Peter Hernon

. . . the editors prevail upon students, scholars, information professionals and policy makers to study the issues further in order to deepen the understanding of government information and positively affect policy decisions. - Journal of Government Information

Service quality is an issue separate from internal observations of effectiveness and efficiency, and cannot adequately be conveyed by output and performance measures. Considerations of service quality require librarians to regard management and the provision of service from an entirely new perspective- from the viewpoint of the library user, for whom the outcome of a trip to the library has far greater relevance than the institutions' outputs. This book examines service quality, identifies its essential elements (including electronic service delivery), and discusses ways in which it can be assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. Based on a two-year research study, this book encourages every manager to consider the impact of accountability on the library's role within the larger organization. It identifies simple and practical methods by which to implement measures representing service quality and to narrow the gap between library services and customer expectations.

Service quality is an issue separate from internal observations of effectiveness and efficiency, and cannot adequately be conveyed by output and performance measures. Considerations of service quality require librarians to regard management and the provision of service from an entirely new perspective- from the viewpoint of the library user, for whom the outcome of a trip to the library has far greater relevance than the institutions' outputs. This book examines service quality, identifies its essential elements (including electronic service delivery), and discusses ways in which it can be assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. Based on a two-year research study, this book encourages every manager to consider the impact of accountability on the library's role within the larger organization. It identifies simple and practical methods by which to implement measures representing service quality and to narrow the gap between library services and customer expectations.

This book provides a general discussion beneficial to librarians and library school students, and demonstrates the steps of the research process, decisions made in the selection of a statistical technique, how to program a computer to perform number crunching, how to compute those statistical techniques appearing most frequently in the literature of library and information science, and examples from the literature of the uses of different statistical techniques. The book accomplishes the following objectives: to provide an overview of the research process and to show where statistics fit in; to identify journals in library and information science most likely to publish research articles; to identify reference tools that provide access to the research literature; to show how microcomputers can be programmed to engage in number crunching; to introduce basic statistical concepts and terminology; to present basic statistical procedures that appear most frequently in the literature of library and information science and that have application to library decision making; to discuss library decision support systems and show the types of statistical techniques they can perform; and to summarize the major decisions that researchers must address in deciding which statistical techniques to employ.

This book provides a general discussion beneficial to librarians and library school students, and demonstrates the steps of the research process, decisions made in the selection of a statistical technique, how to program a computer to perform number crunching, how to compute those statistical techniques appearing most frequently in the literature of library and information science, and examples from the literature of the uses of different statistical techniques. The book accomplishes the following objectives: to provide an overview of the research process and to show where statistics fit in; to identify journals in library and information science most likely to publish research articles; to identify reference tools that provide access to the research literature; to show how microcomputers can be programmed to engage in number crunching; to introduce basic statistical concepts and terminology; to present basic statistical procedures that appear most frequently in the literature of library and information science and that have application to library decision making; to discuss library decision support systems and show the types of statistical techniques they can perform; and to summarize the major decisions that researchers must address in deciding which statistical techniques to employ.

Twenty-eight contributed papers provide an overview of LIS research, offering recommendations and strategies for resolving issues related to this research and for improving the quality, quantity, and impact of research. Paper edition (unseen), $32.50. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, O

Evaluation, which is a critical component of the planning process, assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of library programs and services in the context of stated goals and objectives. This book views evaluation as a type of research study in which evaluators collect either research or management data. Chapters discuss steps of the evaluation process and provide practical examples of the application of these steps to specific library problems. The overall objectives of the volume are to introduce readers to the relationship between planning and evaluation; to discuss the components of an evaluation study in clear prose so that readers can easily understand the different steps; to foster an attitude that recognizes the importance of evaluation for the development of library programs and services; to offer examples of each component of the evaluation process; to identify writings on evaluation in libraries and information centers; and to encourage organizational change and underscore the importance of evaluation to library decision making.

Evaluation, which is a critical component of the planning process, assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of library programs and services in the context of stated goals and objectives. This book views evaluation as a type of research study in which evaluators collect either research or management data. Chapters discuss steps of the evaluation process and provide practical examples of the application of these steps to specific library problems. The overall objectives of the volume are to introduce readers to the relationship between planning and evaluation; to discuss the components of an evaluation study in clear prose so that readers can easily understand the different steps; to foster an attitude that recognizes the importance of evaluation for the development of library programs and services; to offer examples of each component of the evaluation process; to identify writings on evaluation in libraries and information centers; and to encourage organizational change and underscore the importance of evaluation to library decision making.

An introductory perspective on selected issues related to Federal STI policies. Contributors describe aspects of the existing system and suggest possible strategies for improvement. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or. An introductory perspective on selected issues related to Federal ST

This handbook assists students in understanding statistics and the types of decisions that the selection of a test entails. At the same time the volume will assist a broad audience by reviewing the research process; by presenting fundamental statistical concepts and methods; by identifying writings on library management using statistical analyses; by discussing statistical applications to library management, decision making and problem solving; and by familiarizing library managers with statistical tables and analysis and graphics software. The purpose of this volume is to supplement statistical textbooks and to inform library managers and library school students about the application of selected statistical tests and the interpretation of statistical findings. This volume presents basic statistical and research concepts clearly. It is not intended as a textbook that identifies numerous statistical tests and merely details their computations. Rather, the book complements the pool of existing textbooks by placing selected statistical applications in the context of the research process and library decision.

This volume is issue-oriented. By showing that issues relating to topics such as access to government information resources, collection development, and administration are not unique to documents librarianship, it places selected topics in a wider context. The book's objectives are to identify and discuss critically important issues related to increasing access to government information resources, to offer solutions and recommendations by which government information resources and services can be made more effective, to encourage more assessments that examine issues across levels of government, to emphasize the importance and need for a research base related to government information resources and services, and to encourage a critical assessment of current practices and traditional assumptions.

This books provides a detailed overview of conflicting issues and practices related to Federal government information policies and the distribution of federal information through print and non-print information handling technologies. Drawing from published literature and interviews with key Federal officials, it provides a framework for viewing Federal information policies and practices.