The following are criteria used in the
evaluation of library services:
evaluation of library services:
- Level of success,
- efficiency,
- effectiveness,
- benefits, and
- costs, which may be
evaluated independently, or in association with any of the above.
i.
Level of success: The level may be measured in terms of:
- to the aim to provide
access to information materials of all kinds - to earn additional income by charging for the
service - to attract users to the library service who would
not otherwise be users
The criteria for success will vary depending
which of these aims: in the first case, simply to provide the material is to
fulfil the aim and, therefore, one has been ‘successful’. In the second case we
can measure ‘success’ by determining whether or not we have made a profit: if
the income from loans is higher than the annual cost of establishing and
maintaining the collection, we can say that we have been successful. The third
case is much more difficult: It requires us to keep detailed records of users
and to discover by means of surveys whether there is a higher proportion of
former non-users of any aspect of library service as a result.
which of these aims: in the first case, simply to provide the material is to
fulfil the aim and, therefore, one has been ‘successful’. In the second case we
can measure ‘success’ by determining whether or not we have made a profit: if
the income from loans is higher than the annual cost of establishing and
maintaining the collection, we can say that we have been successful. The third
case is much more difficult: It requires us to keep detailed records of users
and to discover by means of surveys whether there is a higher proportion of
former non-users of any aspect of library service as a result.
ii.
Efficiency: The efficiency of library services are measured
according to the consumption of their resources – people, materials, and money.
Efficiency: The efficiency of library services are measured
according to the consumption of their resources – people, materials, and money.
iii.
Effectiveness: The effectiveness of any aspect of library operations
or service requires a judgement at how well the system is performing relative
to its objectives. The crucial element in evaluating effectiveness, is a
consideration of objectives. For example, if we are assessing the effectiveness
of a cataloguing department do we make the criterion the technical one of
maintaining an adequate throughput of materials in terms of the size of the
backlog, or is the criterion one related to how well the resulting catalogue
serves the needs of readers?
Effectiveness: The effectiveness of any aspect of library operations
or service requires a judgement at how well the system is performing relative
to its objectives. The crucial element in evaluating effectiveness, is a
consideration of objectives. For example, if we are assessing the effectiveness
of a cataloguing department do we make the criterion the technical one of
maintaining an adequate throughput of materials in terms of the size of the
backlog, or is the criterion one related to how well the resulting catalogue
serves the needs of readers?
iv.
Benefits: The benefits of libraries must relate to the
communities they serve. This is concerned either with the value of a library
(or library service) to the community as a whole (whether the community is a
town, an educational Institution, or a firm) or to an individual user. This is
the most difficult question for librarians to find an answer to, particularly
when the issue of cost is added as in cost-benefit evaluation.
Benefits: The benefits of libraries must relate to the
communities they serve. This is concerned either with the value of a library
(or library service) to the community as a whole (whether the community is a
town, an educational Institution, or a firm) or to an individual user. This is
the most difficult question for librarians to find an answer to, particularly
when the issue of cost is added as in cost-benefit evaluation.