Ohio Public Library Statistics

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Data Spreadsheets

Data spreadsheets are in Excel format and include most of the data collected in the Annual Ohio Public Library Survey to the State Library.

Note: The tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet provide additional data. To download and manipulate the data according to your needs, open and save the document onto your computer.

If you need assistance, contact Kirstin Krumsee at the State Library of Ohio at 1-800-686-1532 (Ohio only) or 1-614-644-6916 or kkrumsee@library.ohio.gov

Public Library Statistics

Public Library Salary Survey

Access Other Ohio Public Library Statistics

You can search for Ohio Public Library Statistics through the State Library catalog.  Or, click here to view and access the archived electronic documents dating back to 2000. Please ask a librarian for help finding print copies of years prior to 2000 in our Ohio Government Documents collection.

Library Pride

In addition to all of the statistical questions libraries answer every year, the State Library asks Ohio’s public libraries to share something they did in the last year that they’re proud of. Read a selection of their responses featured in Ohio Libraries Are Simply The Best (PDF) created for 2022 National Library Week.

Public Libraries Survey Search and Compare Tool

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)  Search and Compare Tool can be used to compile trend and comparison analyses of other libraries in Ohio and other states. The Tool  statistics include library visits, circulation, size of collections, public services hours, staffing, electronic resources, operating revenue and expenditures and number of service outlets from 2007 to 2017.

National Library Statistics

Annual statistics on U.S. public libraries are available from the National Center for Education Statistics. Data is collected by state library agencies and compiled by NCES with the support of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Division of Governments and the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS). The annual NCES report on U.S. public libraries provides data for the nation, each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and each of 11 population ranges. Major data categories include: library name and address, outlets, staffing, income and expenditures, collections, Internet computers, library visits, circulation, reference questions, interlibrary loan and use of electronic services.

2022 PLS Survey Instructions

Password Required

PLSC Numbers

View a list of PLSC numbers by city.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is WhoFi Library Edition?

WhoFi Library Edition is a product which monitors and counts the number of devices on a wireless network and provides libraries with easy to read and/or understand statistical counts. One of the unique features of the service is the ability to anonymize the device information of visitors to the network, while still providing high quality statistics. This feature allows the libraries to offer privacy of all patron data used for reporting. Another unique feature this product offers is the ability to calculate total session counts while excluding specific devices, such as library-owned devices, in order to meet specific requirements. This allows the client the ability to customize the data being used for reporting.

Is my library required to use WhoFi to report my data for the state report?

No, your library is not required to use this product. Your library may use a different wireless reporting system such as Cisco Meraki or another product.  WhoFi Library Edition is provided at no cost to your library.  However, as in years past, your library is required to fill out the State Statistical report, which has a question about wireless use.

How can I install the WhoFi software at my library?

The Quick Set Up Guide walks you through the installation process.

WhoFi will contact your IT contact before your implementation date with your library’s username and password.

Once installed, what type of support should I expect from WhoFi

WhoFi will check in 30 days after installation to make sure the process is going smoothly. In addition, you may call 800-278-5099  if you are experiencing issues.

Will WhoFi interfere with any of my other network equipment?

OPLIN has reviewed this software and does not believe it will interfere with any network functions. The agent runs passively in the background and does not perform any network functions aside from gathering WiFi usage data. The agent can be installed on a PC, Windows Server, or select Android Tablets and the operating device should be left on in order to gather usage information anytime your WiFi network is in use. WhoFi router plugins for enterprise solutions such as Meraki, Aerohive, and more also do not interfere with the operating functions of the networking equipment.

Should I use WhoFi on the library’s bookmobile or other outreach efforts?

Yes. If your library uses wireless on a bookmobile or in other outreach efforts, those numbers should be reported in the State Report. Thus, you should use WhoFi or another product to count wireless use.

How tech savvy do I need to be to install and manage the WhoFi service?

For the majority of networks, you can install and run the service with very basic tech knowledge.

What should the IT department know for large library networks?  

User Groups can be created to allow the Director and/or other members of your system to access information and reports without the concern or complication of having non-technical staff logging into the networking equipment. This frees up IT time spent gathering reports, and also empowers decision makers by giving them timely, direct access to the information they need.

