Measuring the Measureables: Performance Metrics for Public, Academic, and School Librarians

Public, academic, and school libraries serve different missions but share a core obligation: to demonstrate how

https://www.imls.gov/research-evaluation/surveys/public-libraries-survey-pls

their activities produce meaningful educational, social, and economic outcomes. Good metrics must therefore balance inputs (what a library invests), outputs (what it produces), and outcomes (what users gain). This article defines ideal, practical performance metrics for each library sector and explains why these measures matter for administrators, funders, and communities. [1]

Guiding principles for any library metric set

Before diving into sector-specific measures, adopt three cross-cutting principles:

1. Measure impact, not just activity. Counting programs or checkouts is useful, but tidy proof of value links services to user outcomes (e.g., improved skills, employment, or learning). Use short patron outcome surveys to complement administrative counts. American Library Association [3]

2. Be consistent and comparable. Use standard national surveys and benchmarks so stakeholders can compare peers and track trends over time. National datasets and benchmarking tools also reduce thereporting burden when used consistently. Institute of Museum and Library Services+1 [1][2]

3. Use mixed methods. Combine administrative data, timed observations, patron surveys, and focused qualitative stories to show both scale and depth of impact. American Library Association

Public libraries 

Public libraries are community anchors; ideal metrics capture reach, equity of access, and civic and economic impact.

Recommended metrics (category → example indicator):

• Access & use
  • Circulation per capita, physical visits per capita, digital visits, and database sessions per capita. These allow peer benchmarking using the IMLS Public Library Survey. Institute of Museum and Library Services [1]

• Equity & outreach
  • Percentage of households in service area served; program participation by demographic groups; number of outreach stops (e.g., mobile service, shelters). Benchmarking by peer library type helps document equity gaps. American Library Association [2]

• Digital inclusion
  • Public computer sessions, Wi-Fi sessions, digital literacy class completions, and device lending numbers (hotspots, tablets).

• Economic & workforce outcomes
  • Number of job seekers served; percentage of job-help program participants who report progressing in a job search; small-business assistance referrals. Project Outcome and PLA tools offer standardized patron outcome questions for these measures. American Library Association+1 [3][9]

• Customer experience & outcomes
  • Patron-reported outcomes (e.g., “I learned a new skill” or “I found information I needed”) collected via short, validated surveys after programs and services. This shifts the focus from counting events to measuring benefit. American Library Association [3]

Why these matter: Public libraries’ funding and policy support increasingly depend on demonstrating not just activity but the social returns produced (digital access, workforce readiness, reading readiness). Standardized survey tools (Project Outcome) and IMLS national data enable libraries to demonstrate comparability and impact. Institute of Museum and Library Services+1 [1][3]

https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/2024-10/2023%20State%20of%20Academic%20Libraries%20Report.pdf

Academic libraries 

Academic libraries operate within institutions whose strategic priorities often include student retention and graduation, as well as research productivity. Metrics should align with those institutional goals.

Recommended metrics:

• Student learning & success
  • Instruction sessions taught, course-integrated instruction reach (number of courses/sections), number of students reached, pre/post assessment of information literacy learning outcomes. Include measures of correlation to course grades where possible. American Library Association [4]

• Research support & impact
  • Number of data management consultations; percentage of faculty using library services for publishing; citation or altmetric indicators tied to library-supported publishing services. ARL and ACRL statistical reports provide comparative baselines. Association of Research Libraries+1 [5][4]

• Collection effectiveness and cost
  • Cost-per-use for electronic and physical collections, and overlap/uniqueness in consortium holdings. Monitor interlibrary loan borrowing and fulfillment times as proxies for collection completeness. Association of Research Libraries+1 [5][16]

• Efficiency & service quality
  • Reference/consultation turnaround time, research consultation impact as reported by researchers (e.g., saved time, improved methodology), and user satisfaction surveys tied to specific outcomes. American Library Association [2]
    

    https://www.arl.org/arl-terms/arl-statistics/

Why these matter: Academic leaders evaluate libraries on their contribution to institutional learning and research aims. Libraries that can demonstrate increased student learning or more efficient research outputs are better positioned for sustained or increased institutional investment. Recent ACRL/ARL surveys provide benchmarks for staffing, expenditures, and outputs that libraries can use to set targets. American Library Association+1 [4][5]

School libraries

Research increasingly shows that credentialed school librarians and robust collections are linked to improved student reading and achievement outcomes. Metrics foreground instructional collaboration and student learning. ScienceDirect+1 [6][7]

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/investing-in-school-libraries-and-librarians-to-improve-literacy-outcomes/

Recommended metrics:

• Instructional partnerships
  • Number and percentage of lessons co-taught with classroom teachers; number of collaborative units aligned to state standards; teacher satisfaction with librarian partnership.

