Overview
SIST ISO 2789:2023 - Information and documentation - International library statistics defines rules for the collection and reporting of library statistics to support international reporting, improve comparability between countries, and encourage good statistical practice in library and information services. The sixth edition (2022) provides standardized definitions, reporting periods, quality considerations and detailed guidance on what to count and how to present library metrics.
Key topics and technical requirements
SIST ISO 2789:2023 covers a comprehensive set of technical topics and measurement requirements, including:
- Terms and definitions for libraries, services, collections, access/facilities, management, funding/expenditure and library staff to ensure consistent interpretation.
- Scope of library activities and changes in user behavior (inside and outside premises) relevant to statistics.
- Data quality and reporting rules: time periods, sampling, estimated data and presentation for stakeholders.
- Detailed data collection guidance across major metric groups:
- Services & use: user counts, lending, interlibrary loans, reference queries, copying, mediated electronic delivery, events, physical visits, user training.
- Digital services: website visits, use of digital resources, mobile services, social network interactions, institutional repositories and databases.
- Collections: printed materials, manuscripts, microforms, cartographic items, audiovisual, music, ebooks, multimedia and free internet resources.
- Access & facilities: opening hours, days open, user places, public access workstations, catalogue records and space.
- Management, funding & expenditure: operating/capital expenditure, income/funding, preservation, digitization.
- Staffing: total staff, volunteers and classification of staff roles.
- Guidance on presenting statistics for internal management, external reporting and international comparison.
Practical applications and users
SIST ISO 2789:2023 is practical for organizations that need reliable library statistics, including:
- Library managers and administrators - for benchmarking, performance measurement and operational planning.
- National and regional library agencies - to harmonize statistics for national reporting and cross-country comparisons.
- Academic, public, special and national libraries - to standardize internal reporting and justify funding.
- Policy makers and funders - to assess impact, allocate resources and set strategic priorities.
- Researchers and statisticians - who analyze library trends, digital adoption and service usage.
Benefits include improved comparability, more consistent metrics for decision-making, and guidance for collecting quality data on both physical and digital library services.
Related standards
See other ISO publications and national statistical frameworks addressing information and documentation, library performance metrics and data quality for complementary guidance when implementing SIST ISO 2789:2023.
