counts from BR1 and MR1. If BR1 and MR1 statistics are not
available, BR2 and MR2 statistics can be used. In cases where vendors do not provide COUNTER reports, libraries may report using
other means for monitoring digital/electronic circulation/usage (downloads, session views, transaction logs, etc.).
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Does your institution have Interlibrary Loan Services: Indicate whether your institution has interlibrary loan services.
Total interlibrary loans and documents provided to other libraries – Report the number of filled requests for material provided to
other libraries. Include all returnable and non-returnable interlibrary loans and documents. Include direct borrowing between
consortium members. Do not include transactions between the main or central library and branches, or transactions between branches.
Total interlibrary loans and documents received – Report the number of filled requests for material received from other libraries.
Include all returnable and non-returnable interlibrary loans and documents received from commercial services. Documents delivered
from commercial services are all transactions for which the library pays even if library staff is not involved in the transaction. This
includes documents received by regular or express mail, by fax, or in electronic form. Include direct borrowing between consortium
members. Exclude transactions between the main or central library and branches and transactions between branches.
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A library consortium is any local, statewide, regional, or interstate cooperative association of libraries that provides for the systematic
and effective coordination of the resources of schools, public, academic, and special libraries and information centers, for improving
services to the clientele of such libraries. (U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Sect. 54.500)
The purpose of library consortia can include:
Cost reduction through group purchasing
Professional development for library staff
Resource sharing (content, technology, expertise, and funding)
Networking, information sharing, mass communication
Building shared integrated library management and cataloging systems.
For IPEDS purposes, academic libraries that share an administrative unit are NOT considered a consortium (see definition of branch and
independent libraries ). There are two cases of consortium: one in which members share ALL library resources or one in which they
share PARTIAL resources. Refer below for specific instructions in each case.
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In the case of consortia where individual library members share ALL the same library resources and library budget, a parent/child
relationship for reporting Academic Libraries data may be established if certain criteria are met. Parent/child relationships can be
established for institutions if: (1) the child institution is in the same institutional control as the parent, and (2) the child institution is not
set up to report its own academic libraries expenses or collections data. Once a parent/child relationship has been established, the
parent institution will report all data for the child institution. Shared resources are to be reported at the system level. For example, if
20,000 e-book titles were purchased by two institutions in a parent/child relationship to be shared, the parent institution will report
20,000 e-book titles and not 40,000 e-book titles. Institutions wishing to establish a parent/child relationship must contact the Help
Desk. See the resource guide for more details on parent/child reporting.
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In the case where individual library members of the consortia share PARTIAL resources and/or set up to report their own academic
library expenses or collections data, they must do so for their individual institution. Please note the instructions below.
Reporting digital/electronic collection
If your library is part of a consortium of independent libraries and shares a common e-service (e.g., Overdrive), then your library
should report the number of digital/electronic titles it has access to as part of its collection. For example, if your library pays a set
annual fee, as part of a consortium, for access rights to 1200 e-books that are shared across all members of the consortium, then
your library should count the 1200 titles as part of its e-book collection.
Reporting digital/electronic circulation or usage
If your library is part of a consortium of independent libraries and shares a common e-service (e.g., Overdrive), then count the
number of digital/electronic usage for your library’s e-books and e-media collection only. If the usage count for only your institution is
not available from the e-service provider, you may allocate the total usage based on characteristics of the institutions in the
consortia (e.g, based on percentage Full Time Equivalent students, based on percentage of consortial fees, etc.). Do not include
counts from other members of the consortium.
Reporting ongoing expenses for electronic/digital materials or database purchased through a set annual
consortium fee
Report them under ‘All other operations and maintenance expenses’. Do not include under ‘Ongoing commitments to subscriptions.'
Section II: For degree-granting institutions with library expenses >= $100,000
Level of library expenses that determines applicability of Section II is based on the institution's response to the screening question.
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Branch and independent libraries - Report the number of branch and independent libraries at your institution that were open all or
part of fiscal year 2017. EXCLUDE THE MAIN OR CENTRAL LIBRARY. Branch and independent libraries are defined as auxiliary library
service outlets with quarters separate from the central library of an institution, which have a basic collection of books and other
materials, a regular staffing level, and an established schedule. Include virtual/digital-based branch and independent libraries.
Branch and independent libraries are administered either by the central library, or as in the case of some libraries (such as law, medical,
etc.), through the administrative structure of the other units within the university. Departmental study/reading rooms are not included.
Please note that data for libraries on branch campuses (i.e., located in another community) are included if those campuses are
registered under the same NCES Unit ID number as the main campus.
NOTE- For schools in parent/child relationships, do not report the child institutions as branch libraries. However, if the child institutions
have branches, the parent institution should report the combined branch libraries for itself and child institutions.
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NOTE – expenses should be reported for the most recent 12-month period that corresponds to your institution's fiscal year that ends
before October 1, 2017. Report funds expended by the library (regardless of when received) from its regular budget and from all other
sources; e.g., research grants, special projects, gifts and endowments, and fees for services. If items in this section are not paid from
the library budget but can be easily identified in other parts of the institution's budget, report them here. The exception is fringe
benefits -- report fringe benefits only IF paid from the library budget. All expenses should be reported in whole dollars in the most
appropriate category to provide an unduplicated count of expenses. Exclude expenses for new buildings and building renovation.
Total salaries and wages from the library budget – Report salaries and wages before deductions for all full-time and part-time library
staff, including student assistant wage and Federal Work-Study students' wage, from the library budget or all other institutional
sources that are identifiable.
Staff fringe benefits– If benefits are paid from the library budget, select ‘yes’ and report the amount. If benefits are not paid from the
library budget, select ‘no’ and report ‘0’ for the amount.
Total amount of fringe benefits (if paid by library budget) – If fringe benefits are paid by the library budget, report all cash
contributions in the form of supplementary or deferred compensation other than salary. Do not include the employee's contribution.
Employee fringe benefits include retirement plans, social security taxes, medical/dental plans, unemployment compensation plans,
group life insurance plans, worker's compensation plans, and other benefits in-kind with cash options. Exclude employee fringe benefits
if not paid from the library budget.
