Standards for public libraries have undergone dramatic changes in the last decade. Traditional standards measured only "inputs," or what the community put into the library in terms of staff, books, funding, etc. However, these standards did not measure the services that the library produced, and, as a result, the Public Libraries…

Orr's schema for measuring the quality and value of libraries is described and discussed with respect to three paradoxes--the evaluation of catalogs, optimal library size, and Lenin's view of public libraries in the U.S. Seven references are cited. (CHC)

Summarizes the results of a survey of state library agencies regarding the degree to which they encourage and assist public libraries in the use of "Planning and Role Setting for Public Libraries" and "Output Measures for Public Libraries," tools that are the accepted standards for planning and performance measurement. (LRW)

Discussion of public library roles examines roles from the Public Library Association's planning and measurement tools for their usefulness in evaluating public library effectiveness, based on data from the Public Library Effectiveness Study. Indicators of library effectiveness are discussed, and a cluster analysis of libraries with similar role…

Examines the adaptation of a set of library performance measures derived from a UNESCO manual to Swedish libraries. The basic principles of the measurement process and general library objectives are identified, and the difficulties encountered during the study are explained. The Swedish results are compared to the ideal measures presented in the…

This manual is designed to serve as a textbook outlining sound library administrative practices or as an aid in policy development. The basics of good library services are described, and libraries are encouraged to choose services appropriate for their situation, plan for them, and measure their effectiveness. Ninety performance measures outline…

The 15 papers in this compilation focus on library nagement and technology, including information technology, statistics, buildings and equipment, and conservation: (1) "Information Control: OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) and Networking Strategies" (Neil McClean, United Kingdom); (2) "OSI in Australia: Potential, Planning,…

Discussion of measuring and improving the quality of library public services focuses on a method for quantifying and categorizing patrons' comments from a questionnaire developed at the College of Charleston (South Carolina) library. Topics include Total Quality Management, measures of user perceptions, and defining the service role of libraries.…