Individuals, organizations, and American Indian tribes are recognizing that libraries and the information services which they offer are necessary to meet Indian goals. Although these goals may vary widely from improved access to education, cultural information, information on available social services, to leisure reading, they are all based in a…

Describes evaluation checklists developed by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) for use by school library resource centers. Separate checklists are described for teacher-librarians, school administrators, district and regional library directors, teachers,…

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.…

Describes the development of criteria and guidelines for merit salary increases at the Colorado State University library. Discusses the use of the criteria for performance evaluation and results of a survey of the library faculty regarding their opinions on the overall effectiveness of the criteria. (Author/LRW)

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…

In public library program planning, emphasis should be placed on the linkage of measurement to evaluation. Three basic assumptions underlie program planning and evaluation: (1) a basic commitment must be made to develop goals and objectives, (2) measurement must be taken in regard to specific criteria, (3) a final evaluation must be implemented.…

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…

This article reviews the methods commonly used to evaluate journals, looking particularly at indicators relevant to journals in the humanities. It then applies these methods to a sample of Australian humanities journals. The indicators used are: level of holdings in large overseas academic libraries, coverage in international databases, standards…

This paper describes methodology used in compiling a list of candidate integrated library automation systems at a corporate technical library. Priorities for automation, identification of candidate systems, the filtering process, information for suppliers, software and hardware considerations, on-site evaluations, and final system selection are…

Views academic libraries through the lens of the assessment and accountability movements. Illustrates how a research library at the University of Rochester (Rochester, New York) has created an assessment environment in an effort to focus on educational impact. Discusses principles of good practice, and formal and informal evaluation. (AEF)

Evaluates the Library and Information Science Abstracts on optical data disk available through SilverPlatter Information Inc. The criteria discussed include installation instructions; ease of use; retrieval facilities; the results of a test search; the screen display; documentation; characteristics of the database; and cost and updating. (CLB)

Discusses different types of security systems for libraries and explains the differences between electromagnetic, radio-frequency, and microwave technologies. A list of questions to assist in system evaluation is provided; and preventive measures used to curtail theft and protocol for handling situations that trigger security alarms are included.…

Presents and discusses the results of a recent research project in the United Kingdom which examined the objectives of library fieldwork and monitored a specimen period to assess the likely achievement of those objectives. A 34-item reference list accompanies the text. (Author/JL)

Describes a study conducted at the Brigham Young University Library that examined the quality of reference service provided by students and department assistants, the adequacy of the training program, and the effectiveness of the system of referring patrons to subject specialist librarians. Recommendations for improving training programs and…

Discusses the adequacy of relevance as a criterion for evaluating information retrieval system effectiveness and describes an empirical study that investigated academic library users' assessments of retrieval system performance. Results are presented that indicate relevance is not an adequate criterion in light of other success factors mentioned…