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One-time purchases of books, serial back-files, and other materials - Provide the cost of one-time purchases of books, serial
backfiles, and other materials. Report expenses for published materials in all formats including archives and special collections. Include
one-time acquisitions of access rights for digital/electronic materials held locally and for remote materials for which permanent access
rights have been acquired. Include expenses for database licenses only if they are not a subscription or part of an annual consortium
fee. Do not include expenses for computer software used to support library operations or to link external networks, including the
Internet. This is reported under other operations and maintenance expenses.
Ongoing commitments to subscriptions - Report expenses for ongoing commitments in all formats, including duplicates, for all outlets.
This includes serials and any other items committed to annually, as well as annual electronic platform or access fees. Serials are
publications issued in successive parts, usually at regular intervals, and, as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely. Print-based
serial subscriptions include periodicals, newspapers, annuals (reports, yearbooks, etc.), memoirs, proceedings, and transactions of
societies. Include the costs of electronic serials bought in aggregations and serial packages. Include abstracting and indexing services
and any database that requires an annual subscription fee. Do not include subscription fees if they are part of an annual consortium
fee. Government documents received serially are included if they are accessible through the library's catalog or discovery system.
Other materials/service cost – Report additional materials/service costs that have not already been reported in this section. Other
materials/service costs may include:
Document delivery/interlibrary loan services. Include fees paid for photocopies, costs of facsimile transmissions, royalties and
access fees paid to provide document delivery or interlibrary loan. Include the interlibrary loan fees paid to bibliographic utilities if
the interlibrary loan costs paid can be separated out from the expenses paid to the bibliographic utility. Do not count expenses
related to transactions between the main or central library and branches, transactions between branches, or expenses for an oncampus delivery. Include costs associated with pay-per-view journal article transactions. Include fees expended for short-term
loans as part of a Patron-Driven Acquisition (PDA) or Demand-Driven Acquisition (DDA) program.
Other expenses for information resources. Include copyright fees and fees for database searches, e.g., (DIALOG, Lexis-Nexis).
Total materials/services cost calculated – This line will automatically be calculated for you.
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Preservation services - Report expenses associated with maintaining library and archival materials for use either in their original
physical form or in some other usable way. This includes but is not limited to binding and rebinding, materials conservation, deacidification, lamination, and restoration. Also, include preservation-related contracts for services (e.g. digitization). Do not include staff
salaries and wages.
All other operations and maintenance expenses - Report any other maintenance expenses that have not already been reported in
this section. Include:
Computer hardware and software expenses. Report expenses from the library budget for computer hardware and software used
to support library operations, whether purchased or leased, local or remote. Include the expenses for equipment used to run
information service products when that expense can be separated from the price of the product.
National, regional, and local bibliographic utilities, networks and consortia.
If interlibrary loan fees paid to bibliographic utilities cannot be separated out, include the interlibrary loan costs here with the
library’s expenses of the bibliographic utilities.
All other operating expenses. Report all other expenses from the library budget not already reported. Exclude expenses for new
buildings and building renovations. Include all expenses for furniture and equipment. Include any related maintenance costs.
Total operations and maintenance expenses - This line will automatically be calculated for you.
Total Expenses – This amount will be calculated for you. It is the sum of salaries and wages, fringe benefits, total materials/services,
and total operations and maintenance.
Total Expenses (minus Fringe Benefits) – This amount will be calculated for you. It is total expenses minus fringe benefits. If fringe
benefits were not paid out of the library budget, this line should be equal to Total Expenses.
Glossary
date: 7/26/2017
Term
Definition
Academic Library
An entity in a postsecondary institution that provides an organized collection of printed or other materials, or a combination thereof; a
staff trained to provide and interpret such materials as required to meet the informational, cultural, recreational, or educational needs
of the clientele; an established schedule in which services of the staff are available to the clientele; an established schedule in which
services of the staff are available to the clientele; and the physical facilities necessary to support such a collection, staff, and schedule.
This definition includes libraries that are part of learning resource centers.
Access rights
Access rights may be acquired by the library itself, by a consortium and/or through external funding. Acquisition is to be understood as
deliberately selecting a document, securing access rights and including it in the OPAC (online public access catalog) or other databases
of the library. Interlibrary lending and document delivery are excluded.
Audiovisual Materials
Materials that are displayed by visual projection or magnification, or through sound reproduction, or both, including sound recordings,
motion pictures and video recordings, and graphic materials. Also included in this category are special visual materials such as threedimensional artifacts and realia, and web-based audiovisual resources. This includes audio documents such as records, tapes,
cassettes, audio compact discs, files of digital audio recordings; visual documents such as slides, transparencies, and combined
audiovisual documents such as motion pictures, video recordings, etc. Microforms are excluded.
Bibliographic utilities, networks
and consortia
Services provided by national, regional, and local bibliographic utilities networks, and consortia.
Books
Books are non-serial printed publications (including music) that are hard or soft covers, or in loose-leaf format.
Branch and independent
libraries
Auxiliary library service outlets with quarters separate from the central library that houses the basic collection. The central library
administers the branches. Libraries on branch campuses that have separate NCES identification numbers are reported as separate
libraries.
Cartographic Material
Materials representing in whole or in part the earth or any celestial body at any scale (e.g., maps and charts)
Computer hardware and
software operating expenses
These include expenses from the library budget for computer hardware and software used to support library operations, whether
purchased or leased, mainframe or microcomputer. Expenses for maintenance and the expense to run information services when it
cannot be separated from the price of the product are also included in this category.
Database
Collection of electronically stored data or unit records (facts, bibliographic data, and texts) with a common user interface and software
for the retrieval and manipulation of the data. The data or records are usually collected with a particular intent and relate to a defined
topic. Each database is counted individually even if access to several databases is supported through the same vendor interface.
Discovery system
A discovery system product consists of an interface directed toward the users of a library to find materials in its collections and
subsequently to gain access to items of interest through the appropriate mechanisms. Discovery systems tend to be independent from
the specific applications that libraries implement to manage resources, such as integrated library systems, library services platforms,
repository platforms, or electronic resource management systems. In most cases they provide access to multiple types of materials,
independently of the management platform involved. Discovery systems provide an interface with search and retrieval capabilities,
often with features such as relevancy-based ordering of search results, facets presented that can be selected to narrow results
according to specific categories, contributors, or date ranges, and tools to identify related materials or to refine search queries.
Examples of discovery systems can be found at http://librarytechnology.org/discovery/.
