NY-NJ Chapter LogoNewsletter
Summer 2002

In This Issue

From the Editors

From the Chair

Kudos for Chapter Members

Web Watch

Brave New World

In the Literature

Technology Review

RML Update

To The Editors

2003 Philadelphia Meeting

Special Report: MLA Benchmarking Task Force
Focus Groups

Advocacy Report

News and Announcements

Online Newsletter Index

The Newsletter is published for the members of the New York-New Jersey Chapter of the Medical Library Association.

Editor of this issue:

William Self, The Medical Library Center of New York, 5 East 102nd St., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10029 S-1, Phone: 212-427-1630, Fax: 212-860-3496, E-mail: wself@mlcny.org.


Site maintained by Webmaster: Robert Dempsey
Posted 7/25/2002
©2002 NY-NJ Chapter of the Medical Library Association
2002 MLA Benchmarking Network Initiative Enters Analysis Phase:

Data Helps Create First Snapshot of Health Sciences Libraries, Their Value and Worth

Michelle Mary Volesko
Director, Library and Information Services,
New Jersey Hospital Association,
Princeton, NJ
mvolesko@njha.com

Background and Development
The Benchmarking Task Force was very pleased with final count of participants in the first ever MLA benchmarking initiative. Benchmarking information for more than 300 hospital libraries is now available for all MLA members to utilize! Analysis of the data is well underway. Sample charts and tables are in the July issue of National Network and a comprehensive portfolio of reports will be mounted on MLANET this summer. Members of the MLA Benchmarking Task Forces have reported on the progress in developing and implementing the Benchmarking Network in every issue of National Network. An extensive amount of time and creative effort by many MLA members resulted in a successful first year of data collection. The data includes representation from each chapter of MLA. Users of the data can initially compare their own libraries against the aggregate.

Launched in January, the questionnaire closed data submission on March 4, 2002. The final total was 350 individuals entering hospital or system information. One problem noted by the Task Force was systems reported combined data under the individual library reporting section of the survey. Methods to ensure proper reporting will be examined for future surveys.

The NY-NJ Chapter had 36 participants, listed in Table 1. A special thank you to each and every participant on the Chapter who contributed to the success of the project. A quick scan shows our Chapter came in fifth on the list of participation, out of 13 chapters. NAHSL and the Midwest Chapters, each with 50 participants.

To introduce the analysis portion, an educational session was held at the MLA annual meeting, Hospital Library Section program, on Tuesday May 21, Dallas Texas, titled Benchmarking: A Tool for Library Improvement. Aggregate results were presented (see charts) as well as the experience of three hospital librarians with the benchmarking network, from large and small libraries and a system.

Methodology
The survey methodology was to collect data on Web-based data entry forms from December 15, 2001 to March 4, 2002. The participants were hospital library and special library members of the Medical Library Association who did not participate in the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) survey. The questionnaire was developed by MLA Benchmarking Network teams and tested in 2001. Approximately 1,500 hospital librarians were solicited by the Benchmarking Chapter Educators to fill out an extensive questionnaire (over 100 questions) on the Web in the "members only" section of the MLANET website. 385 MLA members logged in and filled out parts of the questionnaire. The data was reviewed and 41 libraries were excluded for various reasons to obtain a core of 344 hospital libraries. If there are 1,500 hospital libraries in the US and Canada, a fact that has never been established, the 344 libraries responding to the questionnaire represent a 22.9% return on the request for data.

Chart 1 shows the type of hospital that participated. Chart 2 shows the size of the libraries that participated by total Library FTE. The participants were compared to the number of hospitals in the AHA's Hospital Statistics™ 2002. Chart 3 shows the result that larger sized libraries participated. Many people are interested in the sample size. Again comparing the data to the AHA's Hospital Statistics™ 2002, Table 2 shows the sample size of our survey for each bed-size range.

Reporting the Results
The Benchmarking Implementation Task Force plans to report the results of the survey in various ways:

  • Aggregate tables based on hospital or library size will be placed on MLANET.
  • Specific questions will be analyzed.
  • An interactive site where you can choose your own parameters of size and measures of activity will be developed.
  • Finally the entire Excel data file will be available for benchmarking or research.

The aggregate tables under development will cross various hospital and library size parameters with various measures of library activity. Some parameters are hospital FTE, outpatient visits, staffed beds, total library FTE, and total library expenditures. Some measures are reference questions, educational program sessions, expenditures on print serials, and print serials titles with electronic full-text access.

Additionally, there will be aggregate information regarding expenditures for wages and salaries, professional development and travel, monographs, print serials, audiovisual resources, electronic information resources, delivery services, computer or network equipment, etc. Other budget information will include financial support and other income information. The information will also include aggregate statistics on services such as consumer health reference questions, mediated searches, patient care mediated searches. Other services data will include statistics regarding circulation and interlibrary loans. Numbers of resources available (monographs, serials with and without electronic access) will be provided, as well as information on provision of special services (archives, library web page, web OPAC, consumer health and CME services, photocopying, AV equipment circulation, etc.)

