Describes a national survey in which 7 public library constituent groups rated the degree to which 61 indicators helped describe a library. Dimensions of effectiveness were then developed through factor analysis on the indicator choices. A full list of indicators, a list of collapsed indicators, and the results of the factor analysis are appended.…

Examines the forces for change in reference and information work in the public library--politics and economics, society and the individual, the profession, technology, and the growth of information--and considers the possible future for such service in individual libraries. (CWM)

Presents the findings of a library survey, part of the Public Library I&R (Information and Referral) Project, to assess the nature and extent of I&R services. Discussed are simple and complex information-giving, constructing a public resource file, and a comparison model of high and low profile services. (SW)

Describes a national survey aimed at defining effectiveness for public libraries that asked 7 constituent groups (library managers, staff, trustees, users, friends of the library, local officials, and community leaders) to rate the importance of 61 effectiveness indicators. The complex and multidimensional nature of the results is discussed and…

Results of a five-city pilot project on information and referral (I&R) services--the nature of I&R, the public library's role, evaluation of the three-year program, the project's implications, and the future of I&R. (LS)

Reports the results of an unobtrusive study, from a user's viewpoint, of reference services available in the Suffolk Cooperative Library System. The study raises questions of policy centering around user expectations of library reference services. (RAA)

Reports on an evaluation of the higher levels of California's statewide reference referral network that involved an unobtrusive method utilizing existing records of actual reference transactions evaluated by panel of judges. Reference evaluation methods, findings of other studies, and other uses of the method are discussed. (Nineteen references…

This study investigated the construct of effectiveness as it applies to public libraries and developed a methodology that can be transferred to other types of libraries and organizations. The research team began by compiling a list of indicators that are commonly used to gauge library effectiveness within the areas of: (1) services access; (2)…

This study was the first phase of a multiple phase project to generate knowledge about the creation and rapid growth of information and referral (I&R) services in public libraries in the United States in the late 1960s and the 1970s. I&R service is defined as facilitating the link between a person with a need and the resources outside a library to…

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…

Describes a study that examined the impact of federated library systems on member library services, resources, and operations in Pennsylvania. The discussion includes a rationale for the research methodology used, and comments on the absence of reliable library statistics and published reports as a basis for comparison with pre-systems situations.…

Discusses methods of evaluation that can be used to measure public library effectiveness, based on a conference sponsored by the Council on Library Resources. Topics discussed include the Public Library Effectiveness Study (PLES), quantitative and qualitative evaluation, using evaluative information for resource acquisition and resource…

This study is the second of a two-phase survey of public library information and referral (I&R) service. In this phase, seven public libraries offering I&R services were studied in depth to provide descriptions of their operations, organizational factors, and the reactions of their users. Organizational factors and operations were studied through…

Describes the Public Library Effectiveness Study (PLES), which was designed to apply models and methods of organizational effectiveness research to public libraries. Indicators of public library effectiveness are described, factor analysis results are presented, implications for evaluating library performance are discussed, and further research is…