Library

LIBRARY EVALUATION AND PERFORCEMENT MEASUREMENT: a review of literature

by

Fe Angela M. Verzosa

In this article we present a survey of methods, old and new, previously and currently in use, to measure the quality of library service. Secondly, we present a survey of library standards on which assessment criteria are generally based. And thirdly, we also review a host of literature on various case studies of library evaluations.

Evaluation of library services should be regarded as a management tool, applied to determine how effectively and efficiently the library is serving the needs of its users, to identify the limitations and failures of service, and to recommend ways to improve such service. The extent to which the user’s needs are satisfied depends on the size and collection of the library, the adequacy and accuracy of the organization of its materials, the usefulness of its catalogs and finding tools in providing access to its collection, and the ability and cooperation of the library staff in bringing these materials (or information on these materials) to the attention of the users, and in maximizing the exposure of the users to these resources and to other library services.

Some aspects of library service are more easily evaluated than others. Generally, the more concrete or specific the user requirement is, the easier it is to measure user satisfaction in absolute terms. The extent to which the library is used reflects the degree of user satisfaction, which may be measured by subjective procedures such as questionnaires or interviews, or by more objective, quantitative measures, such as percentage calculations and determination of capability indexes, etc.

The search for good ways of measuring the quality of service (measuring techniques) must, however, start with defining the characteristics of a “good library,” what characteristics are important to measure, and whether the statistics to be derived from the...