This article serves as a primer for assessment and evaluation design by describing the range of methods commonly employed in library settings. Quantitative methods, such as counting and benchmarking measures, are useful for investigating the internal operations of an access services department in order to identify workflow inefficiencies or…

The "New South Wales Learning 2.0" training program is being made available to the entire NSW public library work force of over 2300 people in 2008-2009. This paper is a snapshot of the impact of the course as at September 2008, five months after it was launched. It explores how the training impacted on the staff skill levels, knowledge,…

Public libraries must operate in a time of increasing change, both within the library community and throughout the larger social and economic environments in which the library must function. This book is a guide to the strategic management of change in community libraries. It addresses the unique circumstances and needs of public libraries and…

Discusses the challenges facing digital library evaluation and suggests a conceptual framework for evaluation derived from the systems approach. A review of evaluation efforts in research and practice concentrates on derivation of criteria used in evaluation. Essential requirements for evaluation are stated. Discussed are constructs, context, and…

Views academic libraries through the lens of the assessment and accountability movements. Illustrates how a research library at the University of Rochester (Rochester, New York) has created an assessment environment in an effort to focus on educational impact. Discusses principles of good practice, and formal and informal evaluation. (AEF)

Academic libraries can improve their management of change by reshaping performance appraisal into performance planning. This article notes problems with traditional employee evaluation as well as benefits of alternatives that focus on the future, on users, on planning and learning, and on skills needed to address problems and enhance individual…

Examines three publications as guides for evaluating library reference services and the potential of one for the development of children's services. Highlights include public library planning, limitations, output measures for children's materials and information services, and the library role. (AEF)

In 1996, the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) supported a project at Rutgers University that applied new economic theories to measuring how well research libraries fulfill their service roles. This summary draws on the original proposal and the final report from the project's directors. The evaluation of library performance is…

For libraries to succeed, a clear understanding of what services are in demand is necessary. The SWOT analysis technique for evaluating an organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is examined, and barriers to effective diagnosis are discussed. (AEF)

Describes the conspectus collection evaluation process and its utility to smaller libraries, as demonstrated by the Library and Information Resources for the Northwest project. The discussion includes the costs of this method in staff time, the value of a completed conspectus, and problems with the methodology. (13 notes with references) (CLB)

Describes the collection assessment methodology presented in the Research Libraries Group's "Conspectus," and assesses the usefulness of this instrument both in general, and as applied to an attempt to coordinate collection development at the consortium level. (eight references) (CLB)

Libraries have failed to use marketing for three reasons: (1) a misunderstanding that equates marketing with publicity; (2) a lack of understanding of what marketing is; and (3) disagreement about the role of the client. Societal-marketing tries to balance patron demands with long-term societal needs in evaluating product excellence. (AEF)

Marketing techniques in youth services are useful for designing programs, collections, and services and for determining customer needs. The marketing mix--product, place, price, and practice--provides a framework for service analysis. (AEF)

This book brings together the literature on information skills instruction with particular reference to models related to information seeking and the information search process, including representational, instructional/teaching, and facilitation models. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the development of the library curriculum as it has evolved…

Examines ways of evaluating school library media collections: size; checking the collection against recognized standard bibliographies; and calculating average collection age. Suggests frequency of curriculum revisions, average age of materials in standard bibliographies, and weeding guidelines as possible measures for comparison to collection…