E-books
E-books are digital documents (including those digitized by the library), licensed or not, where searchable text is prevalent, and which
can be seen in analogy to a printed book (monograph). E-books are loaned to users on portable devices (e-book readers) or by
transmitting the contents to the user's personal computer for a limited time.
E-media
E-media materials are media materials that are in digital format and are available for download or streaming. Include digital graphic
materials.
E-serial
An e-serial is a periodical publication that is published in digital form to be displayed on a computer screen.
Fringe benefits
Cash contributions in the form of supplementary or deferred compensation other than salary. Excludes the employee's contribution.
Employee fringe benefits include retirement plans, social security taxes, medical/dental plans, guaranteed disability income protection
plans, tuition plans, housing plans, unemployment compensation plans, group life insurance plans, worker's compensation plans, and
other benefits in-kind with cash options.
Graphic materials
Opaque (e.g., two-dimensional) art originals and reproductions, charts, photographs or materials intended to be projected or viewed
without sound, e.g., filmstrips, transparencies, photographs, posters, pictures, radiographs, slides, and collections of such materials.â€
[NISO Z39.7-2013, section 4.6]
Integrated Postsecondary
Education Data System (IPEDS)
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), conducted by the NCES, began in 1986 and involves annual institutionlevel data collections. All postsecondary institutions that have a Program Participation Agreement with the Office of Postsecondary
Education (OPE), U.S. Department of Education (throughout IPEDS referred to as "Title IV") are required to report data using a webbased data collection system. IPEDS currently consists of the following components: Institutional Characteristics (IC); 12-month
Enrollment (E12);Completions (C); Admissions (ADM); Student Financial Aid (SFA); Human Resources (HR) composed of Employees by
Assigned Position, Fall Staff, and Salaries; Fall Enrollment (EF); Graduation Rates (GR); Outcome Measures (OM); Finance (F); and
Academic Libraries (AL).
Interlibrary loan services
Interlibrary loan is the process by which a library requests material from, or supplies material to, another library" where "'material'
includes books, audiovisual materials, and other returnable items as well as copies of journal articles, book chapters, excerpts, and
other non-returnable items.
Library collections
Comprise of documents held locally and remote resources for which permanent or temporary access rights have been acquired. Access
rights may be acquired by the library itself, by a consortium and/or through external funding. Acquisition is to be understood as
securing access rights and including it in the library catalog, other library databases or discovery systems.
Library Consortia
A library consortium is any local, statewide, regional, or interstate cooperative association of libraries that provides for the systematic
and effective coordination of the resources of schools, public, academic, and special libraries and information centers, for improving
services to the clientele of such libraries. (U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Sect. 54.500)
Library expenses
Funds expended by the library (regardless of when received) from its regular budget and from all other sources; e.g., research grants,
special projects, gifts and endowments, and fees for services.
Media materials
Titles of all library materials that include audio visual materials, cartographic materials, graphic materials, and three-dimensional
artefacts and realia.
Microform
Microforms are photographic reproduction of textual, tabular, or graphic material reduced in size so that they can be used only with
magnification. Examples of microforms are roll microfilm, aperture cards, microfiche, ultrafiche, and reproductions on opaque material.
Non-Returnables
Materials that the library does not expect to have returned. Examples of non-returnables include photocopies or facsimiles, fiche-tofiche copies, print copies from microfilm, electronic full-text documents, and gratis print copies of unpublished reports and/or
departmental working papers.
Ongoing commitments to
subscriptions
Ongoing commitments in all formats, including duplicates, for all outlets. This includes serials and any other items committed to
annually, as well as annual e-platform or access fees. Serials are publications issued in successive parts, usually at regular intervals,
and, as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely. Print-based serial subscriptions include periodicals, newspapers, annuals (reports,
yearbooks, etc.), memoirs, proceedings, and transactions of societies. Include the costs of electronic serials bought in aggregations
and serial packages. Include abstracting and indexing services and any database that requires an annual subscription fee. Do not
include subscription fees if they are part of an annual consortium fee. Government documents received serially are included if they are
accessible through the library's catalog.
Preservation
Activities associated with maintain library and archival materials for use in their original form or some other usable way. Examples
include rebinding, de-acidification, restoration, lamination, materials conservation and digitization.
Returnables
Materials that the library expects to have returned. Examples of returnables include books, dissertations and theses, microfilm reels,
sound recordings, and audiovisual material.
Salaries and wages
Amounts paid as compensation for services to all employees - faculty, staff, part-time, full-time, regular employees, and student
employees. This includes regular or periodic payment to a person for the regular or periodic performance of work or a service and
payment to a person for more sporadic performance of work or a service (overtime, extra compensation, summer compensation,
bonuses, sick or annual leave, etc.).
Serial
A serial is a publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological designations and intended to be
continued indefinitely. This definition includes periodicals, newspapers, and annuals (reports, yearbooks, etc.); the journals, memoirs,
proceedings, transactions, etc. of societies; and numbered monographic series.
Serial back-files
Previous issues of serial titles that libraries buy back (such as back issues of magazines).
Serial subscriptions
Publications issued in successive parts, usually at regular intervals, and, as a rule, intended to be continued indefinitely. Serial
subscriptions include periodicals, newspapers, annuals (reports, yearbooks, etc.), memoirs, proceedings, and transactions of societies.
Serial titles
Titles of serials collected.
Title
Use the ANSI/NISO Z39.7-2004 definition for title as follows: The designation of a separate bibliographic whole, whether issued in one
or several parts. A book or serial title may be distinguished from other such titles by its unique International Standard Book Number
(ISBN) or International Standard Serial Number (ISSN). This definition applies equally to print, electronic, audiovisual, and other library
materials. For unpublished works, the term is used to designate a manuscript collection or an archival record series. Two subscriptions
to Science magazine, for example, are counted as one title.
Title IV institution
An institution that has a written agreement with the Secretary of Education that allows the institution to participate in any of the Title IV
federal student financial assistance programs (other than the State Student Incentive Grant (SSIG) and the National Early Intervention
Scholarship and Partnership (NEISP) programs).
U.S. Department of Education
Software Provider Resources
Use of Cookies
Section 508 Compliance
Browsers Supported
Troubleshooting
NCES Privacy Policy
IPEDS Help Desk
(877) 225-2568 or ipedshelp@rti.org
NCES National Center for Education Statistics
date: 7/26/2017
2017-18 Survey Materials > FAQ
Academic Libraries
Click one of the following questions to view the answer.
