Robert E. Molyneux
Chief Statistician, SirsiDynix
256-704-7019 (w)
202-413-2954 (c)
EDUCATION
University of North Carolina, Ph.D., 1984
Western Reserve University, M.S.L.S., 1971
University of Virginia, A.B., 1968
EMPLOYMENT
2005- present. SirsiDynix
Chief Statistician
Document the Normative Data Project for Libraries
Publish results of research using the Normative Data Project
Compile and document US public library data
2002-2005. U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science
Director, Statistics and Surveys
Worked with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in implementing the Library Statistics Cooperative Program
Served as liaison to the library community, monitored trends, and advised NCES
Compiled and analyzed data on libraries in the US.
1996-2002. University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
Assistant/Associate Professor, College of Library and Information Science
Courses taught:
Introduction to Research Methods (CLIS 705)
Information Networks--Resource Sharing (CLIS 742)
“Internet Under the Hood” (CLIS 753)
Organizing and Managing Content on the Internet (CLIS 797B)
Digital Libraries (CLIS 797D)
Member, Faculty Senate, 1999-2001.
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2001-2002. Instructor, Global Knowledge, Inc. Cary, North Carolina
Taught “Network Fundamentals” and other introductory classes in networking. Designed and taught “Internet and the Law.” The job involved traveling to sites across the country to teach short and intense courses to network professionals.
1989-1996. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
1994-1996—Senior Information Systems Analyst, Division of Information Research Management (DIRM), Client Services Section, Washington, DC.
Co-chairman of the FDIC's Internet Committee and Internet Team.
Served in several roles on the team:
Gave talks, demonstrated the capabilities of the Internet, formed alliances within and outside DIRM, and taught classes.
Wrote numerous position papers, budgets, operational project plans, strategic documents, and reports and evaluations.
Implemented these operational plans through the Postmaster etc., functions.
Served as first Postmaster, Gophermaster, and Webmaster of the FDIC's Internet site and Intranet.
Organized and maintained the content on the servers, gathered publications for conversion, converted them, wrote help files, checked links, analyzed server logs, etc.
DIRM Employee of the Year, 1995
1990-1994—Statistician, Division of Research and Statistics, Washington, DC
Provided the lead on producing statistical publications by automated means.
Developed and implemented the OS/2 configuration in the Division.
1989-1990—Financial Management Analyst, Division of Accounting and Corporate Services, Bossier City, Louisiana
Helped deploy computers throughout the FDIC to be used in corporate accounting processes during the banking crisis.
Helped technical troubleshooting resulting from the rapid automation of corporate processes during the banking crisis.
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1988-1989. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Science
Courses taught:
Quantitative Analysis of Information Systems.
Microcomputer Systems for Information Management.
Information Resources in the Social Sciences
1986-1988. University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Courses taught:
Quantitative Techniques for Managerial Decision Making.
Doctoral Seminar in Research Methods.
Reference Sources in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
1984-1985. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
Decision Support Librarian, Alderman Library
Did studies—primarily quantitative—involving subjects such as budgets, procurement, project plans, statistical compilations, etc. for the library and for the Association of Research Libraries which partly funded the position. Wrote reports for the library and ARL based on these studies.
1971-1979. Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
Social Science Librarian (4 years)
Assistant Social Science Librarian (4 years)
Member, Faculty Senate for three years.
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CURRENT PROJECTS
I am continuing analysis of data from the Normative Data Project.
A two-CD archive of library data compiled and published by the US National Center for Education Statistics and the recompilations of those data I did at the US National Commission on Libraries and Information Science are almost complete. Current plan is that they will be distributed through the US Government Document depository program.
I will then do a one-CD archive of all programs used in those recompilations, the datasets, and analysis for the US National Archives and Records Administration.
I have started a book with a colleague, Melvin J. Hinich. Working title: The Nature of Data. Its purpose will be to probe and analyze how people interact with numerical data.
PUBLICATIONS
Monographs:
Internet Under the Hood: An Introduction to Information Technology for the Information Professional (Westport Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited: 2003). ISBN: 1-59158-005-6.
Internet and the Law (Cary, North Carolina: GlobalKnowledge, 2001). Publication included a course manual, lab manual, and Web site.
The Gerould Statistics, 1907/08-1961/62, 2nd, Web edition, 1998 at:
ACRL/Historically Black Colleges and University Library Statistics, 1988-89 (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 1991.)
