ShawneeDispatch.com

The Johnson County Library topped all other facilities in the Kansas City area, and libraries around Kansas were ranked as the eighth best in the nation, according to statistics included in a local fact-finding study released this week.

Kansas City Consensus, an area research group, released Tuesday a 106-page report documenting trends that could raise operating costs or reduce the quality of area libraries within the next 20 years.

Among the report's findings: The Johnson County Library, which serves the entire county except for Olathe, ranks best among the metro's seven facilities. The Olathe Public Library ranks second. Kansas libraries as a whole ranked eighth, while Missouri facilities were ranked 15th.

The rankings are based on the HAPLR index, which is a compiled score of points earned for circulation, staffing, materials, reference service and funding levels. A maximum score is 1,000; The Johnson County Library earned an 869 tally.

"We pay attention to it somewhat," said Tim Rogers, associate director for operations at The Johnson County Library. "It's not something that really drives us in terms of service."

Instead, Rogers said library administrators rely more on patrons' feedback.

"And anytime we do any surveys, they always turn up positive," he said. "They either come back satisfied or very satisfied."

The Consensus survey suggests that changes to how libraries are funded would allow the area's facilities to better serve the region.

The study identifies new technology, in the form of greater electronic collaboration among facilities, as a necessary upgrade within the next 10 to 20 years.

At the Johnson County Library, Rogers said those partnerships already have begun to take shape, in the form of electronic access points available on the library's Web site, www.jocolibrary.org.

"Sometimes we don't have the information, but we have the ability to get it and provide it to people whether they're at work, at home or at the library," Rogers said.

Rogers said the access points range from business and health research databases to online materials concerning at-risk children and families.

The library also has begun a partnership with the Johnson County Historical Museum and the Johnson County Archives to create a comprehensive history of the county.

Rogers said growth in the library's online offerings is key to further offsetting declining circulation at the facility.

Rogers said between 150,000 and 200,000 external computer queries are made per month to the library's system. An additional 150,000 contacts are made within the facility during the same timeframe.

"I can't say how that compares because Web statistics are still relatively new, but I would suggest that we're pretty high up there," Rogers said.

Rogers said he estimated that the interest in the library's online services would rank among the top three metrowide and in the same range as access to the Kansas City Public Library and the Mid-Continent Library system.

While the study addresses a lack of state funding for both Missouri and Kansas libraries, Rogers said a shift toward more technology has helped the Johnson County Library succeed.

"Every dollar we don't receive is another service we have to cut, but it affects the smaller libraries more," Rogers said. "We've been able to embrace technology and tried to do as much with technology as we can."

More library employees are nearing retirement age, the study suggests. At the Johnson County Library, Rogers said the trend also is apparent.

"A lot of the librarians tend to be older, anywhere from 10 to 15 years away from retirement," Rogers said. "One of the things that we're starting to put together is some sort of leadership program where we would try and internally build leadership qualities so that the folks that we have will be able to move here in Johnson County to fill those positions."

The full Consensus report is available at kcconsensus.org.