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Valuing Library Services Calculator

What is your library worth to your institution?

How much would it cost to replace your library services on the retail market? Calculate what it would cost to buy library services - at a book store, through pay per view for articles, from an information broker - if you and your library weren't there.

• Enter in the left hand column the number of times your library's services are used for the period you are interested in - month, quarter, year.
• Either use the estimated retail value provided for each service or change it to reflect your area or library.
  Click here to see how to determine the cost of your services.
• In the three bottom lines enter any other services or resources you would like to include in your calculation along with the number of uses and the retail value for each service or resource.
• The total retail value of each service will be calculated on the right.
• Total value of your library services is shown at the bottom of the worksheet.
• Tip: Tab between entries and do not use commas.

Value of Library Resources and Services
 

Number of Uses	Library Resources or Services	Cost of Resource or Service	Value of    Resources or    Services
	Books used (in house or borrowed)		$
	Print journals used (in house or borrowed)		$
	EJournal articles accessed		$
	Interlibrary Loan Requests		$
	Reference Questions Answered		$
	Mediated Searches		$
	Class hours taught (# students x total class hours)		$
	AVs used or borrowed		$
	Self service photocopies		$
	Meeting Room Use per Hour		$
	Hours of Computer Use (i.e. Internet, MS Word, etc.)		$
			$
			$
			$
			$

If JavaScript is not supported, use this link to a downloadable Excel spreadsheet that has the formulas locked or to one that you can modify in its entirety to calculate your library's value.

Please let us know how you use the calculator and how it helped make you a success in your institution. Email Betsy Kelly, Liaison for Assessment and Evaluation, with comments or questions about the calculator.

Members are encouraged to contact their state liaison, the Assessment and Evaluation Liaison, or the RML office with questions, concerns or for assistance in program design and evaluation.

This calculator was adapted from the one originally provided by the Massachusetts Library Association and then adapted for the web by Chelmsford Public Library. The MidContinental Regional Medical Library modified the Services and Values for health science libraries. This spreadsheet requires either Microsoft Excel or the Excel Viewer.