Decision support systems: an overview

The pressure on libraries to deliver defined services to a high level of efficiency have never been greater. Libraries are feeling the impact of increased use, restricted resources and more accountability. These are overlaid with the development of new technologies which are beginning to provide alternative delivery mechanisms on the one hand and the first real competition to libraries as organisations on the other. The basic premise that libraries are ‘a good thing’ is now coming under question as potential users see new possibilities for information, education and leisure. To meet these challenges and to set new directions requires a range of skills, one of which is the development of improved decision‐making.