Hello All!
I am pleased to announce that the FY18 Public Library Annual Report data has been officially accepted and approved by IMLS and is now available online. Thank you all for your hard work collecting and reporting accurate statistics. The information in the Public Library Annual Report is designed to help librarians and trustees assess the health of their libraries, identify areas for improvement, make long range plans and demonstrate library impact. This can be done by accessing your LibPAS  https://me.countingopinions.com/ account and creating reports using the FY18 Public Library Annual Report data. Updated bookmarks, pamphlets, and posters preloaded with the FY18 data for your library (located under the "Reports" tab), will be available early next week.

The FY18 data can also be found on the MSL website http://www.maine.gov/msl/libs/data/annualreportstats.shtml. Here you will find the complete workbook containing all data sets as well as statistics broken down by legal service area for financials, staffing, and services.

Check out the Data in Action page http://www.maine.gov/msl/libs/data/datainaction.shtml for help with combining your annual report data and data from other sources to make a compelling case for your library's programs and services. This is particularly useful if you are looking to request salary increases, drafting and justifying an operating budget or writing a grant.
Please don't hesitate to contact myself or Stephanie Zurinski [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>  if you need assistance.

Best,
Jenny

Jenny Melvin
State Data Coordinator
Liaison to Regions 5 & 6
Maine State Library
145 Harlow Street
Bangor, ME 04401
207-947-8336 ext.116