5.0 Results

Background data

The following results of the BLRIC study, with comparisons of some from the FIGIT study, are arranged under the following headings:

Background data
Current and planned retrospective conversion programs
Methods
Standards
Access - to items in libraries and collections - to machine readable catalogue records
Supplementary data - non-print items needing retrospective conversion - material which has never been catalogued

Notes

As with the FIGIT study, several of the questions allowed for multiple responses. In those cases the totals given show the number of responses not the number of libraries. In other cases discrepancies in some of the figures are due to the failure of respondents to provide answers to particular questions.
Precise figures appear in the 'totals' for the BLRIC study because many libraries were able to provide them; however, most responses were best estimates.
'Total titles' in stocks also include 'never catalogued' items
'Machine readable' is abbreviated to m/r in the following tables.
The question numbers given in round brackets at the end of each Section and/or Table heading relate to the BLRIC study questionnaire. In the case of comparison with the FIGIT study the question numbers are prefixed with BLRIC and FIGIT and these tables are 'boxed'.

Response rate details

Completed questionnaire response rates
Questionnaires sent out	644
Returned as 'gone away'	8
Returned not completed (for a variety of good reasons e.g.library closed down)	20
Returned completed	322
National Trust	1
Public libraries	61%
Cathedral libraries	53%
All other libraries	45%
Overall response rate	53%

BACKGROUND DATA

5.1 Number and category of libraries responding to the survey and the total number of titles in their stocks (Q1 and Q2i)

Table 1

	Number of libraries	Total titles in stocks

Public*	112	44,394,150
Government Ministry/Dept	28	2,581,500
College/School	8	402,580
Learned society/professional	65	4,184,145
Cathedral	24	289,950
Subscription	14	1,369,500
Educational/research	10	343,500
Museum reference	12	1,918,500
Other**	49	3,466,400
Total	322	58,950,225

* 23 public libraries provided totals of the number of 'items' in their stocks instead of the number of 'titles' as requested. Estimates of the totals of their 'titles' were produced using the CIPFA Public Library Statistics 1994-95 actual (1996) and the formula described in Section 4.5.6. Using the same method it was possible to estimate the total titles in the 71 libraries which did not respond to the survey. .

** 'Other Libraries' included the following: broadcasting, business, charity, endowed, government funded institute, hobby and club, national special, NHS/public health, poetry, private, quango, record office, religious, research council, trades union, and five 'unclassified'.

Table 2: Estimate of the number of titles in the stocks of 71 public libraries which did not respond to the survey

45 public libraries with items in CIPFA Statistics totalling 25,813,000
50% adult fiction and children's books:	3 items per title		4,302,166
35% adult non-fiction:	2 items per title		4,517,275
15% reference stock:	1.5 items per title		2,581,300
			11,400,741	div.by 45=253,350
26 non-respondent libraries lacking CIPFA figures
	26 x 253,350		6,639,100
		TOTAL	18,039,841	titles

5.2 Number of m/r records already available in librares (Q2i and Q19i)

Table 3

	Total titles	Number of m/r records available
Public	44,394,150	35,146,777
Government Ministry/Department	2,581,500	1,633,843
College/School	402,580	266,735
Learned society/professional	4,184,145	1,116,345
Cathedral	289,950	127,150
Subscription	1,369,500	108,341
Educational/research	343,500	59,963
Museum reference	1,918,500	519,800
Other	3,466,400	1,244,101
Total	58,950,225	40,223,055

5.3 Catalogue records needing retrospective conversion in the surveyed libraries and their percentage of the total titles in each library category (Q2i and Q12)

Table 4

	Total titles	Best estimate of number of records needing to be converted	Records for conversion as % of total titles
Public	44,394,150	8,910,054	20%
Government Ministry/Department	2,581,500	887,300	34%
College/School	402,580	102,000	25%
Learned society/professional	4,184,145	3,003,350	72%
Cathedral	289,950	150,680	52%
Subscription	1,369,500	1,217,100	89%
Educational/research	343,500	266,800	78%
Museum reference	1,918,500	1,249,000	65%
Other	3,466,400	2,209,300	64%
Total	58,950,225	17,995,584	31%

