This book will be well placed on the shelves of the many libraries faced with the complexities that information technology developments bring to the library. Giving a useful overview of library systems-from their history to current trends in the technology and marketplace that serve libraries-this book includes coverage of telecommunications, standards, planning, managing technology in libraries, system selection, and more. Specifically designed for core units in library automation and information systems, this text gives students a comprehensive overview of one of the most critical areas of library operations, and enables them to take the lead in managing the complexities that information technology brings to the library. Giving important insight into library information systems-from their history to the latest technological trends and information about the marketplace that serves libraries-this book includes coverage of standards, planning, managing technology in libraries, system selection, an

Academic and public libraries are much different today than they were even 15 years ago. And with even bigger changes on the horizon, what lies in store? In this systematic attempt to speak to academic and public librarians about the future of library services, Hernon and Matthews invite a raft of contributors to step back and envision the type of future library that will generate excitement and enthusiasm among users and stakeholders. Anyone interested in the future of libraries, especially library managers, will be engaged and stimulated as the contributors: Examine the current state of the library, summarizing existing literature on the topic to sketch in historical background Project into the future, using SWOT analysis, environmental scans, and other techniques to posit how library infrastructure (such as staff, collections, technology, and facilities) can adapt in the decades ahead Construct potential scenarios that library leaders can use to forge paths for their own institutions. The collection of knowledge and practical wisdom in this book will help academic and public libraries find ways to honour their missions while planning for the broader institutional changes already underway. Readership: Library managers, academic and public librarians, LIS students and academics and anyone interested in the future of libraries.

Academic and public libraries are much different today than they were even 15 years ago. And with even bigger changes on the horizon, what lies in store? In this systematic attempt to speak to academic and public librarians about the future of library services, Hernon and Matthews invite a raft of contributors to step back and envision the type of future library that will generate excitement and enthusiasm among users and stakeholders. Anyone interested in the future of libraries, especially library managers, will be engaged and stimulated as the contributors *Examinw the current state of the library, summarizing exsting literature on the topic to sketch in historical background *Project into the future, using SWOT analysis, environmental scans, and other techniques to posit how library infrastructure (such as staff, collections, technology, and facilities) can adapt in the decades ahead *Construct potential scenarios that library leaders can use to forge paths for their own institutions The collection of knowledge and practical wisdom in this book will help academic and public libraries find ways to honor their missions while planning for the broader institutional changes already underway.

This book will help public library administrators, managers, and board members to better plan, strategize, and understand their communities, enabling public libraries to become dynamic, proactive institutions. Research-Based Planning for Public Libraries: Increasing Relevance in the Digital Age takes readers through a logical and effective process for developing a plan and implementing it within the various functions of the library. Grounded in research and best practices, the book offers practical, easy-to-implement advice and direction for today's public library administrators, managers, and board members. Covering everything from goal-setting, policy-making, and budgeting, to collections, promotions, and access and evaluation, the book details how to better provide and promote access, convey its value to customers, and make the library a more integral part of the community. The author inspires library staff and administrators to reinvent themselves to meet-and overcome-the current challenges they face. The information is specifically tailored towards public librarians, particularly those in management or administration, as well as to LIS faculty and students of public librarianship and library management. Presents a game plan to help public libraries become dynamic, pro-active institutions through well-researched and optimized planning and strategizing Offers practical, easy-to-implement advice Provides information grounded in current research

A top library consultant offers specific recommendations for helping libraries adapt to their changing role in the community. What is the future of the public library? How can libraries embrace the forces of change and provide the resources-and the resource-gathering environment-today's patrons want? The Customer-Focused Library: Re-Inventing the Library From the Outside-In answers these questions by proposing a transformative alternative, a reimagined library in which the collections, the services-even the building itself-are designed and built from the customer's perspective. Written by one of the country's foremost library consultants, The Customer-Focused Library shows how perceived threats to the traditional library model are in fact exciting opportunities for change. The book lays out the steps by which professionals and patrons together can help invent a new generation of libraries, with discussions of hiring guidelines, merchandizing, the library website, even the building plan itself. It is a proactive, consumer-based approach aimed at helping librarians focus on underexamined ideas, underexploited trends, underused assets, and the as-yet unvoiced needs of library consumers. Illustrations and drawings of innovative library buildings and features A bibliography of additional print and online resources A complete index

Baseball fans have long appreciated the value of keeping a scorecard, both as a record of the game and a predictor of future outcomes. What if we told you the same principle works for libraries? The "Balanced Scorecard" is a performance measurement tool first popularized by Robert Kaplan and David Norton (who also penned the foreword to this book) in a 1993 Harvard Business Review article. It involves matching a variety of measures with one or more expected values--from each of four perspectives (financial, customer, internal process, and organizational readiness)--tracking results, and analyzing any variance between them. As in baseball, organizations come away with both a snapshot of the present and a sense of where they are headed. Evaluation expert Joe Matthews has taken this basic model and, in six carefully illustrated steps, shows how any public library, regardless of size, can more effectively focus its resources, assess strategic impact, and in so doing better serve its community.

