Purpose: While designing personally meaningful activities with data technologies can support the development of data literacies, this paper aims to focuses on the overlooked aspect of how learners navigate tensions between personal experiences and data trends. Design/methodology/approach: The authors report on an analysis of three student cases…

This paper examines the place of public libraries in supporting distance learners in Makerere University, exploring the factors which affect utilisation of their services. The study adopted a survey design with 300 B.Ed. students, collecting data through focus group discussions, structured questionnaires and individual interviews.

The "LJ" Index of Public Library Service 2010, "Library Journal"'s national rating of public libraries, identifies 258 "star" libraries. Created by Ray Lyons and Keith Curry Lance, and based on 2008 data from the IMLS, it rates 7,407 public libraries. The top libraries in each group get five, four, or three stars. All included libraries, stars or…

It has been a decade since the first aggregator journal packages began to become available at academic and public libraries throughout the United States of America. During these 10 years, the library and information science community has published numerous articles on the pros and cons of this method of delivery and these collections, more than…

Reports on Counting on Results, a project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services that developed and tested tools to standardize and simplify the collection of outcome data from public library patrons. Discusses results of questionnaires that addressed "Planning for Results" service responses. (Author/LRW)

Describes how salary data are collected for "The Municipal Year Book," and presents 10 tables compiled from the 1988 yearbook which provide salary data on library directors in cities of various size populations (from more than 1,000,000 to less than 2,500). Data are broken down by geographic region, city type, and form of government. (MES)

Describes the development of the Federal State Cooperative System (FSCS) for Public Library Data, a system that combines the annual collection of data from public libraries by state agencies with the reporting of national public library statistics by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Future plans are also discussed. (six…

Describes how library decision-making was enhanced by a systematic study of patrons, services, and effectiveness based on the concept known as performance measures for public libraries. Improvements in the data gathering and analysis techniques are noted; also provided are survey instruments, examples of selected revised forms, and references. (SW)

For more than five years the Houston Public Library has collected statistics for measuring networked collections and services based on emerging guidelines. While the guidelines have provided authority and stability to the process, the clarification process continues. The development of information discovery software, such as federated search tools…

Results of this study evaluating library reference service indicate a statistically significant difference at the .05 level between obtrusive and unobtrusive evaluation methods. Library staff answer a greater proportion of questions correctly when they are aware of being evaluated. The 30 questions used, a report form, and references are included.…

Describes the use of focus groups to determine young adult needs in public libraries, based on experiences at the Johnson County Library system in Kansas City. Highlights include the benefits of focus groups over surveys, time involvement, how to design questions to ask, and compiling data. (LRW)

Explains a system designed by the Montgomery County Department of Public Libraries to develop objective data based on time costs to help make decisions regarding children's program resources. Budgets and library priorities are discussed, a form for gathering data on programs is provided, and suggestions for modifications for other libraries are…

Examines "A Planning Process for Public Libraries," published by the Public Library Association in 1980, discussing the mission of the public library, survey research and data collection, library goals and objectives, planning strategies, budgeting, the political environment, and output measures. Twenty-six references are cited. (EJS)

Explains the relationship of two Public Library Association publications concerning measurement of public library service: "Performance Measures for Public Libraries" (1973) and "Output Measures for Public Libraries: A Manual for Standardized Procedures" (1982). The importance of data collection methods is noted in discussing…

Describes a procedure for identifying a group of potential users from among current nonusers in a sample of adults drawn from the library's community. This procedure was designed for use in conducting marketing surveys for public libraries. (Author/CHC)