General Questions
1)
What is a reporting relationship and what are the different reporting relationships available for the Academic
Library component?
2)
How should items missing from the library’s collection be counted?
3)
Why does the survey ask for title counts for reporting physical book collection(s)? Why is the survey no longer
asking for volume counts?
4)
What is the difference between a database and a discovery system?
5)
Do we count unlicensed databases such as library-created databases?
6)
What is a physical serial and how do I report physical serials in collection and circulation?
7)
How do we report reserves and renewals?
8)
Where are print photographs reported?
9)
Are music sheets collected?
10)
How are physical circulations reported?
11)
Does circulation include both check-outs and check-ins?
12)
In-house circulation may include items that library personnel pick up from tables and carrels and are scanned as to
being used. Do we include in-house use as circulation?
Reporting Branch and Independent Libraries
1)
When reporting the count of digital/electronic materials, do we count the total number available at the system level
or at the branch level?
Reporting as a Consortium Member
1)
How do we report digital/electronic circulation if access to the material is provided for all members as part of a
consortium?
2)
If we are asking libraries in consortia to report their collection, but part of that collection is shared, are we
overstating the collection and double counting?
Reporting Digital/Electronic Collections
1)
Where should VHS, CDs and DVDs of digital/electronic books or media be counted, with "digital/electronic" or
"physical"?
2)
How are purchased electronic journals counted?
3)
How do we count electronic books available via e-book services such as the Ebook Library (EBL), Freading, or
Overdrive?
4)
How do we count media offered through online streaming services such as Films on Demand, VAST, Swank?
5)
If a digital/electronic unit can be downloaded as many formats, is each format counted as a separate title?
6)
For collections, do we count downloadables (e-books, e-serials, and e-media) that do not have records in our
catalog but that we have access to?
7)
How are electronic theses and dissertations counted?
8)
Can I report open access (OA) titles as part of my collection?
9)
What is a digital/electronic serial and how do I report digital/electronic serials in collection and circulation?
Reporting Digital/Electronic Circulation
1)
How do we count serial or journal circulation/usage in databases?
2)
Where are institutional repositories reported?
3)
What are some suggestions for obtaining title counts for digital/electronic circulation?
4)
What are the basic steps for obtaining COUNTER Reports for Digital/Electronic
Circulation?
Reporting Expenses
1)
Where do we report expenses for electronic journals and electronic indexing/abstracting services available on the
Internet?
2)
Where do we report consortial fees?
Answers:
General Questions
1)
What is a reporting relationship and what are the different reporting relationships available for
the Academic Library component?
Reporting relationships allow one institution to report data for other institutions in IPEDS. For the Academic
Libraries component, institutions can establish either a "parent & child" relationship or a "main & branch"
relationship. To determine which type of reporting relationship fits with your institution, please visit the resource
page http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/resource/download/AL_Reporting_Relationships.pdf.
Back to top
2)
How should items missing from the library’s collection be counted?
Missing items are part of the collection.
Back to top
3)
Why does the survey ask for title counts for reporting physical book collection(s)? Why is the
survey no longer asking for volume counts?
NCES asks that you now report physical book collections by counting titles, not volumes, to ensure that the
definition for physical books aligns with the definitions of other collection counts (i.e. media, serials) collected
for IPEDS.
Back to top
4)
What is the difference between a database and a discovery system?
A
is a collection of electronically stored data or unit records (facts, bibliographic data,
and texts) with a common user interface and software for the retrieval and manipulation of the
data. The data or records are usually collected with a particular intent and relate to a defined
topic.
A ]}˙˙u
consists of an interface directed toward the users of a library to find materials
in its collections and subsequently to gain access to items of interest through the appropriate
mechanisms. Discovery systems tend to be independent from the specific applications that
libraries implement to manage resources, such as integrated library systems, library services
platforms, repository platforms, or electronic resource management systems. In most cases they
provide access to multiple types of materials, independent of the management platform involved.
Discovery systems provide an interface with search and retrieval capabilities, often with features
such as relevancy‐based ordering of search results, facets presented that can be selected to
narrow results according to specific categories, contributors, or date ranges, and tools to identify
related materials or to refine search queries. Examples of discovery systems can be found at
http://librarytechnology.org/discovery/.
Back to top
5)
Do we count unlicensed databases such as library-created databases?
No, only count licensed databases.
Back to top
6)
What is a physical serial and how do I report physical serials in collection and circulation?
A serial is a publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological
designations and intended to be continued indefinitely. This definition includes, in any physical format,
periodicals, newspapers, and annuals (reports, yearbooks, etc.); the journals, memoirs, proceedings,
transactions, etc. of societies; and numbered monographic series.
In a physical serials collection, report the number of physical serial titles that are accessible through the
library’s catalog or discovery system. Report serial titles, not subscriptions. If possible, report the count of only
those de-duplicated or otherwise unique serial titles searchable through the library’s catalog or discovery
system. If possible, do not include earlier title changes; however, do not worry about removing them if it is not
possible/feasible.
Also, include physical serials when reporting circulation counts.
Back to top
7)
How do we report reserves and renewals?
NCES asks that you report physical print reserve circulation in circulation of physical items. This
way the initial circulation count will reflect all physical‐print circulation of content whether it is
part of the regular print collection or the reserve print collection. However, this figure will NOT
include renewals or equipment circulation counts because the practice of lending equipment
varies considerably from library to library in terms of what the equipment (ranging from bicycles
to computer/AC cords) is, making any comparison difficult.
Back to top
8)
Where are print photographs reported?
Print photographs are reported as graphic materials within physical media.
Back to top
9)
Are music sheets collected?
Include physical and digital/electronic music scores if searchable by title through the library
catalog or discovery system.
Back to top
10)
How are physical circulations reported?
Report the total number of times physical ITEMS (e.g., volumes) are checked out from the general and reserve
collections. Include only initial checkouts (circulation), not renewals. Exclude interlibrary loan lending and
borrowing. Include transactions of books, media, and serials. Do not include transactions of equipment or
computers. However, circulation of electronic reading devices (e.g., Kindles) can be included if the device is preloaded with e-books. For example, if a customer checks out a Kindle that is pre-loaded with 20 e-books, then
that transaction counts as 1 physical circulation, not 20 electronic/digital circulations.