Data Sample
An example of these aggregate tables is shown in Table 3, comparing current print serials titles to ranges of hospital FTE size. The data for the mean, median, third quartile, minimum, and maximum of the number of current print serials titles are given based on hospital size as measured by number of hospital FTE.

Future Plans
Members of the Task Force will be working over the summer to create the report features of the Benchmarking Network. A FAQ, frequently asked question while out and about with colleagues in New York and New Jersey "Will the survey be done next year, I did not get a chance to participate this time around?" Answer: Yes! The MLA Benchmarking Committee will provide more details in the future.

For now, there are definite plans to open the network for a second data entry window in early 2003. There will be some minor revisions to the questions and a number of additions, which will reflect MLA's desire to extend the benchmarking efforts to other types of member libraries. The questions regarding health care systems will also be redesigned based on the first year's experience. The Task Force expects that the revised questionnaire worksheet will be available on MLANET in late fall so that members can anticipate what data is requested and in what formats. The current worksheet is still available. If libraries wish to collect the data now, they can still compare their data against the aggregate, even though they will not be included in it.

It is hoped that many more libraries will participate in the MLA Benchmarking Network next year. As more libraries participate, the breakdown of the data by specific parameters increases in relevancy. The comparative information becomes even more useful to all.

As a special incentive for the first survey, the NY-NJ Chapter offered a raffle and the winner was Ms. Arlene Mangino, Librarian, Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville, NJ. Arlene is now the proud owner of a PALM PDA m100 series with a fire engine red faceplate. When telephoned, Arlene was not only thrilled, but also advised that she did not own any PDA and is a quick study learning this one. Enjoy Arlene!

Special Thanks
A special thanks to Debbie Rand, Chair of the MLA Benchmarking Committee for her leadership in this endeavor, all of the graphics and major portions of this article. If you have any questions of your BCE, Benchmarking Chapter Educator, please don't hesitate to contact me at: 609-275-4230 or mvolesko@njha.com. Due to the volume of e-mail received kindly note your inquiry concerns benchmarking, in the subject line.


Table 1

NY-NJ Participants to the 2002 MLA Benchmarking Network Survey
Paul E.BarthRoosevelt Hospital Center
Catherine MaryBossJersey Shore Medical Center
KeydiBossHoly Name Hospital
William F.CaseyNassau County Medical Center
Virginia I.CookWinthrop-University Hospital
Theresa M.CuddyCapital Health Systems
John LawrenceDormerCathedral Health Care System
AntoinetteDragoMetropolitan Hospital Center
JoannaFaradayNorthern Westchester Hosp. Ctr.
Lena FriedelFeldJFK Medical Center
KathleenFiolaHelen Hayes Hospital
LydiaFriedmanMaimonides Medical Center
ElaineGoldmanPascack Valley Hospital
Mary A.HicksSaint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers
RuthHoffenbergQueens Hospital Center
Mary K.JoyceMorristown Memorial Hospital
Josefina P.LimMontefiore Medical Center
Katherine LoisLindnerEnglewood Hospital & Med. Center
RitaMaierNY Hospital Med. Ctr. of Queens
Arlene DorothyManginoClara Maass Medical Center
Catherine W.MarchokCapital Hlth. Sys./Mercer Campus
PatriciaMaySt. Joseph Hosp. & Medical Ctr.
Stuart V.MossNathan S. Kline Institute
Frederic C.PachmanMonmouth Medical Center
Joanne KayPapanicolaouRiverview Medical Center
JoanPetersenUnion Hospital
Susan S.PistolakisMedical Center of Ocean County
Debra C.RandLong Island Jewish Medical Center
Barbara S.ReichHackensack Medical Center
Dorothy D.SchwartzCabrini Medical Center
Victoria A.SciukOverlook Hospital
Robin D.SiegelCentraState Medical Center
Michelle M.VoleskoNew Jersey Hospital Association
George A.WahlertLong Island College Hospital
Louise M.YorkeMedical Center at Princeton
MaryWalkerGreystone Park Psychiatric Hosp.


Table 2

Sample size of BN survey for each AHA Hospital Statistics 2002
AHA Bed SizeBN LibrariesAHA HospitalsSample Size
6-2403390%
25-49010270%
50-991713421%
100-1996914395%
200-2997674310%
300-3996139116%
400-4993621217%
500 or more8531727%


Table 3

Current Print Serials Titles By Ranges of Hospital FTE Size
Current Print Serials Titles (ts02) by Hospital FTE (pa06)Qualified answersMeanMedianThird quartileMaximumMinimum
Range 1: 0 to 499.991267113143352
Range 2: 500 to 849.9261281121356506
Range 3: 850 to 1349.9611581352104306
Range 4: 1350 to 1824.96121418627964142
Range 5: 1825 to 2599.96125621135064025
Range 6: 2600 to 4249.96232532841866850
Range 7: 4250 to 7999.92740635048898085
Range 8: 8000 and up9563669737860180
N=3162502023359806


Chart 1

Type of Hospital Participating, N=343



Chart 2

Participant Library Size By Total Library FTE, N=344



Chart 3

Comparison of BN Survey Participants to the AHA Hospital Statistics™ 2002, By Percentage