Alaska Public Library Report System

PLAR COMPLETION AND SUBMISSION PROCESSES: BASIC STEPS

1. Access the survey (web PLAR) at this URL: https://ak.countingopinions.com.
2. In LibPAS, read all the information in the Data Input Instructions or help links (LibPAS information) and the Instructions link (Alaska State Library information).
3. Click and explore the main links at the top of the Data Input screen:
   • Home
   • Print
   • Instructions
   • Help
4. Print a PLAR Working Copy and the Help/Instructions, if needed:
   • Print the PLAR worksheet in (if desired) by selecting Print on the Data Input screen or the 2025 PLAR Worksheet link on the homepage.
   • Help is available on the homepage and on the help link.
5. Complete a working paper draft, if needed, then enter responses into the survey (PLAR).
6. When you have completed all the data entry into the survey (PLAR), then select the “Verify” button at the top, right corner of the page to view and resolve:
7. EDIT CHECKS:

NOTE: All edit checks must be answered before the IPLAR can be submitted.

1. 1. WHAT IS AN EDIT CHECK?
      1. An edit check is a data comparison of your previous year’s answer to the current year’s answer. Edit checks result when a current year answer is EITHER the same as the previous year’s answer OR when the answer exceeds or drops below a national ratio (based on data collected from all 50 states). Edit checks are also generated when a question is answered for the current year and the question was not answered in the previous year.
      2. An edit check does NOT indicate that you have answered the question with a wrong answer. Instead, the purpose of an edit check is for you to explain why your answer is the same as the previous year’s OR why the data significantly increased or decreased from the previous year’s answer.

1. 2. RESOLVING EDIT CHECKS

1. 1. 1. To clear edit checks, you will need to enter an annotation in the notepad or correct the data provided, if needed. If entering a note, provide a brief, pragmatic explanation why the current year answer is correct. Example of an edit check: “LARGE CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS YEAR TO CURRENT.”

Sample responses to this edit check are: “Less money for materials because the staff received raises.” “No e-books because our library discontinued the service.”

1. 1. 2. Most edit checks will be triggered when data is entered into the fields. The question/edit check will trigger a note window to appear on the screen which describes why the edit check failed and will ask for an annotation. If an annotation is not provided, the data will need to be updated.
      3. Other edit checks may appear when you hit the “Verify” button. Edit checks will be highlighted in red. You can select the edit check, and you will be taken to the question where the variance has occurred. Select the notepad icon to the left of the answer box to add an annotation or correct the data, if needed, to clear the edit check.
      4. Some edit checks may appear when you hit the “Submit/Lock” button. In this case, a single window will open listing the number(s) of the question(s) involved and the reason for the edit check(s). Click on the edit check and you will be taken to the question where a note needs to be added. Select the notepad icon to the left of the question to add an annotation or correct the data, if needed, to clear the edit check(s).
2. UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

All REQUIRED unanswered questions must be resolved before the survey IPLAR can be electronically submitted. These may include questions that you accidentally missed, flagged to return to later, or simply are not applicable and need to be answered by checking the exception box (Not Applicable, Unknown) or entering a zero, as appropriate.

7. Submitting the Survey (PLAR): Preliminary Steps
   • Step 1: Resolve all edit checks and all required unanswered questions.
   • Step 2: Click the “Submit/Lock” button in the top right corner of the page. The survey will run its final edit check process. If submission is successful, you should see “Thank you for submitting the survey for your library. The survey is now locked” in red text and the “Submit/Lock” button text will change to “Unlock.”
8. Print or save one copy for your files. You can print or save the PLAR as a .pdf by clicking on the “Print” link at the very top of the page.