Back to top
11)
Does circulation include both check-outs and check-ins?
Circulation only includes initial check-outs, but not renewals or check-ins.
Back to top
12)
In-house circulation may include items that library personnel pick up from tables and carrels and
are scanned as to being used. Do we include in-house use as circulation?
Do not include these types of in-house circulation with circulation or interlibrary lending.
Back to top
Reporting Branch and Independent Libraries
1)
When reporting the count of digital/electronic materials, do we count the total number available
at the system level or at the branch level?
Report at the system or administrative entity level. For example, if the library system has 3 branch libraries
and access to 2,038 downloadable audio units at the system level, then it would report 2,038 and not 6,114
units.
Back to top
Reporting as a Consortium Member
1)
How do we report digital/electronic circulation if access to the material is provided for all
members as part of a consortium?
If the circulation count for only your institution is not available from the e-service provider, report using
whichever method you use locally to monitor circulation for your library. Do not include counts from other
members of the consortium. A method for estimating usage for just your institution is to use the percentage of
your institution's contribution to the total consortial fee. Another method is to use the percentage of institution's
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) student count to the consortia's total FTE student count.
Back to top
2)
If we are asking libraries in consortia to report their collection, but part of that collection is
shared, are we overstating the collection and double counting?
The Academic Libraries component of IPEDS was integrated from the previous Academic Libraries Survey
(ALS). The ALS Advisory Committee, which comprised of practitioners and academics, agreed with this method
for reporting collections from consortia because it is more important to get accurate total access counts than
total collection counts.
Back to top
Reporting Digital/Electronic Collections
1)
Where should VHS, CDs and DVDs of digital/electronic books or media be counted, with
"digital/electronic" or "physical"?
VHS, CDs and DVDs of digital/electronic books or media should be counted under "physical media".
Back to top
2)
How are purchased electronic journals counted?
Electronic journals are included in the collection count, but not in the circulation count. However, expenses for
electronic journal subscriptions should be reported under ‘Ongoing commitments to subscriptions’.
Back to top
3)
How do we count electronic books available via e-book services such as the Ebook Library (EBL),
Freading, or Overdrive?
Report each title owned or leased by the library if individual titles are cataloged and/or searchable through the
library catalog or discovery system.
Back to top
4)
How do we count media offered through online streaming services such as Films on Demand,
VAST, Swank?
Report titles of the media if it is owned or leased by the library if the titles are cataloged and/or searchable
through the library catalog or discovery system.
Back to top
5)
If a digital/electronic unit can be downloaded as many formats, is each format counted as a
separate title?
Count all formats as one title. For example, count an e-book title that is available via epub, PDF, or Kindle
formats as one title.
Back to top
6)
For collections, do we count downloadables (e-books, e-serials, and e-media) that do not have
records in our catalog but that we have access to?
Count only downloadables that you have access to that are in your library’s catalog or discovery system.
Back to top
7)
How are electronic theses and dissertations counted?
Theses and dissertations in electronic format can be included under "digital/electronic books", providing it is
part of the library's collection (see definition of collection). Report the titles.
Back to top
8)
Can I report open access (OA) titles as part of my collection?
OA titles may be included if the individual titles are searchable through the library's catalog or
discovery system. Do NOT count titles from HathiTrust, Center for Research Libraries, Internet
Archive, and similar collections unless the library owns the digitized item and it is accessible under
current copyright law.
Back to top
9)
What is a digital/electronic serial and how do I report digital/electronic serials in collection and
circulation?
An e‐serial is a periodical publication that is published in digital form to be displayed on a
computer screen.
Report the number of e‐serial titles that are accessible through the library’s catalog or discovery
system. Include open access (OA) titles if the individual titles are searchable through the library’s
catalog or discovery system, except do not count e‐serial titles from HathiTrust, Center for
Research Libraries, Internet Archive, and similar collections unless the library owns the digitized
item and it is accessible under current copyright law. If possible, report the count of only those de‐
duplicated or otherwise unique serial titles searchable through the library’s catalog or discovery
system. If possible include ceased titles. If possible, do not count earlier title changes; however,
do not worry about removing them if it is not possible/feasible. A source for counting e‐serials may
be a library‐ or vendor‐developed A‐Z title list of e‐journals.
Do NOT report digital/electronic serials in digital and electronic usage/circulation counts.
Back to top
Reporting Digital/Electronic Circulation
1)
How do we count serial or journal circulation/usage in databases?
IPEDS does not collect the circulation/usage of electronic journals or serials. Please do not include.
Back to top
2)
Where are institutional repositories reported?
IPEDS asks that you do NOT report data on institutional repositories in the AL survey.
Back to top
3)
What are some suggestions for obtaining title counts for digital/electronic circulation?
If you have titles in your knowledge base in your link resolver integrated into your discovery tool, this can be
an easy way to get title counts for the digital/electronic collections (e-books, e-serials, and e-media) of the AL
survey. If your link resolver is not complete for e-books or e-multimedia, it might be better to rely on getting
the title counts through catalog records or other means.
Back to top
4)
What are the basic steps for obtaining COUNTER Reports for Digital/Electronic Circulation?
First, identify where you should collect your electronic and digital circulation data. Some options are:
• Publishers that host their own content (e.g., Elsevier on ScienceDirect)
• Publishers that use a third-party platform to host content (e.g., Royal Society on Highwire)
• Aggregators that license content from a wide variety of publishers and offer it through a database (e.g.,
Academic Search Complete on EBSCOhost)
Second, obtain a list of providers and identify how to obtain reports from each provider. An example of basic
steps for this process are as follows:
• Compile spreadsheet of providers.
• Identify administrative URLs and login information needed to collect statistics.
• Identify formats and reports to collect under each provider:
• Serials - JR 1 (not necessary for IPEDS 2016-2017)
• Books - BR 1
• Books - BR 2
• Multimedia - MR 1
• Identify providers where you need to contact vendor or where statistics are unavailable.
• Work your way through the list, recording the Reporting Period Total in your spreadsheet.
• Provide IPEDS with one total sum of all digital/electronic Reporting Period Totals obtained through all
providers.
Note: In cases where vendors do not provide COUNTER reports, libraries may report using other means for
monitoring digital/electronic circulation/usage (downloads, session views, transaction logs, etc.).
