Metric: A system or standard of measurement
Assessment: Judgments or inferences about quality or value derived from the application of metrics
Value:
Impact:
Relative worth, utility, or importance
A significant or major effect
Outcome: Something that follows as a result or consequence
1.
Describe the activity or process to be measured.
Conservation treatments, Preservation Activities (what sort of things are measured), Exhibits loans, and
Exhibits online and physical.
2.
Identify existing metrics (i.e., measures or counts), noting any references to international, national, or community standards, guidelines, or definitions.
ARL discontinued their Preservation Statistics program in 2007. While the metrics gathered were not perfect, they were very valuable and included things like conservation treatment levels, in-house and outsourced activities, digitization, binding, and funding. PARS has been investigating a replacement system for the ARL Preservation Statistics and are hoping for it to be useful to a wider range of institutions. A pilot survey was sent out in May. The one area that is lacking in the PARS survey is exhibition. There are minimal questions about treatment for exhibition but not about items prepared, displayed, or loaned.
3.
Comment on: a.
the adequacy and the inadequacy of existing metrics, especially those that reference international, national, or community standards, guidelines, or definitions;
Official metrics are lacking for preservation, conservation, exhibition, and loan. The PARS effort is promising but still in a pilot phase and may benefit from revision after the first round data has been collected and analyzed. b.
methods commonly used to collect data required by the metric; and
Many preservation, conservation, exhibition, and loan statistics are gathered manually, though automated systems may help with some metrics. c.
the priority that RBMS should place on developing a better metric and related definitions and guidelines for use. i.
Existing metrics are inadequate especially since standard preservation and exhibition statistics aren’t currently defined and gathered. If they are gathered at all, each institution compiles their own statistics, which makes comparison difficult. PARS is actively exploring how to gather and compile preservation statistics and RBMS should make it a priority to work with them to create a standard set of metrics.

1.
Describe the value, impact, or outcome to be assessed.
Conservation and preservation ensure that materials are available for users. Resources will be lost without these activities. Adequate metrics and assessment help justify the effort and resources for these fundamental activities. Exhibitions and loan are a form of outreach and education, but are often not discussed or included in any kind of statistical gathering related to these topics.
2.
Identify existing methodologies (i.e., techniques for data analysis and statistical evaluation), noting any references to international, national, or community standards, guidelines, or definitions.
Existing methodologies for exhibition and loan metrics vary by institution. Many institutions use commercially available software products (Aeon, etc.) while others use programs developed in-house to both collect and analyze data.
Detailed information is already recorded in standard conservation documentation. PARS is actively investigating metrics for preservation and conservation. These metrics are complicated because different items can require vastly different amounts of effort and time; the outcomes can also be drastically different. These new statistics are trying to improve on the old ARL Preservation Statistics and include metrics about why items were treated, for example: digitization or exhibition.
3.
Comment on a.
the adequacy and the inadequacy of existing methodologies, especially those that reference international, national, or community standards, guidelines, or definitions;
It is not currently clear how the PARS metrics will pan out. They are piloting a survey right now, but assessing its adequacy will have to be seen once the data can be analyzed. Loans tend to involve a very specific list of materials that must be evaluated by conservation staff before being approved. b.
the usefulness of the results of the data analysis or statistical evaluation for informing process or program improvements and for supporting decision-making; and
See above for problems and potential for improvements c.
the priority that RBMS should place on developing better methodologies and related definitions and guidelines for use.
High. RBMS needs to engage PARS in the very near future if it wants to influence their existing effort to revamp preservation, conservation, and exhibit metrics.

*Titles held (Group 1)
*Volumes held (Group 1)
Linear feet held (Group 1)
Titles added (Group 1)
Volumes added (Group 1)
Linear feet accessioned (Group 1)
Linear feet processed (Group 1)
Reading room visits
Items circulated
Page views
Exhibit loans (Group 2)
*ILL requests (rec’d from other libraries)
*ILL loans (requests provided to other libraries)
Exhibits (physical) prepared (Group 2)
Exhibits (online) available
Conservation treatments (Group 2)
*Presentations to groups
*Participants in group presentations
*Reference transactions