5.4 Number of titles in special collections with the number of records already converted, currently being converted, and/or conversion planned (Q2ii, Q19ii, Q29 and Q35)

Table 5 Special Collections *

	Total number of titles	Converted titles	Currently converting	*Planned conversion
Public**	4,925,107	1,116,373	320,413	411,795
Other***	2,127,112	374,222	225,630	332,771
Cathedral	75,084	34,300	380	3,000
	7,127,303	1,524,895	546,423	747,566

This table gives details of the number of titles and records for special collections which are included in the totals given in Table 3.

* Appendix D gives a sample of the lists which could be produced of special collections as a result of the data gathered in the two studies.

'Current' and 'planned' programmes were not mutually exclusive and there is a measure of overlap in the totals. It should also be noted that it was clear that in a number of instances the 'planned' totals given were best hopes rather than firm estimates.

**Using the same method of calculation as detailed in 5.1 above, it is estimated that the total titles for printed items in special collections in all the UK's public libraries is 6,900,000 and that 40% (2,800,000) of these are in local collections, with 5,300,000 catalogue records awaiting conversion.

*** Several of the 'other' libraries were unable to provide details of the number of titles in their special collections and the total is almost certainly higher than shown above.

5.5 Forms of library catalogue presently in use (Q3 by Q1)

Table 6

Total	8	45	222	32	16	17
	Guardbook	Printed book	Card	Sheaf	Microfilmed	Other non-m/r

Public	1	9	80	15	4	7
Government Ministry/Dept	1	2	10	3	5
College/School		1	5	1
Learned society/professional	1	10	41	5	1	3
Cathedral	1	8	20	3		1
Subscription	1	2	12	1
Educational/research			8		1	2
Museum reference	1	1	10	1	1
Other	2	12	36	3	4	4

5.6 Libraries with more than one form of non-m/r catalogue - BLRIC and FIGIT figures compared (BLRIC Q3 x Q1 and FIGIT Q6 by Q1)

Table 7

	Machine readable catalogues			No catalogues
	COM	OPAC	Other m/r

Public	30	78	16
Government Ministry/Dept	2	23	3
College/School	1	6			1
Learned society/professional	1	26	14		1
Cathedral	1	4	4
Subscription		3
Educational/research		5	2
Museum reference	1	5	1
Other	3	21	11
Total	39	171	51		2

	Number of non-m/r forms
BLRIC	2	3	4	5
Public	25	3	1
Government Ministry/Dept		2
College/School	2
Learned society/professional	11	1
Cathedral	9
Subscription	3
Educational/research	1	1
Museum reference				1
Other	12	4	1
Total	63	11	2	1

FIGIT	2	3	4
Universities <1959	7	5	3
Universities 1960-89	3
Universities 1990-	2
Other HEFCE funded	2
Other Academic	22	4	1
	36	9	4

5.7 Material from which m/r catalogue records are/have been produced (Q7 by Q1)

Table 8

	Cataloguing	Previously	Through
	of current	uncatalogued	retrospective
	material	material	conversion

Public	99	62	80
Government Ministry/Dept	24	14	15
College/School	6	3	4
Learned society/professional	41	20	27
Cathedral	6	5	7
Subscription	3	3	2
Educational/research	9	1	7
Museum reference	6	4	5
Other	29	16	27
Total	223	128	174

5.8 Completed/suspended retroconversion projects (Q8 by Q1)

Table 9

	Yes	No

Public	65	42
Government Ministry/Dept	17	11
College/School	5	3
Learned society/professional	18	42
Cathedral	6	17
Subscription	2	9
Educational/research	3	7
Museum reference	4	8
Other	17	27
Total	137	166

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