• Student reach and reading outcomes
  • Circulation per student, number of students with library-issued accounts, and measures of reading growth where library programs are interventionists. Studies show a strong correlation between certified librarians and higher reading/math scores in many contexts. ScienceDirect+1 [6][7]

• Staffing & access
  • FTE librarians per 1,000 students and percentage of schools with full-time certified librarians—metrics that correlate with outcomes and equity. Recent reports document dramatic variability in staffing that affects outcomes. Axios+1 [8][9]

• Program outcomes
  • Short, standardized post-program surveys asking students whether they improved research skills or reading engagement; tracking subsequent classroom performance when possible.

Why these matter: School district leaders often respond to measures tied directly to student learning. Demonstrating that librarians contribute to measurable gains in achievement and that certified staffing levels affect outcomes is the most persuasive case for investment. ScienceDirect+1 [6][9]

Practical measurement design: what to collect and how

• Start with a compact core of indicators (5–10) aligned to strategic goals—too many metrics dilute focus.

• Automate administrative data collection (gate counters, ILS reports, LMS analytics) to reduce staff time. Use national reporting templates (IMLS PLS, ACRL/ARL formats) to keep data comparable. Institute of Museum and Library Services+1 [1][4]

• Use standardized patron outcome questions (e.g., Project Outcome) so that results are validated and comparable across institutions. American Library Association [3]

• Protect privacy and minimize effort. Keep surveys short, anonymize sensitive data, and sample when universal surveying is impractical.

• Triangulate findings. Pair quantitative counts with brief qualitative evidence—patron stories, teacher testimonials, case studies—to give depth to the numbers.

From metrics to stories: reporting for different audiences

Different stakeholders need different frames:

• Public/funders: emphasize community reach, outcomes (digital inclusion, job placements), and equity metrics. Use per-capita and peer comparisons drawn from IMLS and PLA benchmarking tools. Institute of Museum and Library Services+1 [1][2]

• Campus leadership: tie library metrics to student retention, graduation, and research productivity. Use course-level learning assessment and research support impact stories. American Library Association+1 [4][5]

• School boards/educators: highlight librarians’ contributions to standards-aligned instruction and measurable gains in reading/math. Localized evidence of student improvement is crucial. ScienceDirect+1 [6][7]

Good performance measurement for libraries is not a numbers game; it’s a strategy for proving value. Well-chosen, comparable metrics that center outcomes—backed by short patron assessments and national benchmarking—let public, academic, and school librarians show how their work advances learning, equity, and economic well-being. Libraries should aim for a compact, mixed-methods dashboard that aligns with institutional goals and uses validated tools and national datasets to clearly and persuasively demonstrate impact. American Library Association+2Institute of Museum and Library Services+2 [3][1][4]

Sources

[1] Institute of Museum and Library Services. Public Libraries Survey (PLS). IMLS. Retrieved from the IMLS Public Library Survey overview. Institute of Museum and Library Services

[2] American Library Association — Public Library Association. Benchmark: Library Metrics and Trends. ALA PLA. American Library Association

[3] Public Library Association. Project Outcome and PLA/ALA resources on measuring patron outcomes and program impact. American Library Association+1

[4] Association of College & Research Libraries. The State of U.S. Academic Libraries: Findings from the ACRL 2023 Annual Survey. ACRL (2023). American Library Association

[5] Association of Research Libraries. ARL Statistics and publications — annual statistical reporting on staffing, expenditures, and collections. Association of Research Libraries

[6] Wine, L.D., et al. (2023). School librarians’ impact on student achievement (peer-reviewed study summary). ScienceDirect. ScienceDirect

[7] Library Research Service. School Libraries Impact Studies. Summaries of evidence linking school libraries and outcomes. LRS

[8] Center for American Progress / American Progress. Investing in School Libraries: Improve Literacy (research brief, 2024). americanprogress.org

[9] EveryLibrary Institute. School library staffing ratios and student outcomes and reporting on uneven access to certified librarians. WashU Open Scholarship Journals+1