The first in a planned series on how to improve the productivity of public libraries, this overview identifies analytical techniques that can save time and energy. Four references are listed. (MES)

Discusses areas needing revision in the manual "Output Measures for Public Libraries," i.e., measurement objectives, research skills of output measures users, management versus research contexts, relating inputs to outputs, problems in data collection, user versus library performance, sample sizes, interpretation of output measure…

Circulation of individual titles held by Wellington Public Library (New Zealand) were compared before and after television dramatizations of the works had been aired; the objective was to establish whether readers' choice of title was influenced by television. Results showed no statistically significant increase, indicating that television…

Discusses methodological issues in cross-cultural studies of diverse communities, including language problems, data collection and analysis, sample size, and dissemination of findings. A study of the information-seeking behavior of ethnolinguistic gatekeepers in several communities in California is described. Suggestions are given for public…