ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 72 / C&RL News Library p erfo rm a n ce m easures By Beverlee French Head, Science and Engineering Library University of California, San Diego Some recent research on quantifying performance. R ecognizing a need for analytical tools w ith which academic libraries can describe their activi­ ties quantitatively, the ACRL Board of Directors created the ad hoc Com m ittee on Perform ance Measures in December 1984. Establishment of this Committee, chaired by Virginia Tiefel, was a m a­ jor recommendation of the ACRL Task Force on Performance Measures. Part of the Committee’s charge is to plan and advise the ACRL Board of Di­ rectors on developing and overseeing a contract for the publication of an initial set of performance measures for academic libraries. The Committee is also charged to identify and publicize existing tools for measuring library effectiveness th at can be ap­ plied in academic libraries. It is im portant to emphasize that “performance measures” are not academic library standards and they are not intended to provide comparative data; nor do they constitute a research methodology. R ather the C om m ittee set out to select a set of quantitative measures related to commonly recur­ ring goals in academic libraries that could consti­ tute a manual. It was determined by the Com mit­ tee th at the measures would be decision-related, easy to apply and use, inexpensive to administer, and user-oriented. The measures will not necessar­ ily fit together to form a comprehensive model of academ ic lib ra ry effectiveness. Such a m odel would certainly be as complex as the array of objec­ tives held by academic libraries and is probably be­ yond the reach of standardized approaches. While there is a growing body of literature on evaluation of library performance, and a num ber of ALA divisions have focused on library effective­ ness and performance measures, the Committee members continue to see a need for a practical m anual of performance or output measures for ac­ ademic and research libraries. In deliberating over the nature and contents of the proposed m anual, the Committee examined several recent publica­ tions which meet m any of the criteria outlined above and should be useful to academic librarians who would like to quantify the library user’s expe­ rience. Among these are: Mary J. Cronin, Performance Measurement fo r Public Services in A cadem ic and Research L i­ braries. Washington, D .C .: Office of Management Studies, Association of Research Libraries, 1985. Paul B. Kantor, Objective Performance Mea­ sures fo r Academic and Research Libraries. W ash­ ington, D .C .: Association of Research Libraries, 1984. Library Data Collection H andbook. Mary Jo Lynch, editor; Helen M. Eckard, project officer. Chicago: American Library Association, 1982. Mary Kane Trochim, et al. Measuring the Cir­ culation Use of a Small Academic Library Collec­ tion: A M anual. W ashington, D .C .: Office of Management Studies, Association of Research Li­ braries, 1985. Douglas Zweizig. O utput Measures fo r Public Libraries: a Manual of Standardized Procedures. Chicago: American Library Association, 1982. For an example of the application of the avail­ ability measures described in Kantor’s m anual, see “Book Availability at the University of California, Santa C ruz,” by Terry Ellen Ferl and M argaret G. Robinson, College ‹b Research Libraries 47 (Sep­ tember 1986):501-8. Not only did these librarians FOR ALL THOSE WHO MAKE KNOWLEDGE AN OPEN BOOK No small credit for the m odern day distribution of information goes to Mr. Gutenberg, a former goldsmith who created the first movable type…with inspira­ tion and infinite attention to detail. And no small credit goes to today’s information manager, who provides ac­ cess to th e world’s knowledge…with equal professionalism and craftsmanship. W hen you spend your days making the world an open book, you expect sup­ port from professionals who are as meticulous as you are. EBSCO provides th at support, with more than 165,000 titles on file—and professional staff providing responsive, personal service. Count on EBSCO to respect the inspiration and attention to detail you re­ quire in subscription services. W hen it comes to serials, we’re your open book. RO. Box 1943 Birmingham, Alabama 35201 205-991-1182 74 / C&RL News find through their investigations th at widely held assumptions were unsubstantiated, but they look forw ard to results by com parable availability stud­ ies conducted at similar institutions. The validity, reliability, and sensitivity of the output measures for public libraries is examined in “Public Library Effectiveness: Theory, Measures, and D eterm i­ nants,” by Nancy A. Van House, Library and In ­ form ation Science Research 8 (1986):261-83. This paper confirms th at while such measures are less th an ideal research tools, they can be useful indica­ tors for m anagem ent decision making. ■ ■ H ow to p a rticip a te in ACRL Information fo r new members and potential members. T o join W rite or call the Association of College and Re­ search Libraries for application forms and infor­ mation: ACRL Office, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611-2795; (312) 944-6780. To learn about ACRL’s current programs, officers, and units Cheek the ALA Handbook o f Organization and read College & Research Libraries News regularly (as a m em ber of ACRL, you will receive both pu b ­ lications) . 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To request a speaker in the C hapter Speakers p ro ­ gram W rite E m m a Miller at the ACRL office and specify your date and topic. Eight chapters qualify each year for a free visit from ACRL officers or the ACRL Executive Director. To serve on ACRL’s committees or to participate in ACRL’s sections and discussion groups Fam iliarize yourself w ith the work of the u n it— cheek the ALA Handbook o f Organization for the unit’s statem ent of responsibility, read about the work of the unit as reported in C O R L News and Am erican Libraries, attend the meetings of the unit during ALA conferences. Submit a completed ACRL committee volunteer form (published in the October issue of C O RL News and available at ALA conferences). Com municate your interest to the ACRL Appointments and Nominations C om m it­ tee, to any of the ACRL officers, to the chair of an ACRL u n it whose w ork interest you, or to the ACRL office. To be a candidate for an ACRL office W rite to the ACRL Appointments and N om ina­ tions Com mittee or to an ACRL section nom inat­ ing com m ittee. Subm it a petition to have your nam e added to the list of candidates. To nom inate someone for an aw ard or to apply for a grant or fellowship W rite or call Mary Ellen Davis at the ACRL of­