This is an important publication, which should be of interest to those interested in the evaluation and performance measurement of libraries and their services, but also those not so inclined. It should be a “must‐read” for library managers and for persons involved in digital information.
It contains reports on the three phases of an 18‐month research project, self‐funded by members of ARL, into a high priority need for measures in the area of electronic resources. “Many libraries were expending an increasing proportion of their materials budgets for electronic information and were looking for consistent and reliable tools by which they might measure their investment in those resources and for methodologies that could help determine what difference those investments made to their user community”.
Part 1 of the publication contains the background of the project and an analysis of current practices of ARL libraries. There is a lot of activity, but libraries still find it difficult to identify specific factors to success. The investigators conclude that it is too early to identify best practices, as ARL libraries have just begun looking at this topic. The detailed discussion in the document helps to present an excellent insight into this multifaceted topic and the need to cultivate a culture of assessment. The measurement of electronic information resources should however not be considered on its own, but should be incorporated in overall library assessment.
Part 2 is an extensive report in terms of length and topics discussed. Advice is given (p. x) on how it can best be used by people with specific interests. It documents the process by which a set of statistics and measures was developed and field‐tested by participating ARL libraries, as well as work done with participating vendors and libraries on statistics provided by the vendors. A data‐collecting manual is also provided, which includes definitions and other relevant information. The manual is a first effort to develop essential statistics and standardised data collection techniques, but these should be integrated with traditional measurements. Special attention is given to the development of a model to describe the relationship between library activities and library and institutional objectives.
Part 3 provides a useful module for the training of staff about the importance of assessing network services and collecting and analysing networked statistics. It consists of three Microsoft PowerPoint presentations on:
- 1.
(1) importance;
- 2.
(2) preparation; and
- 3.
(3) statistics.
They can be used as required, also for discussion and review as libraries plan the measurement and evaluation of their services. But as the final slide states: we learn only by doing it.
Part 4 is the Data Collection Manual for Academic and Research Library Network Statistics. It includes definitions, data collection procedures and discusses related issues pertaining to interpreting and using the recommended statistics and measures. They represent a minimum set of data that needs to be collected continually and used.
Part 5 contains two papers regarding a framework for library and institutional outcomes and the linking of library measures to institutional outcomes. It does not provide final answers, but is a good review of existing points of view about this very important issue.
As a compilation of three reports, the document includes a lot of duplication. It therefore needs to be read selectively. For most people, parts 3 and 4 should be most useful. For an understanding of the whole issue, other parts are, however, just as important.
