The 2024 New York State Annual Report for Public and Association Libraries is NOW Open

Due date for the member Libraries is Friday, February 14, 2025.

Tips

Need your login information? Contact Laura Crisci, MHLS Library Sustainability Coordinator.

Be sure to add to your February or March board meeting agenda the review and acceptance of the library’s annual report.

RESOURCES

PRININTING THE REPORT

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

TIPS BY REPORT SECTION

New for the 2024 Report

• The Baker & Taylor interface has a new look
• The report now saves automatically after every new entry or change.
• Multiple users can now view and edit reports at the same time. When logging in, you will receive a pop-up message notifying you if someone else is also using the report to enable coordination.
• View historical data right in the report. All questions, including those in repeating groups, can now display last year’s entry as well as the 5 years preceding that (by clicking History). Note: only this and last year’s entries are able to be printed.

Section 1 – General Library Information

Q 1.49 Report of Unusual Circumstances – This question asks “has the library experienced any unusual circumstance(s) that affected the statistics reported (e.g., natural disaster, fire, closed for renovations, massive weeding of collection, etc.)? If yes, please annotate explaining the circumstance(s) and the impact on the library using the Note.”

Additional criteria you can add to this list could be:

• start of a new library director
• closed for extreme weather
• construction on roads around library
• loss of programming staff
• loss of funding for programs
• global pandemic

Section 2 – Library Collection

• Renumbering has happened in this section as some previously asked information regarding electronic materials has been deleted from this section. All data for electronic materials will be reported in a newly added Section 5.
• Kindles – if your library circulates Kindles preloaded with titles, report them in Q2.15 Other Circulating Physicals Items. (Each device counts as one item).
• Vox & Wonderbooks – report these items in Q 2.15 Other Circulating Physical Items
• Museum Passes – report these items in Q 2.15 Other Circulating Physical Items
• Wi-Fi hotspots – report these items in Q2.15 Other Circulating Physical Items

Section 3 – Library Programs, Policies & Services

• “N/A” should not be used for reporting in this section.
  • Use 0 (zero) if no programs within a category were offered/attended
  • Use M (Missing) programs were offered/attended but that data is not available.
• Q3.22 & 3.27 – answers should match
• Q3.23 & 3.28 – answers should match
• Q3.29 live online program sessions that are recorded and posted online later should be reported here. Plays of audio recordings should also be reported here.
• Make & Takes – count each kit prepared as one session (Q3.31), and each kit picked up as one attendee (Q3.32)
• Notary & Interpreter Services count as one-to-one program (Q 3.31 & 3.32).
• New Questions 3.34 – 3.34e these questions capture social media use
• Q3.59 Combined Audience Programs are programs aimed at both children aged birth through five years and parents or caregivers of children aged birth through five years

Section 4 – Library Transactions

• Renumbering has happened in this section as some previously asked information regarding electronic use has been deleted from this section.
• Museum Passes – report under Q4.8, Circulation of Adult Other Materials, or Q4.9, Circulation of Children’s Other Materials
• Q4.8 & 4.9 – circulations of physical videos, audiobooks & serials get reported here (note: older versions of the instruction may contain language that makes this unclear, the instructions are being corrected)
• New Question 4.13 – does the library offer automatic renewals
• Q4.14 Reference Transactions include scheduled and unscheduled sessions
  • Passport applications report as reference question
  • Do not include: formal instruction or simple directional/information exchanges that provide assistance with locations, schedules, equipment, supplies, or policy statements should not be.
    • Formal instruction should be counted as a program
    • Simple directional/informational information does not meet the threshold of a reference transaction
• E-Rate questions have been moved to this section. You can visit this site, and search for your library.  MHLS does not apply for E-rate Benefits for member libraries as part of a consortia, so the answer to 4.19 would be “no.”

Section 5 – Electronic Use

• This section has been restructured as 22 new questions. These were added by IMLS and will be required to be answered for the 2025 report, they are voluntary for the 2024 report.
• Note: the report no longer collects holdings figures for digital materials (e-books, e-audio, databases, etc.). Libraries will only report if access is provided and associated circulation numbers.
• MHLS provides some data to help you answer these questions. Libraries will need to add to the MHLS provided figures data on Electronic books, Electronic Serials & Electronic Audio purchased:
  • directly by the library
  • through the library’s county library association
• Q 5.3, 5.6, 5.9, 5.12, 5.15 & 5.18: these questions refer to NOVELny
  • NYS doesn’t currently provide access to e-books, e-serials, e-audio ,or e-video. Q5.3, 5.6, 5.9, & 5.12 have been prefilled with “No” and locked.
• Kindles – preloaded Kindles are considered one ebook title. Include Kindle circulation figures in Q5.19 total circulation of e-books during the reporting period.

Section 6 – Staff Information

• All questions refer to PAID staff.
• Q6.1 FTE Calculation – Number of hours per workweek to compute FTE must be greater than 0 and less than or equal 40..

Section 7 – Minimum Public Library Standards

• Reach out to Laura Crisci, MHLS Library Sustainability Coordinator, if you need guidance on this section or think your library may be falling short of any of the standards.

Sections 8 & 9 Public Service & Service Outlet Information

• If only one service outlet, the answers in Q8.13 & Q9.15 should match, and Q9.15 should be at least 52 times the answer provided in Q8.6
• If multiple service outlets, the answer in Q8.13 must equal the sum of question 15 for all outlets listed in Part 9.

Section 10 – Officers & Trustees

• Q10.1 Total number of board meetings as of December 31, 2024.
• Entries should reflect Officers and Board Members as of February 1 of the CURRENT year (2025)
• All term expiration dates need to be at least March of the current year
• All libraries (except Association Libraries) must have a date for each trustee regarding when the Oath of Office was taken & filed.
  • The number of board member records needs to be the same as the number of board member voting positions prefilled in Q 10.3 /10.4.
• Q10.6 – This question covers all persons serving as trustees as of December 31, 2024. If any trustees did not meet the annual trustee education requirements, reach out to Laura Crisci, MHLS Library Sustainability Coordinator for assistance in drafting your library’s explanation note.
• List of Officers & Board Members: Trustee information has been pre-filled with prior year answers but not locked.
  • delete former trustees, add new ones, and update position titles, dates and make any other needed changes. You may:
    • enter the data for the Officers and Board Members directly into the survey -OR- send Baker and Taylor the data for this section to be uploaded into CollectConnect. If you choose to send your data for uploading, you must enter the data into the spreadsheet form available here and email it to collectconnect@baker–taylor.com
• For Vacant positions on the board, select “Vacant” from the Status drop down box, and fill in N/A for all other questions

Sections 11, 12, 13 & 14 Financial Report

• Check out the MHLS Quick Reference Guide
• These questions pertain to the Fiscal Report Year ending 2024.
• Q12.7 Report operating expenditures for electronic (digital) content the library pays for (includes e-books, e-serials, e-audio, e-video, databases, online learning platforms, reference tools, scores, maps, and pictures in electronic or digital format)
• Q12.8 Report operating expenditures for physical units of other materials, such as microform, audio CDs, DVD, circulating portable electronic devices, and materials in new formats
• Q12.45 refers to a separate capital fund (held in a separate account from operating funds)
  • If YES complete sections 13 & 14.
• The answers in the following questions must match:
  • Q11.22 must match Q14.8
  • Q11.25 must match Q12.39 on prior year’s report (unless the library’s fiscal year has changed)
  • Q11.26 must match Q12.40
  • Q12.35 must match Q13.8
  • Q13.13 must match Q14.12