This resource was designed to be used by individuals and groups as an ongoing reflection tool. Inclusion is not a one-size-fits-all concept, nor a complete-and-move-on challenge. The checklist and supporting resources are meant to help individual libraries evaluate current services as well as plan for the future. Ultimately, changes and…

Reports on a study conducted in the fall of 1974 to survey goal and objective setting efforts as a management activity in selected large public libraries. (Author/PF)

A system study of the Shelter Rock Public Library was conducted using available documents, background statistical data, and site visits. The library was found to be a strong public institution. The study group's major recommendations included: reorganization of the staff into three major departments--public services, technical services, and…

This is the second and final year report on the CLASP (Central Massachusetts Library Administration Simulation Project) which developed and tested a simulation model that would enable library personnel to learn and practice skills of negotiation, decision making, budgeting, and program planning. Specific program objectives were: (1) to upgrade the…

This study analyzes the impact of library services in five medium-sized communities with differing geographic, economic, and social characteristics and determines the place of the public library within the pattern of city governmental services. Methods used for the study include interviews with community leaders, library trustees, librarians, and…

The 1972-1975 Neighborhood Information Center (NIC) Project was undertaken in Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, and Queens Borough to demonstrate the feasibility of using existing library branches as neighborhood information centers. This summary evaluation utilized data from site visits, interviews with staff and clients, a questionnaire…

Funded by Wake County, the Wake County Public School System, and the city of Raleigh, the Athens Community/School Library is a pilot project intended to provide a full range of services, within budgetary and personnel limits, to the Athens community, as well as a full complement of service to students. The program, as planned, will include…

A branch library community analysis study identifies library users and nonusers, determines the area of service, and serves as a pilot project for a larger systemwide study. Significant findings suggest that users may be identified by their degree of participation in socio-cultural activities and adult education programs rather than demographic…

Current trends in public library reference service include use of online systems; budget constraints in public sector; increased service; use, training, and supervision of paraprofessionals; centralized organization of reference service; participation in management of reference services; and more realistic attempts at measurement and evaluation of…

The 1972-1974 Neighborhood Information Center (NIC) Project was undertaken in Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, and Queens Borough to demonstrate that urban public libraries could be a vital force in daily living by providing free information and referrals to low income communities, and by adapting in non-traditional ways to meet neighborhood…

An experimental writing program lasting three years and four months was held in the Chicago Public Library System, for which writers-in-residence, scholars-in- residence, and other program associates presented several series focusing on the city of Chicago. Emphasis during the first year centered on the literary/historical aspect of writing in and…

The Illinois project entitled Measurement and Evaluation of Public Library Services is being conducted by the Library Research Center (LRC) at the University of Illinois. The long range goal of the project is to make available meaningful information for the evaluation and improvement of local public libraries. Two immediate objectives are to test…

Noting that there are no de facto standards by which to measure and evaluate U.S. depository library collections, this article reviews developments in the evaluation of public libraries and recommends output measures based on public library practice for depository collections. Specific measures for the depository community are also suggested. (31…

In 1988, with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, a research team from the School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University began a study of the origin, development, and diffusion of the Public Library Association's (PLA) planning and evaluation manuals. The study was intended to add to the general understanding of the…

A research group at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, worked on the development of a system to provide the required statistical information for effective management and decision making in university and large public libraries. A management science approach was used. Library objectives, standards, and performance criteria were…