Library Annual Report:
In a democratic society, people always want to know what is happening in the country. They want to know through the details of activities, through annual reports and many other ways. If there is a national parliament in the country, the ministers concerned answer the questions of the parliament and answer the questions on the ministry in charge. In addition, various departments prepare training details of various activities for the information of the administrative community; librarians are like that. The name of the report that the librarian presents at the end of the year is the annual report of the library. From the annual report, it will be known what progress has been made in some areas in the past year. It will be known about the budget, book purchase, cataloging account, bibliography preparation account, account of new programs that have been adopted outside the traditional work process, account of book transactions, account of new programs that have been done outside the traditional work process, account of how many readers have come to the library every day, month and year, and details of multi-disciplinary work. In fact, the annual library report will reflect a picture of how efficiently the library staff is performing their duties, including a description of the library’s work, and the contribution that librarians have made to society.
Nature and Scope Library Annual Report:
The library report is a permanent record of the library’s work. It can also be called the annual newsletter of the library. Therefore, a very neat and attractive library report should be prepared. Some libraries perform this work smoothly. Some perform this responsibility as part of various activities from time to time.
Structure and Components of a Library Annual Report
The library report may have two parts: 1) Report ; 2) It is better to present the statistical part in tabular or table form. For example:
A. Area/population served;
B. Book or non-book stock;
C. Services: technical and general;
D. Users;
E. Source of funding; Income and expenditure account
F. Staff
G. Miscellaneous
Major Areas Covered in a Library Annual Report:
A. The total population of the area in which a library is located, the extent of library services, and the number of people the library can serve depend on the population. The library’s per capita expenditure can be calculated by dividing the total expenditure by the population. If the library is affiliated with a particular association, academy, or autonomous institution, then the potential users are considered to be the community. The per capita expenditure of the library is calculated by dividing the total expenditure by the population or total number of members of the community.
B. The total collection of books and other non-book materials of the library will be mentioned in the annual report. Even the special collections that are of sufficient importance in the library should be mentioned in the report. How efficiently and with high quality a librarian is providing services to the community he is serving and how advanced and prosperous the library is in terms of resources and service provision capacity, etc., can also be verified and valued from the report. The report will mention the amount of books collected by the library through purchase, donation or exchange in a particular year. The report will mention in six forms: the amount of books collected in the previous year, the amount of books collected in the current year, the amount of books canceled in the current year. The amount of collections made through subscription or other means in the previous year, and the number of readers and users of different ages and levels using the library in the previous year.
C. How many books have been traded from this library in the past or current year, how many people have been given readers and reference services, how many people have had bibliographies prepared on request, how many books have been traded outside the library through inter-library cooperation, these will be presented in a table. The statistics will include a subject-wise list of how many books are available in the library on which subject.
Some libraries organize various events from time to time. The report will mention them. Often, experts in various fields visit the library, it is advisable to mention them in the annual report of the library.
D. The actual number of registered members of the library will be reflected in the report. In addition to the registered members, many members come to use the library irregularly. Keeping a separate register at the library counter and keeping a record of regular and irregular readers and users every day and mentioning it in the report will reflect the efficiency of the library.
E. The annual allocation of the library and the sources from which these grants have been received will be mentioned in the report. There are other incomes outside the general budget of the library. For example: late fees, income from photocopying, income from selling old newspapers and magazines, voluntary donations from local people, income from renting the library grounds and halls for various exhibitions, etc. These should be identified separately in the report and the details should be mentioned.
It is essential to mention the sources of income in the annual report in the same manner as the expenditure account. 1. Purchase of books and non-book materials, (2) Repair and maintenance of old books, (3) Purchase of newspapers and periodicals; (4) Library fittings and furniture; (5) Printing stationery and office essentials; (6) (In case of private libraries) Staff salaries; (7) Lecture expenses in case of discussion programs; (8) Rent (if not having its own building); (9) Loan repayment (in case of private libraries), (10) Building maintenance (in case of government, the appropriate authority will do it; it is not necessary to mention the report); (11) Miscellaneous items (which are not mentioned here but are desirable to be included in the report).
Functions of the library report:
Librarian friends may think that preparing an annual report by running a library with less manpower than required is an additional hassle. There is no room to deny the presence of frustration in their perception. In fact, preparing a report is a routine work in the library and a proper recognition of the work of the library.
Role of the Library Annual Report in Library Development
Many do not think that preparing an annual report meets the following needs:
1. The higher authorities of the concerned library are informed about the normal activities of the library, the programs being carried out/adopted in the city and other places through the report. The authorities are also informed about what any department/branch of the library is doing, including library services, collection size, annual allocation, manpower, etc., by reading the report.
2.The Reader Library serves as a permanent bulletin board for the community and the public about the library.
3. By reading several reports over a period of several years, the librarian can become aware of the progress of his library or the backwardness of the employees in various fields and can take appropriate and effective measures to eliminate the shortcomings.
4. By reading the annual report, the librarian can understand the necessary steps of the library, feel the urge to take developmental steps in various areas, and find new paths for development. As a result, ways to create new opportunities may be created.
5. Considering the workload of the library, whether it is necessary to increase the staff, the librarian can take practical steps and discuss with the authorities. In fact, the library report itself tells what is needed in the library, what is not needed and a direction for the future outline can be included in the report.