Librarians have historically relied on the perceived "value or goodness" of the public library as a means to garner financial support. Yet it is now becoming apparent that public libraries must demonstrate, using an acceptable methodology, the economic value of the library and its services. A compendium of valuable information about the research and literature surrounding this issue of demonstration, this book reviews the various approaches that have been used in assessing the public library's value. Matthews suggests methods for a library to develop better means of communicating with their funding decision-makers and other stakeholders. By analyzing input, process, and output measures, and combining these with measures of the economic and social benefits produced by the library, he offers a portfolio of approaches that enable today's librarian to both measure effectiveness and to communicate its value to its stakeholders--the communities it serves.

Facing budget and personnel cuts, special librarians increasingly need to justify the cost of library operations--often even the library's existence. Expert Joseph Matthews illustrates how to evaluate library services and successfully communicate the library's value to upper management.

Describing how value is added and how it can best be measured, Matthews explains different types of evaluations (models, implications, and methods) and a variety of measures (input, process, and output). He shows how a cost-benefit analysis and a library balanced scorecard, along with effective communication, can position the library as a value center rather than a cost center. A glossary, list of recommended reading, and an appendix (including a library benefits survey and a table of measures with respective definitions) make this the ultimate means of establishing the value of your library--an essential guide no special librarian should be without

This book explains the concept of adding value and shows staff at libraries and other organizations why they need to take steps now to ensure they are adding new value to their communities-whether it be a local town or neighborhood, a faculty and student body, or a school. Value is at the core of every organization's purpose. Without value, organizations die. Libraries-as well as museums, archives, and galleries-have traditionally added value to their communities through their collections and services, but yesterday's collections and services are no longer enough. In order to remain sustainable, today's libraries, archives, museums, and galleries must explore new ways to add value that resonate in the lives of their customers. This unique book explains how addressing the "5 C's" of adding value-content, context, connection, collaboration, and community-enables organizations to find new ways to invigorate their services, better serve their communities, and thrive today and tomorrow. It addresses adding value in the context of other key topics, such as crowdsourcing, embedded librarianship, makerspaces, self publishing, and repurposing spaces. Filled with charts, tables, screenshots, and other visual representation, this is a useful and provocative guide that anyone interested in vesting in the successful future of libraries, archives, and museums needs to read. Helps managers and administrators create long-range plans for sustainability and growth Offers real-life models of libraries that have successfully implemented concepts of the value-added organization Fills a gap in the literature as the only book written specifically for librarians on the topic of adding value Presents important information and guidance for those who work in all types of libraries, archives, and museums as well as administrators, board members, and other stakeholders who are interested in the future of these vital community resources Includes color charts, website screenshots, and other visual representations that clarify key concepts and points

This guide provides library directors, managers, and administrators in all types of libraries with complete and up-to-date instructions on how to evaluate library services in order to improve them. It's a fact: today's libraries must evaluate their services in order to find ways to better serve patrons and prove their value to their communities. In this greatly updated and expanded edition of Matthews' seminal text, you'll discover a breadth of tools that can be used to evaluate any library service, including newer tools designed to measure customer and patron outcomes. The book offers practical advice backed by solid research on virtually every aspect of evaluation, including quantitative and qualitative tools, data analysis, and specific recommendations for measuring individual services, such as technical services and reference and interlibrary loan. New chapters give readers effective ways to evaluate critical aspects of their libraries such as automated systems, physical space, staff, performance management frameworks, eBooks, social media, and information literacy. The author explains how broader and more robust adoption of evaluation techniques will help library managers combine traditional internal measurements, such as circulation and reference transactions, with more customer-centric metrics that reflect how well patrons feel they are served and how satisfied they are with the library. By applying this comprehensive strategy, readers will gain the ability to form a truer picture of their library's value to its stakeholders and patrons. Helps librarians to thoroughly examine their libraries' services toward making improvements Enables librarians to answer with authority the question "what difference do we make?" Explains the most effective ways of conducting library measurement and evaluation, covering qualitative and quantitative tools, data analysis, and specific methodologies for measuring and assessing specific services Offers a highly readable and clear treatment of a topic of paramount importance, but that librarians often find difficult

