The origins of PLUS go back some 10 years, the CPLS , the steering group which, at that time, had responsibility under the auspices of CIPFA to gather information from Library Authorities in the UK, carried out a series of pilot surveys. The main factor at that time was to capture the success rate of an individual’s ability to find a specific book or books of choice. To this day the structure of the questionnaire has changed very little. The questionnaire is broken down into 4 sections as follows: your activity today, the outcome of your visit, how you rate the services provided and finally, about you. Although some of the sections have expanded over the years, for example to include basic information about ICT provision and capture of ethnic and disability data, the basic shape has changed little. It is worth noting that in its current format the questionnaire is now 6 pages long.

Ownership of the PLUS questionnaire and methodology moved away from the CPLS approx 6 years ago (1997) following the launch in 1996. A series of steering groups made up of the library authorities who pay subscriptions fees for its upkeep now meet on a regular basis to review the methodologies and to see how the questionnaire keeps pace with the demands on library services. The group specifically charged with looking after Plus will, following the Best Value surveys of 2003, begin work on redeveloping the questionnaire to take into account a number of themes. This includes Reader Development and other similar initiatives where the emphasis on outcome is not solely concerned with finding book(s), nor where the satisfaction is solely concerned with a snapshot in time.

It should also not go unrecognised that PLUS has become the de facto standard for conducting surveys in libraries, not only in England but also in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In 2002 An Chomhairle Leabharlanna (The Library Council in Dublin), used PLUS for their survey of 28 library authorities. PLUS was adopted by the Audit Commission for the performance indicators in 1999-2000 and then subsequently by ODPM for the Best Value Surveys in 2000-2001. In 2001-02 the DCMS decided to use results from both the adult and children’s surveys as part their requirement for Library Standards.

For more information about PLUS please contact the Social Research Unit on plus@cipfa.org.uk or at the following address.