(Kendon Stubbs and Robert Molyneux) Research Library Statistics, 1907/08 Through 1987/88: A Guide to the Machine-Readable Version of the Gerould and ARL Statistics (Washington: Association of Research Libraries, 1990.)
ACRL Academic Library Statistics, 1978/79-1987/88: A Guide to the Machine Readable Version of the ACRL Statistics (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 1989.)
ACRL University Library Statistics, 1987-88 (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 1989.)
ACRL University Library Statistics, 1985-86 & 1986 “100 Libraries: Statistical Survey (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 1987.)
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Monographs (continued):
The Gerould Statistics, 1907/08-1961/62 (Washington: Association of Research Libraries, 1986.)
ARL Supplementary Statistics, 1984-85 (Washington: Association of Research Libraries, 1985.)
(Robert Molyneux and Kendon Stubbs) ARL Supplementary Statistics, 1983-84 (Washington: Association of Research Libraries, 1985.)
ACRL Supplementary Statistics, 1983-84 (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 1985.)
Articles:
“Squeeze Play: Public Library Circulation and Budget Trends, FY 1992-FY2004. Submitted Public Library Quarterly.
“US Public Library Data: A Unified Approach,” Public Library Quarterly, Volume 24, Number 3 (2005). Forthcoming.
“Two Tools to Facilitate Library Data Analysis: Part 2 – Applying the Data,” Alabama Libraries, 56(2), 6-7 (2006).
“Two Business Intelligence Tools for Libraries: An Introduction and Preliminary Results,” Bowker Annual, 449-455 (2006).
“Predicting High-Circulating Titles for Public Libraries,” Against the Grain, 18(3), 93+, (2006).
“Libraries Like Mine” and the Normative Data Project,” SirsiDynix OneSource, 2(5), (May 2006).
“Making Sense of User Statistics: First the Bad News,” in Managing Electronic Resources Contemporary Problems and Emerging Issues, Pamela Bluh and Cindy Hepfer, eds. (Chicago, ALA: 2006), 91-99.
“Recent Public Library Trends,” SirsiDynix OneSource, 2(4), (April 2006).
“Recent Funding Trends,” American Libraries, 37(3), 29, (March 2006).
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Articles (continued):
“Two Tools to Facilitate Library Data Analysis,” Alabama Libraries, 56(1), 5-6 (2006).
"A First Comparison of Canadian and U.S. Public Libraries," SirsiDynix OneSource, 2(1), (January 2006).
"They Just Showed Up; They Found a Way: Lessons Learned from Katrina, Rita, and Wilma," SirsiDynix OneSource, 1(4), (December 2005).
"NDP Web site: the Front Door of the Normative Data Project," SirsiDynix OneSource, 1(1), (September 2005).
“Computer Networks.” In Technology for the Rest of Us, Nancy Courtney, ed., (Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2005), 1-14.
“ERMs Race” Against the Grain, 16(4), 94-95, (2004).
(Melvin J. Hinich and Robert E. Molyneux) “Predicting Information Flows in Network Traffic,” Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 54(2), 161-168, (2003).
“Making Haste Slowly: E-metrics-Where are We Now and What Can We Expect?” Against the Grain, 15(6), 18-20, (2003-2004).
(W. Brad LaJeunesse and Robert E. Molyneux) “An Analysis of the Linux SETI@home Client and the Effect of Cron on Work Unit Completion Time Variation,” March 27, 2002. Available at:
The Devil's Advocate, in Against the Grain.
“Canaries in the Coal Mine,” 13(3), 38-40, (2001).
“Two Futures,” 13(4), 36-40, (2001).
“Science Fiction Libraries,” 13(5), 78-79, (2001).
“Macropreservation of the Human Record,” 13(6), 44-46, (2001-2002).
“Killing the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg,” 14(1), 72-74, (2002).
“Variations on a Theme: NISO Z39.7, Library Statistics Standard,” 14(5), 85-89, (2002).
“COUNTER, XML, and Online Serials Measurement,” 15(1), 92-94, (2003).
“Publishers/Vendors Meeting at ALA,” 15(2), 72-74, (2003).
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Articles (continued):
(Robert E. Molyneux and Robert V. Williams) “Measuring the Internet,” Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, 34, 287-339, (2001).
