This book, written by a number of library professionals, familiarizes the reader with the motives for and purposes of evaluation and the major contexts and models for evaluation and provides explicit examples how evaluation projects have been and can be carried out in a variety of library contexts. The strategies in this book grew from the S:OLE…

This purpose of this guide is to provide qualitative criteria for assessing school library media programs and to furnish a resource for developing and/or improving school library media programs. The intent is to meet the needs of diverse school systems and give direction for implementing library media programs while offering a viable evaluation…

This guide discusses how to approach staff evaluation and offers actual performance standards for a wide variety of library positions. These standards can be used by any type of library. Chapter 1 explains what performance standards are, how staff evaluation has evolved over the years, legal issues which have influenced the process, and some…

Long a controversial topic in the specialized world of reference librarianship, unobtrusive evaluation is a useful tool in gauging the degree to which reference librarians are effectively performing their jobs. Based on a nationwide survey of government documents reference service in Canada, This book examines the broad philosophical implications…

This comprehensive handbook offers detailed instructions for accessing the current performance of--and setting objectives for--school library media programs. Useful for both practicing school library media teachers and those in training, this manual shows how to identify problems and potentials, set goals and objectives, structure evaluation…

Updated to include the 2012 award and honor books, this new edition of the annual guide to the Newbery and Caldecott awards gathers together the books deemed most distinguished in American children's literature and illustration since the inception of the renowned prizes. Librarians and teachers everywhere rely on this guidebook for quick reference…

This book addresses two problems common to school library media specialists: the lack of time to conduct evaluations, and the lack of knowledge on how and what to evaluate in the school media center. The book contains research and evaluation techniques and studies that have been conducted in school library media centers. Many study results are…

This "sampler" of how quantitative and qualitative information is gathered, compiled, and reported can be useful for media staff seeking to develop the most effective library/learning resources program and to integrate that program into the overall institutional effectiveness plan. This guide was created through contributions from 24 community…

To do solid academic research, college students need to look beyond the computer search engine. This short, practical book introduces students to the important components of the information-seeking process. "The Elements of Library Research" provides a foundation for success in any research assignment, from a freshman paper to a senior thesis.…

Many librarians view procurement, with its myriad forms, procedures, and other organizational requirements, as a tedious or daunting challenge. This book simplifies the process, showing librarians how to successfully prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) and make informed decisions when determining which vendors to use for purchasing library…

This volume reviews current options for handling serials problems and clarifies fundamental issues in one of the greatest challenges confronting today's library and information science professionals. Focusing on the management of serials in libraries and the role of serials in scholarly communications, this book combines descriptive and…

Providing descriptive annotations of the best children's picture books published in the last decade, this comprehensive overview is perfect for librarians, teachers, parents, daycare providers, and anyone who works with young children. It is both an excellent tool for collection development and an abundant resource for planning storytimes and…

Assessment of student learning, the measuring of students' progress and performance, is an important concern for library media specialists. Twelve articles are presented which address the issue of assessment of library media services. The titles are: "The Growth of Assessment" (George F. Madaus, Ann G. A. Tan); "Library Information…

This book describes how the following 12 virtual libraries use library skills to organize Internet resources: Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC); Argus Clearinghouse; Blue Web'n; BUBL Information Service; Edinburgh Engineering Virtual Library (EEVL); INFOMINE; Internet Public Library (IPL); Librarians' Index to the Internet (LII);…

This book provides guidelines for evaluating a variety of database types, including abstracting and indexing, directory, full-text, and page-image databases available in online and/or CD-ROM formats. The book discusses the purpose and techniques of comparing and evaluating the most important characteristics of textual databases, such as their…