Written specifically to address the library's role in education, this book provides guidance on performing assessment at academic institutions that will serve to improve teaching effectiveness and prove your library's impact on student learning outcomes-and thereby demonstrate your library's value. Academic libraries are increasingly being asked to demonstrate their value as one of many units on campus, but determining the outcomes of an academic library within the context of its collegiate setting is challenging. This book explains and clarifies the practice of assessment in academic institutions, enabling library managers to better understand and explain the impact of the library on student learning outcomes, teaching effectiveness, and research productivity. Providing essential information for all college and university librarians, this volume discusses and summarizes the outcomes of research that has been conducted to investigate assessment within the context of higher education. This updated second edition incorporates additional research, examines new trends, and covers groundbreaking advances in digital assessment tools as well as the changes in the amount and forms of data utilized in the assessment process. The chapters address assessment from a campus setting and present data that demonstrate the value of the library within that setting in terms of learning, research, and overall impact. In sum, the book presents librarians with up-to-date, practical guidelines for planning and conducting assessment. Demonstrates the critical nature of assessment in academic libraries in the 21st century Identifies and discusses in detail effective assessment practices in higher education Explains why and how specific methods have been useful in determining the library's impact Suggests methods to use to demonstrate your library's significant value in multiple areas Identifies ways in which any library can get started with assessment in their library Shows how libraries can demonstrate their support of the university's vision and mission

Both the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the Public Library Association (PLA) provide important data services. For library managers and administrators, the key to the data s usefulness is knowing how to extract and apply the most relevant information to managing a library and improving accountability. A companion volume to the authors earlier book Getting Started with Evaluation, this guide illustrates how to use the data to support value, collection use, benchmarking, and other best practices. This important resource Identifies key metrics in ACRLMetrics and PLAmetrics Demonstrates how to perform techniques for developing and using metrics Offers exercises that illustrate how to produce meaningful metrics and reports, accessible via a free web portal Shows how to move towards outcomes assessments while simultaneously embracing value Includes numerous examples to guide readers through the data services web interfaces screen-by-screen Managers at academic and public libraries, administrators, and library trustees will find this book a vital tool for accountability and advocacy.

Everyone agrees that evaluation of library services is essential, but without a background in research it can be a challenge to apply abstract concepts such as strategic planning, evidence-based decision making, and accountability to real-world situations. Finally library managers have a workbook to help them master key concepts of service quality assessment, offering directed exercises and worksheets to guide them. Firmly rooted in practical application, this book Presents an overview of evaluation and the types of metrics, linking them to strategic planning and infrastructure Examines qualitative versus quantitative measures Shows how to decide which metrics are relevant to one’s own institution, covering benchmarking, best practices, peer group filters, and those metrics that offer a high return on investment Includes pointers for launching and maintaining successful library evaluation through flexibility and smart delegation among library staff Offers advice on marshalling data to effectively communicate the value and impact of a library and its services, no matter the audience Complete with a detailed list of sources for metrics and concrete examples of evaluation in practice, this workbook will be both valuable and immediately useful to managers at academic and public libraries, as well as to library trustees and others interested in assessing service quality.

A thorough explanation of how a voice-of-the-customer program for libraries can give customers the opportunity to make their opinions known, enabling libraries to develop services that meet or exceed their patrons' changing expectations. A modern library is much like a business in that it must provide a set of products and services to meet the changing needs and expectations of its customers in order to succeed and survive. With libraries now focusing more on their "customers," Listening to the Customer is a critical resource that provides effective strategies for gathering information from the client perspective in order to meet library patrons' expectations and specific information needs. The voice-of-the-customer program described by Hernon and Matthews involves not only listening to customers, but also maintaining an ongoing dialogue with them. The book addresses different types of customers, assorted methods for gathering evidence, data reporting to stakeholders, and relevant metrics for libraries to report. The authors also devote a chapter to regaining lost customers and discuss leadership techniques and preparation steps to meet an uncertain future. Completely unique in its methodological focus, this book is one of very few titles to address the importance of library customer service in the 21st century. Ten sidebars highlight specific libraries and what they are doing Numerous illustrative figures clarify key points An extensive bibliography compiles works related to customer service and implementing a voice-of-the-customer program

Libraries enter into strategic planning by a variety of routes, from dynamic technology and rising costs to budget cuts and pressure for change. In this book, Joe Matthews guides library managers towards a greater understanding of the role and attendant responsibilities of strategic planning. Academic, public, and special librarians alike will benefit from Matthews' cogent explanations, real-life examples, and time-tested recommendations. In the process, Matthews addresses such intrinsic questions as: Why is it important that I add strategic thinking to my managerial arsenal? How will strategic planning benefit my library, and is there more than one way to go about it? What is the best way of monitoring and updating our strategic plan for maximum effect? In each case, he debunks false impressions, attends to the goal of providing good service, and identifies at least one new way to communicate the library's strategic importance in the lives of its customers. Academic, public, and special librarians alike will benefit from Matthews' cogent explanations, real-life examples, and time-tested recommendations.