(Brad LaJeunesse and Robert E. Molyneux) “An Analysis of SETI@home Completion Times on a Common Hardware Platform With Different Operating Systems,” May 31, 2001. Available at:
(Chris Brooks, Melvin J. Hinich, and Robert E. Molyneux) “Episodic Nonlinear Event Detection: Political Epochs in Exchange Rates” in Political Complexity: Nonlinear Models of Politics, edited by Diana Richards, (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2000), 83-98.
“May You Live in Interesting Times,” Technicalities, 19(2), 1+, (1999).
“Fremont Rider's Legacy,” ARL, 188, 6, (1996). Available at:
“Two Perspectives on Internet-Only Access to Government Documents: Data Producer Reaction.” Association of Public Data Users Newsletter, 19(3), 3+, (1995).
“More Hortatory than Factual: Fremont Rider’s Exponential Growth Hypothesis-and the Context of Exponentialism.” In For the Good of the Order: Essays in Honor of Edward G. Holley, Delmus E. Williams, et al. eds. (Greenwich, JAI Press, 1994), 85-117.
“What Did Rider Do? An Inquiry Into The Methodology of Fremont Rider’s The Scholar and The Future of The Research Library.” Libraries & Culture, 29(3), 297-325, (1994).
“Patterns, Processes of Growth, and the Projection of Library Size: A Critical Review of the Literature on Academic Library Growth.” Library and Information Science Research, 8(1), 5-28, (1986).
“Growth at ARL Member Libraries, 1962/63 to 1983/84.” Journal of Academic Librarianship, 12(4), 211-216, (1986).
“Staffing Patterns and Library Growth at ARL Libraries, 1962-63 to 1983-84.” Journal of Academic Librarianship, 12(5), 292-297, (1986).
“Evaluating the New Variables in the ARL Statistics.” Minutes of the 108th Meeting. Washington, D.C.: Association of Research Libraries, 1986, 87-94.
(Douglas Hurd and Robert Molyneux) “Evaluation of Delivery Times and Costs of a Non-Library Document Delivery Service.” In Energies for Transition, Proceedings of the Fourth National Conference of the Association of College and Research Libraries, (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 1986), 182-185.
“Government Documents and Criminal Justice,” Justice System Journal, 1(1), 91-95, (1974).
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Normative Data Project Website:
Main site at:
I have contributed much of the documentation and text of this site.
More detailed data analysis:
State Rank Order Tables for FY 2003 (the latest):
Selected Trend Analysis
NCLIS Data Websites:
Main site at:
Data compilations:
Enhanced Longitudinal Public Library Data File (PLDF3) – all US public library data from the NCES in a longitudinal file:
State Summary/State Characteristics Longitudinal Data File (PUSUM)
State Library Agencies (StLA) Longitudinal Data File
Data analysis:
Public Library State Rank Order Tables
Public Libraries in the United States, a Statistical Portrait
Results of Analysis of Trends in Public Libraries, 1990-2002
Trends at Twelve Association of Research Libraries Members, 1908-2003
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Reviews:
Review of Research Library Trends.... in Libraries & Culture, 25(4), 619-620, (1990).
“Communication.” Libraries & Culture, 27(1), 113-118, (1992).
Approximately 100 reviews in Library Journal in the mid-1970s.
Major Papers Presented:
“Networking,” Library Technology Seminar, Ohio State University Libraries, May 24, 2004. Revised version published in Technology for the Rest of Us, cited above.
“Making Sense of User Statistics: First the Bad News,” Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS), January 9, 2004, San Diego, California. Revised version published in Managing Electronic Resources Contemporary Problems and Emerging Issues, cited above.
“May You Live in Interesting Times,” OnLine Audiovisual Catalogers Association meeting, November 5, 1998, Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Fremont Rider's ‘The Scholar and the Future of the Research Library’: A View from Fifty Years Later.” Dean's Lecture. University of South Carolina, College of Library and Information Science, May 16, 1994.
“Suggested Methods of Analysis for Use by Public Library Agencies.” At the Federal State Cooperative Survey for Public Library Data, December 5-6, 1988.
“Implications of Smoothing Data.” At the Research Interest Group session on “The Handling of Anomalous Data,” annual meeting of the Association of Library Science Educators, January 7, 1988.