The Evaluation and Measurement of Library Services

Subjects:

• Library & Information Science » Management & Administration -- Policies & Procedures

Reviews:

• Intended for library directos and managers in all types of libraries, this guide's ultimate goal is to help librarians evaluate library services in order to improve them....Josepth Matthews writes in a clear narrative style. This is for librarians who want to conduct a more thorough evaluation of their libraries, but it also makes a solid college textbook. Recommended.
  —Library Media Connection August/September 2008
• [V]ery substantial treatment of the question of how to measure and evaluate library services....The book is impressive in its breadth of coverage of this topic, in particular its discussion of the variety of types of evaluation and measurement....[A]dministrators of academic or public libraries will find much to benefit from in this book....Matthews provides a well-organized, well-documented discussion of the design and execution of studies to measure and evaluate library services as well as numerous examples of pitfalls and mistakes that should be avoided as one seeks to conduct these evaluations.
  —Partnership: the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Resear June 2008
• This handbook on the evaluation and measurement of library services merits acclaim as the definitive work on the subject....[B]rims over with useful and detailed advice for library administrators seeking to measure the effectiveness of extant library policies and practices and to implement meaningful change when warranted. The book covers major areas of library evaluation and measurement strategies, along with providing invaluable bibliographical references and sample measurement instruments....The true strength of this book is the author's expansive knowledge of his subject. Not only does he raise significant questions, but he also provides valuable answers.
  —College & Research Libraries July 2008
• After a thorough discussion of methodology, Matthews devotes several chapters to particular aspects of library service, such as reference and interlibrary loan. Finally, he tells us how to use all the information we've gathered to make our case about the library's value to patrons and stakeholders and answer the most important question of all--what difference do we make?
  —American Libraries March 2008
• "Matthews provides useful overviews of several evaluation-related topics, pointing out potential lines of inquiry and pitfalls to avoid, as well as useful keywords and additional resources. With this book, busy librarians can quickly plan a project and gather the information they need to follow it through. ...[L]ibrarians in all types of libraries should find this book a valuable addition to their professional toolkits."
  —Public Services Quarterly 00/00/00
• "This is a highly readable book. The writing is clear and concise and is accompanied by bullet lists, figures, and tables to summarize key points. The references at the end of each chapter provide the reader a set of excellent biographies. The book can serve as a textbook for those teaching introductory library evaluation and management, a selectable review for those seeking ideas for conducting an evaluation of specific services, or a reference tool for identifying sources and brief descriptions in response to questions about library evaluation and measurement."
  —Library & Information Science Research 7/2/2008
• "There is no longer any excuse for libraries to avoid evaluation of services. Matthews, a library school instructor and library service consultant, provides the tools and insight needed to make the job, if not easy, at least comprehensible and doable. Intended for managers in all types of libraries, plus library students needing an authoritative source of information, the book delivers practical advice and solid research on almost all aspect of evaluation, including quantitative and qualitative tools, data analysis, and specific recommendations for evaluating and measuring individual services. ...Highly recommended."
  —Canadian Library Association 2/1/2009

Table of Contents:

• Acknowledgments
  Introduction
  Part I: Evaluation: Process and Models
  Chapter 1: Evaluation Issues
  Chapter 2: Evaluation Models
  Part II: Methodology Concerns
  Chapter 3: The Right Tools for the Job
  Chapter 4: Qualitative Tools
  Chapter 5: Quantative Tools
  Chapter 6: Analysis of Data
  Part III: Evaluation of Library Services
  Chapter 7: Library Users and Non-Users
  Chapter 8: Evaluation of the Physical Collection
  Chapter 9: Evaluation of the Electronic Resources
  Chapter 10: Evaluation of the Reference Services
  Chapter 11: Evaluation of the Technical Services
  Chapter 12: Evaluation of Interlibrary Loan
  Chapter 13: Evaluation of Online Systems
  Chapter 14: Evaluation of Bibliography/Library Instruction and Information Literacy
  Chapter 15: Evaluation of Customer Services
  Part IV: Evaluation of the Library
  Chapter 16: Models for Evaluating the Broader Perspective
  Chapter 17: Accomplishments: The Key to Realizing Value
  Chapter 18: Economic Impacts
  Chapter 19: Evaluation of Social Impacts
  Chapter 20: Communicating the Value of the Library
  Appendix A: Raward Library Usability Analysis Tool
  Name Index
  Subject Index

PDF Catalogs:
LU Academic Library Spring 2008.pdf	LU Public Library Spring 2008.pdf
LU Textbook Catalog Fall 2007.pdf