Back to top
Reporting Expenses
1)
Where do we report expenses for electronic journals and electronic indexing/abstracting services
available on the Internet?
Report electronic journal and indexing/abstracting service expenses with ‘Ongoing commitments to
subscriptions’ if they require an annual fee. If not, report electronic journal expenses under 'One-time
purchases of books, serial backfiles, and other materials' and electronic indexing/abstracting services under
‘Other materials/service costs’.
Back to top
2)
Where do we report consortial fees?
Report this amount under "All other operations and maintenance expenses". Include expenses for database
licenses, serial subscription fees, and other annual electronic platform or access fees, if they were part of an
annual consortium fee. Do not report these under "Ongoing commitment to subscriptions" or "One-time
purchases" expenses.
Back to top
U.S. Department of Education
Software Provider Resources
Use of Cookies
Section 508 Compliance
Browsers Supported
Troubleshooting
NCES Privacy Policy
IPEDS Help Desk
(877) 225-2568 or ipedshelp@rti.org
NCES National Center for Education Statistics
2017-18 Survey Materials > FAQ
Academic Libraries
Click one of the following questions to view the answer.
General Questions
1)
What is a reporting relationship and what are the different reporting relationships
available for the Academic Library component?
2)
How should items missing from the library’s collection be counted?
3)
Why does the survey ask for title counts for reporting physical book collection(s)? Why is
the survey no longer asking for volume counts?
4)
What is the difference between a database and a discovery system?
5)
Do we count unlicensed databases such as library-created databases?
6)
What is a physical serial and how do I report physical serials in collection and circulation?
7)
How do we report reserves and renewals?
8)
Where are print photographs reported?
9)
Are music sheets collected?
10)
How are physical circulations reported?
11)
Does circulation include both check-outs and check-ins?
12)
In-house circulation may include items that library personnel pick up from tables and
carrels and are scanned as to being used. Do we include in-house use as circulation?
13
Our institution now has a Library and Learning Center, instead of a standalone Library,
which is comprised of a library, tutoring, a writing center, and computer labs. Should we
answer for the entire facility or just the library component?
14
Where are microfiche and microforms included? How does an institution count microfilm
by titles if Government Document collections are not in the library catalog or discovery
system as individual titles?
15
If a title is not searchable through the institution’s catalog or discovery system, but is
searchable through their link resolver, is this counted in IPEDS?
16
How should direct borrowing between consortium members be included?
Reporting Branch and Independent Libraries
1)
When reporting the count of digital/electronic materials, do we count the total number
available at the system level or at the branch level?
Reporting as a Consortium Member
1)
How do we report digital/electronic circulation if access to the material is provided for all
members as part of a consortium?
2)
If we are asking libraries in consortia to report their collection, but part of that collection
is shared, are we overstating the collection and double counting?
Reporting Digital/Electronic Collections
1)
Where should VHS, CDs and DVDs of digital/electronic books or media be counted, with
"digital/electronic" or "physical"?
2)
How are purchased electronic journals counted?
3)
How do we count electronic books available via e-book services such as the Ebook Library
(EBL), Freading, or Overdrive?
4)
How do we count media offered through online streaming services such as Films on
Demand, VAST, Swank?
5)
If a digital/electronic unit can be downloaded as many formats, is each format counted as
a separate title?
6)
For collections, do we count downloadables (e-books, e-serials, and e-media) that do not
have records in our catalog but that we have access to?
Print
Back to Results
7)
How are electronic theses and dissertations counted?
8)
Can I report open access (OA) titles as part of my collection?
9)
What is a digital/electronic serial and how do I report digital/electronic serials in collection
and circulation?
10
Are proceedings included as an e-book or as an e-serial?
11
Is ArtStor reported as a database or media?
Reporting Digital/Electronic Circulation
1)
How do we count serial or journal circulation/usage in databases?
2)
Where are institutional repositories reported?
3)
What are some suggestions for obtaining title counts for digital/electronic circulation?
4)
What are the basic steps for obtaining COUNTER Reports for Digital/Electronic Circulation?
5
The instructions state to exclude DDA and PDA collection usage numbers until they have
been purchased or leased by the library. How should an institution report usage if DDA
and PDA numbers cannot be excluded in a COUNTER report?
6
What should an institution report if they have platforms with BR1 and MR1 data, as well
as, BR2 data?
7
Ebrary counts every page download as a chapter download. Should an institution report
Ebrary counts in COUNTER BR2 data?
8
Should an institution include usage based collection model items (e.g., evidence-based
programs) in e-book usage?
Reporting Expenses
1)
Where do we report expenses for electronic journals and electronic indexing/abstracting
services available on the Internet?
2)
Where do we report consortial fees?
3
Should expenditures for memberships (e.g., state and national associations) be reported?
4
How does an institution report digitization expenditures?
5
Where do we report annual access fees for e-journals or e-books?
Answers:
General Questions
1)
What is a reporting relationship and what are the different reporting
relationships available for the Academic Library component?
Reporting relationships allow one institution to report data for other institutions in
IPEDS. For the Academic Libraries component, institutions can establish either a
"parent & child" relationship or a "main & branch" relationship. To determine which
type of reporting relationship fits with your institution, please visit the resource page
http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/resource/download/AL_Reporting_Relationships.pdf.
Back to top
2)
How should items missing from the library’s collection be counted?
Missing items are part of the collection.
Back to top
3)
Why does the survey ask for title counts for reporting physical book collection
(s)? Why is the survey no longer asking for volume counts?
NCES asks that you now report physical book collections by counting titles, not
volumes, to ensure that the definition for physical books aligns with the definitions of
other collection counts (i.e. media, serials) collected for IPEDS.
Back to top
4)
What is the difference between a database and a discovery system?
A database is a collection of electronically stored data or unit records
(facts, bibliographic data, and texts) with a common user interface and
software for the retrieval and manipulation of the data. The data or
records are usually collected with a particular intent and relate to a
defined topic.
A discovery system consists of an interface directed toward the users of a
library to find materials in its collections and subsequently to gain access
to items of interest through the appropriate mechanisms. Discovery
systems tend to be independent from the specific applications that
libraries implement to manage resources, such as integrated library
systems, library services platforms, repository platforms, or electronic
resource management systems. In most cases they provide access to
multiple types of materials, independent of the management platform
involved. Discovery systems provide an interface with search and retrieval
capabilities, often with features such as relevancybased ordering of
search results, facets presented that can be selected to narrow results
according to specific categories, contributors, or date ranges, and tools to
identify related materials or to refine search queries. Examples of
discovery systems can be found at
http://librarytechnology.org/discovery/.
