Instructions

1. Create a GitHub account if you don't already have one.

2. Open a new issue to suggest a change to the FY 2026 Public Libraries Survey data elements. Note that you should open a separate issue for each proposed change.

   In the title, indicate whether the request is an addition, revision, or deletion, and reference the existing data element number and name (for a revision or deletion).

   Then include the following information in the body of the request:

   • Your name and state/affiliation;
   • A description of the change, i.e.:
     • For additions, explain what should be collected and reported. A complete data element definition is not necessary.
     • For revisions, include the existing data element definition and explain which terms should be updated.
     • For deletions, include the existing data element definition.
   • Justification for the change request;
   • If known, potential methodological issues related to the change (e.g., data unreliability/bias, potential data collection challenges); and
   • Information about whether the data element is being collected elsewhere.

   The PLS Repository includes templates to create issues and the FY 2024 PLS data element definitions saved to the PLS repository.

3. Review the issues/proposed changes to the FY 2026 PLS data elements; click on individual issues to see their contents, and add comments to further discussion. The list provides 3 training examples, an addition, a revision, and a deletion if you would like to see issues in action.

If you have questions or need additional guidance, please reach out to the PLS Help Desk (PLS@air.org) or an SDC mentor (Verena Getahun, Joe Hamlin, Amanda Johnson, Kelly Metzger, or Whitney Payne).

Deadlines

All proposed changes and comments are due by COB Tuesday, September 3, 2024.

Next Steps

At the Fall meeting of the Library Statistics Working Group (LSWG) in October, the LSWG will decide which change requests should receive further consideration by a subcommittee, including development into new or revised data elements. From November 2024 through June 2025, AIR and the LSWG subcommittee(s) will develop and pre-test the data elements. SDCs will have an opportunity to discuss the changes under LSWG consideration during the meeting events in January 2025. After development and testing, LSWG will review the final data element changes and approve which will be placed on the ballot and go to states for a vote in August 2025. Following this vote, IMLS will announce the ratified data element changes in October 2025—about 9 months before Group 1 state surveys open in July 2026.