A Methodology for Implementing the Standardized Statistical Measures and Metrics for Public Services in Archival Repositories and Special Collections Libraries

Abstract

The Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the Society for American Archivists (SAA) joint standard, Standardized Statistical Measures and Metrics for Public Services in Archival Repositories and Special Collections Libraries, provides a shared vocabulary and set of statistical measures that help archival and special collections repositories articulate their value as they share concrete evidence demonstrating the impact of their services. The standard is specifically designed to be system agnostic so that all repositories can use it. Many of the standard’s recommended measures, particularly those related to users and circulation, however, are challenging to implement without the use of a reading room management software system. This case study explores the adaptation of an existing quantitative assessment program to incorporate the measures and metrics suggested by the new RBMS/SAA standard without the use of specialized reading room management software