Back to top
5)
Do we count unlicensed databases such as library-created databases?
No, only count licensed databases.
Back to top
6)
What is a physical serial and how do I report physical serials in collection and
circulation?
A serial is a publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numerical or
chronological designations and intended to be continued indefinitely. This definition
includes, in any physical format, periodicals, newspapers, and annuals (reports,
yearbooks, etc.); the journals, memoirs, proceedings, transactions, etc. of societies;
and numbered monographic series.
In a physical serials collection, report the number of physical serial titles that are
accessible through the library’s catalog or discovery system. Report serial titles, not
subscriptions. If possible, report the count of only those de-duplicated or otherwise
unique serial titles searchable through the library’s catalog or discovery system. If
possible, do not include earlier title changes; however, do not worry about removing
them if it is not possible/feasible.
Also, include physical serials when reporting circulation counts.
Back to top
7)
How do we report reserves and renewals?
NCES asks that you report physical print reserve circulation in circulation
of physical items. This way the initial circulation count will reflect all
physicalprint circulation of content whether it is part of the regular print
collection or the reserve print collection. However, this figure will NOT
include renewals or equipment circulation counts because the practice of
lending equipment varies considerably from library to library in terms of
what the equipment (ranging from bicycles to computer/AC cords) is,
making any comparison difficult.
Back to top
8)
Where are print photographs reported?
Print photographs are reported as graphic materials within physical media.
Back to top
9)
Are music sheets collected?
Include physical and digital/electronic music scores if searchable by title
through the library catalog or discovery system.
Back to top
10)
How are physical circulations reported?
Report the total number of times physical ITEMS (e.g., volumes) are checked out from
the general and reserve collections. Include only initial checkouts (circulation), not
renewals. Exclude interlibrary loan lending and borrowing. Include transactions of
books, media, and serials. Do not include transactions of equipment or computers.
However, circulation of electronic reading devices (e.g., Kindles) can be included if the
device is pre-loaded with e-books. For example, if a customer checks out a Kindle that
is pre-loaded with 20 e-books, then that transaction counts as 1 physical circulation,
not 20 electronic/digital circulations.
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11)
Does circulation include both check-outs and check-ins?
Circulation only includes initial check-outs, but not renewals or check-ins.
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12)
In-house circulation may include items that library personnel pick up from
tables and carrels and are scanned as to being used. Do we include in-house
use as circulation?
Do not include these types of in-house circulation with circulation or interlibrary
lending.
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13
Our institution now has a Library and Learning Center, instead of a
standalone Library, which is comprised of a library, tutoring, a writing center,
and computer labs. Should we answer for the entire facility or just the library
component?
You should answer for the entire facility if it’s under the library’s administrative unit,
reports to the head of libraries, and expenses are paid from the library’s budget.
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14
Where are microfiche and microforms included? How does an institution
count microfilm by titles if Government Document collections are not in the
library catalog or discovery system as individual titles?
Microfiche TITLES ONLY, are counted in physical media; DO NOT INCLUDE microfiche
pieces. Microforms titles are counted in physical media only if the titles are searchable
through the institution’s catalog and discovery system. For example, while there may
be thousands of titles in ERIC that may not be searchable through the institution's
catalog or discovery system, ERIC should be counted as 1 title. Another example is the
Congressional Record on Microfiche which would be counted as 1 title.
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15
If a title is not searchable through the institution’s catalog or discovery
system, but is searchable through their link resolver, is this counted in
IPEDS?
Yes, institutions should count titles that are searchable through their link resolver even
if they are not searchable through their catalog or discovery system.
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16
How should direct borrowing between consortium members be included?
Direct borrowing transactions are included in interlibrary loan services reporting.
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Reporting Branch and Independent Libraries
1)
When reporting the count of digital/electronic materials, do we count the
total number available at the system level or at the branch level?
Report at the system or administrative entity level. For example, if the library system
has 3 branch libraries and access to 2,038 downloadable audio units at the system
level, then it would report 2,038 and not 6,114 units.
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Reporting as a Consortium Member
1)
How do we report digital/electronic circulation if access to the material is
provided for all members as part of a consortium?
If the circulation count for only your institution is not available from the e-service
provider, report using whichever method you use locally to monitor circulation for your
library. Do not include counts from other members of the consortium. A method for
estimating usage for just your institution is to use the percentage of your institution's
contribution to the total consortial fee. Another method is to use the percentage of
institution's Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) student count to the consortium total FTE
student count.
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2)
If we are asking libraries in consortia to report their collection, but part of
that collection is shared, are we overstating the collection and double
counting?
The Academic Libraries component of IPEDS was integrated from the previous
Academic Libraries Survey (ALS). The ALS Advisory Committee, which was comprised
of practitioners and academics, agreed with this method for reporting collections from
consortia because it is more important to get accurate total access counts than total
collection counts.
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Reporting Digital/Electronic Collections
1)
Where should VHS, CDs and DVDs of digital/electronic books or media be
counted, with "digital/electronic" or "physical"?
VHS, CDs and DVDs of digital/electronic books or media should be counted under
"physical media".
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2)
How are purchased electronic journals counted?
Electronic journals are included in the collection count, but not in the circulation count.
However, expenses for electronic journal subscriptions should be reported under
"Ongoing commitments to subscriptions."
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3)
How do we count electronic books available via e-book services such as the
Ebook Library (EBL), Freading, or Overdrive?
Report each title owned or leased by the library if individual titles are cataloged and/or
searchable through the library catalog or discovery system.
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4)
How do we count media offered through online streaming services such as
Films on Demand, VAST, Swank?
Report titles of the media if it is owned or leased by the library, if the titles are
cataloged and/or searchable through the library catalog or discovery system.
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5)
If a digital/electronic unit can be downloaded as many formats, is each
format counted as a separate title?
Count all formats as one title. For example, count an e-book title that is available via
epub, PDF, or Kindle formats as one title.
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6)
For collections, do we count downloadables (e-books, e-serials, and e-media)
that do not have records in our catalog but that we have access to?
