The project "Performance Analysis for Polish Research Libraries" (PAPRL) is used by all academic libraries to complete survey questionnaires and therefore make contribution to the development of standards/patterns of functioning. All of the data stored in the PAPRL database is not visible to the public and may not be distributed in any form without the consent of the institutions concerned and the Standardization Group for Polish Research Libraries.
Some of the benefits of registering the library and completing the entire survey questionnaire are:
- obtaining automatically calculated indicators;
- being able to view and analyze survey results by year, various types of questions or indicators;
- comparing survey results with the average, median, minimum and maximum value in a given group of libraries according to the selected categories of data and indicators.
There is a feature planned for the libraries to download data from their survey questionnaires to the national rankings (e.g. in popular weeklies), if the creators of the rankings will accept indicators recommended by the librarian community.
The PAPRL project, which primary purpose is to develop standards/patterns for Polish research libraries, involves the following tasks:
- to obtain data to develop indicators and standards for research libraries in Poland,
- to develop and publish annual reports,
- to recommend important library indicators to the creators of the national rankings (published, e.g., in the press),
- to develop methods for assessing the functioning of research libraries in Poland,
- to conduct a comparative research with indicators and standards of foreign libraries.
The PAPRL project has been implemented since 2001 by the Standardization Group for Polish Research Libraries. The
Cooperation Agreement , which regulates the rules of participation and cooperation among its signatories, has been signed in 2004 (continued in 2006).
Current members of the Standardization Group for Polish Research Libraries:
Lidia Derfert-Wolf (University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz),
Ewa Dobrzyńska-Lankosz (AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow),
Barbara Dybicz (The Main Library of Transport in Warsaw),
Mirosław Górny (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan),
Marek Górski (Tadeusz Kościuszko Cracow University of Technology),
Artur Jazdon (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan),
Anna Osiewalska (Cracow University of Economics),
Maria Sidor (National-Louis University in Nowy S±cz).
The project coordinator is the
University Library in Poznan, and the actual work of the Standardization Group for Polish Research Libraries has been assigned to
the Conference of University Libraries Directors.
The basic tools used in the PAPRL project are:
- The survey questionnaire (version for academic libraries and version for specialized and public libraries), which after online completing is the subject of further analysis and comparisons. The current version was based on:
- questionnaire prepared for the conference "Comparative studies of Polish academic libraries" organized by the Main Library of the Cracow University of Economics in 2001;
- TEMPUS JEP 13242-98 project outcomes in: Development of Library Management as a Part of the University Total Quality Management, conducted by the Library of Cracow University of Technology (project coordinator), University of Technology and Life Science in Bydgoszcz, Szczecin University, Kielce University of Technology, and with 4 European Union libraries;
- BS EN ISO 2789:2005 Information and documentation. International library statistics;
- ISO 11620:2008 Information and documentation. Library performance indicators.
- 2. The computer program used by the Standardization Group for Polish Research Libraries to collect and analyze data from survey questionnaires and automatic calculation of performance indicators for each of the libraries completing the survey questionnaire.
The results are presented annually on the “Analysis results” ( "
Wyniki badań" ) page, in the form of the tables containing pooled analysis of data and showing the average values for the performance indicators (general indicators, financial indicators, library collection indicators, services indicators, as well as analyzed data on employees, organizational structure and professional activities, the remote cataloguing services, self-publishing, cooperation between libraries, organized events), divided into:
- various types of public university libraries
- all of the researched public university libraries
- non-public university libraries
- public libraries
- specialized libraries.