Librarians have not been able to agree on a meaning for library effectiveness that is both comprehensive and practical, expressed in terms that suggest directions for improvement. This book applies Kim Cameron's principles of organization effectiveness to the traditional issues of academic library effectiveness. The investigation described is based on a survey of academic libraries in six Middle Atlantic states and the District of Columbia. The questionnaire asked chief decision makers in libraries to respond to questions and statements regarding the presence in their libraries of a number of factors which a broad survey of library literature suggested were related to effectiveness. Results showed that a properly designed and validated instrument can be used to create an imperfect but pragmatic description or approximation of effectiveness. Furthermore, batteries of objective measures can be used to generate fine-grained analysis of specific aspects. It was also demonstrated that groups of academic libraries could be identified which varied together in their performance with respect to particular effectiveness dimensions. A discrepancy was found between the criteria users apply to evaluate a library's effectiveness and the characteristics librarians associate with effectiveness. Appendices include: "Effectiveness Criteria"; "Questionnaire, Academic Library Effectiveness Study"; "Questionnaire Items Keyed to Effectiveness Criteria"; "Sample Characteristics"; "Statistical Analysis"; "Variables Comprising Major and Minor Factors"; and "Domains: Their Dimensions and Variables". A 12-page bibliography is also included. (Author/MAS)