Count only downloadables to which you have access and that are in your library’s
catalog or discovery system.
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7)
How are electronic theses and dissertations counted?
Theses and dissertations in electronic format can be included under "digital/electronic
books", providing they are part of the library's collection (see definition of collection).
Report the titles.
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8)
Can I report open access (OA) titles as part of my collection?
OA titles may be included if the individual titles are searchable through
the library's catalog or discovery system. Do NOT count titles from
HathiTrust, Center for Research Libraries, Internet Archive, and similar
collections unless the library owns the digitized item and it is accessible
under current copyright law.
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9)
What is a digital/electronic serial and how do I report digital/electronic
serials in collection and circulation?
An e-serial is a periodical publication that is published in digital form to be displayed
on a computer screen
Report the number of e-serial titles that are accessible through the library’s catalog or
discovery system. Include open access (OA) titles if the individual titles are searchable
through the library’s catalog or discovery system. Do NOT count e-serial titles from
HathiTrust, Center for Research Libraries, Internet Archive, and similar collections
unless the library owns the digitized item and it is accessible under current copyright
law. If possible, report the count of only those de-duplicated or otherwise unique serial
titles searchable through the library’s catalog or discovery system. If possible, include
ceased titles. If possible, do not count earlier title changes; however, do not worry
about removing them if it is not possible/feasible. A source for counting e-serials may
be a library- or vendor-developed A-Z title list of e-journals.
Do NOT report digital/electronic serials in digital and electronic usage/circulation
counts.
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10
Are proceedings included as an e-book or as an e-serial?
Based on the definition of serials, numbered monographic series are included in the
e-serial collection count. If the proceedings are numbered, then they may be a
monographic series, which should be counted in e-serials.
However, if the proceedings have an ISBN, then it is a monograph and should be
counted as an e-book. If it has both an ISBN and ISSN, and if it is an individual
volume within a series that can stand on its own (it is not dependent upon content
before it or after it), then it would be counted as an e-book.
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11
Is ArtStor reported as a database or media?
ArtStor is reported as a database.
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Reporting Digital/Electronic Circulation
1)
How do we count serial or journal circulation/usage in databases?
IPEDS does not collect the circulation/usage of electronic journals or serials. Please do
not include.
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2)
Where are institutional repositories reported?
IPEDS asks that you do NOT report data on institutional repositories in the AL survey.
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3)
What are some suggestions for obtaining title counts for digital/electronic
circulation?
If you have titles in your knowledge base in your link resolver integrated into your
discovery tool, this can be an easy way to get title counts for the digital/electronic
collections (e-books, e-serials, and e-media) of the AL survey. If your link resolver is
not complete for e-books or e-multimedia, it might be better to rely on getting the title
counts through catalog records or other means.
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4)
What are the basic steps for obtaining COUNTER Reports for Digital/Electronic
Circulation?
First, identify where you should collect your electronic and digital circulation data.
Some options are:
• Publishers that host their own content (e.g., Elsevier on ScienceDirect)
• Publishers that use a third-party platform to host content (e.g., Royal Society on
Highwire)
• Aggregators that license content from a wide variety of publishers and offer it
through a database (e.g., Academic Search Complete on EBSCOhost)
Second, obtain a list of providers and identify how to obtain reports from each
provider. An example of basic steps for this process are as follows:
• Compile spreadsheet of providers.
• Identify administrative URLs and login information needed to collect statistics.
• Identify formats and reports to collect under each provider:
• Serials - JR 1 (not necessary for IPEDS 2016-2017)
• Books - BR 1
• Books - BR 2
• Multimedia - MR 1
• Identify providers where you need to contact vendor or where statistics are
unavailable.
• Work your way through the list, recording the Reporting Period Total in your
spreadsheet.
• Provide IPEDS with one total sum of all digital/electronic Reporting Period Totals
obtained through all providers.
Note: In cases where vendors do not provide COUNTER reports, libraries may report
using other means for monitoring digital/electronic circulation/usage (downloads,
session views, transaction logs, etc.).
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5
The instructions state to exclude DDA and PDA collection usage numbers until
they have been purchased or leased by the library. How should an institution
report usage if DDA and PDA numbers cannot be excluded in a COUNTER
report?
If DDA and PDA numbers cannot be excluded in the institution’s COUNTER report, then
please report the COUNTER report with DDA and PDA numbers included. However,
please note this detail in the comment box available on the survey.
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6
What should an institution report if they have platforms with BR1 and MR1
data, as well as, BR2 data?
Please only report BR1 and MR1 data.
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7
Ebrary counts every page download as a chapter download. Should an
institution report Ebrary counts in COUNTER BR2 data?
Include COUNTER BR2 reports with Ebrary. However, please note the inclusion of
Ebrary in the comments section on the survey.
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8
Should an institution include usage based collection model items (e.g.,
evidence-based programs) in e-book usage?
The survey excludes DDA or PDA collections unless they have been purchased by the
institution. However, if the title is purchased in an evidence-based model and it is
searchable through the catalog or discovery system, then it is counted in e-book
usage.
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Reporting Expenses
1)
Where do we report expenses for electronic journals and electronic
indexing/abstracting services available on the Internet?
Report electronic journal and indexing/abstracting service expenses with "Ongoing
commitments to subscriptions" if they require an annual fee. If not, report electronic
journal expenses under 'One-time purchases of books, serial backfiles, and other
materials' and electronic indexing/abstracting services under "Other materials/service
costs"
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2)
Where do we report consortial fees?
Report this amount under "All other operations and maintenance expenses". Include
expenses for database licenses, serial subscription fees, and other annual electronic
platform or access fees, if they were part of an annual consortium fee. Do not report
these under "Ongoing commitment to subscriptions" or "One-time purchases"
expenses.
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3
Should expenditures for memberships (e.g., state and national associations)
be reported?
Yes, include membership costs if they are part of the library budget. These types of
membership costs should be included in “all other materials/service cost.”
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4
How does an institution report digitization expenditures?
Report digitization expenditures as preservation expenditures, if it is an outsourced
service. Additional digitization-related expenses are either reported as memberships or
services and included in “all other materials/service cost” OR reported as computer
systems/other technology-related expenditures and included in “All other operations
and maintenance expenses."
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5
Where do we report annual access fees for e-journals or e-books?
Report annual access fees under “Ongoing commitments to subscriptions.”
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