When using WhoFi, there is no active listener on the network. By just using a simple ARP scan, DHCP query, SNMP query, or Enterprise router plugin to gather device inventory, there is no concern about general traffic listening, needing to configure a SPAN port, or only working on vendor-specific hardware.

It’s easy for the agents to connect to the online system because all traffic goes over outbound port 443, HTTPS, which is universally open on all firewalls. There is no inbound port requirement, and it only requires about 500kb per day in internet traffic per location, which is less than a single image per day.

WhoFi is the only library centric solution that will work on your existing infrastructure. No need to replace your current routers or access points. The technology is not hardware vendor specific

My library has a separate wireless network for staff. Should my library count use on this staff-only network?

Yes. The count you report to the state should be of all unique client sessions per 24 hours including staff and library-owned devices.  Unique clients are determined by MAC address.

Should we count all sessions or only human-initiated connections?

We have received further guidance from the federal government that all sessions should be counted. This statistic should reflect all use of the wireless network.

Should I use WhoFi on our library’s hard-wired PCs?

No, in order to meet the definition of the State Annual Report, you should only count wireless access for patron-based uses, not library-based equipment or hard-wired PCs.

How should my library report the sessions?

On your State Annual Report, you will report the number of sessions per year. In WhoFi, you will go to the Monthly Reports section within the Analytics Account. Single locations will look at the Location_”Year”-December and enter in the Year-To-Date Total Session Count number. Systems will look at the SystemView_”Year”-December and enter in the Year-To-Date Total Session Count number on the rollup worksheet. Cell H24 provides you with the number to report.  The default setting used to calculate sessions on the Trend Summary Report(count the number sessions per day with a reconnect tolerance of one hour). This means if a device is seen in the morning and not seen for over an hour and reconnects in the evening it is reported as two sessions. This is the default setting for WhoFi Library Edition.

What is a MAC address?

A MAC address, or media access control address, is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment.  Each device connected to the wireless or wired network has a MAC address.  MAC addresses are used as a network address for most network technologies, including Ethernet and WiFi. No two devices should have the same MAC address.

Where can I download the WWhoFi detection agent?

Login to your WhoFi Analytics account, and click on the Agent Setup link under setup.

https://whofi.com/

What time period should I report sessions for?

In the WhoFi installation, wireless users shall be considered unique client sessions per 24 hours, with unique clients being determined by MAC address. On the state report, libraries will report the number of unique daily sessions for the entire year.

Where can I learn more about WhoFi?

http://whoisonmywifi.com/industry/library/

How is the data masked?

Each WhoFi agent that sits on a network to gather device inventory has a unique encryption key as part of the software that neither the company nor the State Library has access to in our cloud service. If the Privacy Feature of the agent is enabled by the library, two important privacy things happen. First is that all patron MAC Address information is 1- way encrypted using the unique per agent encryption key. Second is that identifying information like the Hostname is replaced with the word PRIVATE. Both of these things occur before the information is sent to the WhoFi Online cloud system meaning that WhoFi doesn’t have access to the original identifying information.

How does WhoFi handle multiple VLAN segments?

Each WhoFi agent is by default set to scan a single subnet or single VLAN.  Often when libraries have several VLANs, the VLANs are segmented between private networks that library personal utilize and a public VLAN that patrons utilize.

If there are several public patron VLANs, then you have the option of placing a single agent per VLAN, or there are ways to have a single agent scan multiple VLANs using a multi-homed computer, DHCP, or SNMP option as well.

How are “wireless sessions” defined?

A session is counted each time a device connects to the wireless network. Specifically, the agent probes every IP in the subnet every 5 minutes making a list of the MAC addresses it sees. That list is uploaded to WhoFi’s servers to store and report the statistics. When the agent finds a new MAC it counts a session as starting, when a MAC disappears it counts a session as ending. Wireless sessions should be reported with a reconnect tolerance of one hour. This means if a device is seen in the morning and not seen for over an hour and reconnects in the evening it is reported as two sessions.

Additional questions?

If you have additional questions regarding WhoFi, please contact Anne Kennedy.