This paper presents a summary of the first survey of public library authorities in the UK to explore Sunday opening, undertaken in 2007 as part of the Clore Leadership Programme. It provides a snapshot of Sunday opening practice, set against a context of societal, economic, and policy developments, and examines whether Sunday opening furthers the…

Public libraries in Europe have supported lifelong learning for the past 500 years. Since the Lisbon Strategy emphasized the role of lifelong learning in economic policy, public libraries have been repositioning their services to respond to this new context. In some cases, these roles are undertaken with limited legislative or strategic changes…

First offered to public libraries in 2004, downloadable audiobooks have grown by leaps and bounds. According to the Audio Publishers Association, their sales today account for 21% of the spoken-word audio market. It hasn't been easy, however. WMA. DRM. MP3. AAC. File extensions small on letters but very big on consequences for librarians,…

This paper is an author-edited transcript of a presentation to the ALIA Public Libraries Summit, Canberra, July 2009. The author starts off by talking about what people know about children, early reading and a literate Australia. He then discusses three main reasons why public libraries have had success in children's literacy and related programs,…

The nature of learning in a public library is relevant to what place e-learning and social networking technologies might have there. That a public library aims to provide something for everyone is also important. Alice Springs Public Library (ASPL) is a place of learning; it is also a crowded and composite space. The use ASPL could make of the…

The aim of this research was to investigate current issues faced by public library staff in rural South Australia and to examine some of the reasons why people choose to work in rural libraries. The study took a mixed methods approach, combining interviews and questionnaires to gain a fuller understanding of the issues and experiences of rural…

Recovery of significant achievements by exemplary individuals and institutions in public education and librarianship informs our present understanding and motivates future efforts. This narrative history recounts some of the struggles and successes of a great city library when the very conception of a free, public library was still being defined.…

Discusses the use of the "Output Measures for Public Libraries" measurement method to compare public library performance based on a variety of statistics involving circulation, staffing, and library services. The need to consider the value that library services add to the community rather than relying on statistics alone is stressed.…

Summarizes reasons for evaluating library literacy programs and the role of evaluation in the planning process. What to measure is discussed, and sample measures for library collections, support services, and direct instruction are listed. Issues to be considered in developing program objectives and evaluation strategies are also addressed. (10…

Discussion of the ability of library staff to completely and correctly answer reference questions focuses on a training program developed by Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) to increase the accuracy of reference staff performance. Technical feedback skills and peer coaching are discussed, and the need for administrative support is…

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…

Examines correctness of answers received to reference questions in Maryland public libraries and investigates three categories of variables that might affect that correctness: resources (number of volumes, subscriptions, staff, setting); demand (contact, busyness); and behaviors (negotiation of inquiry, interest in question, comfort with question,…

Five performance measures suggested for use in public libraries are discussed in relation to corporate information centers: corporate awareness of library services; clients as percentage of jurisdiction population; reference transactions per capita; reference fill rate; timeliness of information delivery. Planning and survey questionnaires for…

Reviews the use of library system efficiency and effectiveness as the accepted method for measuring and evaluating library services, and examines alternative evaluation methods. Other significant influences on library performance are discussed, including professional ethics, concepts of leadership, organizational design, and definitions of…

New Zealand librarians, using 95 indicators of performance, rated their libraries highest on service indicators and lowest on local government relations. Factor analysis was used to derive 13 dimensions of effectiveness. The indicators ranked highest in a prior survey of stakeholders are spread across nine of the dimensions, which fit four models…