In this age of accountability, accreditation commissions face criticism from higher education professions and the public. Although agencies have committed their energies to protect the general public from inferior educational institutions, they appear to be insensitive to the effects of changes in education. There is a need to rank schools of…

Examines two traditional approaches to the measurement of library service--the gathering of circulation and reference statistics--and relates them in a statistical model in an attempt to define real standards against which a library's activity can be compared. Graphs comparing reference and circulation statistics are included. (Author/JD)

Includes 89 references to materials relating to accountability and evaluation of library reference services. Highlights include research; statistics; planning; user studies; decision making; school libraries; public libraries; academic libraries; and standards. (LRW)