Evaluation and Library Decision Making

Evaluation and Library Decision Making

Author: Peter Hernon

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13:

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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.


Evidence-based Practice for Information Professionals

Evidence-based Practice for Information Professionals

Author: Andrew Booth

Publisher: Facet Publishing

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13:

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Evidence-based practice is a paradigm that originated within healthcare but is rapidly migrating to other fields. It involves applying the results from rigorous research studies to professional practice in order to improve the quality of services to clients. Familiarity with these methods has caused an increasing number of information professionals to turn a critical eye to their own practice. Is it possible to adapt this model to librarianship and information work? To what extent are its skills and techniques transferable to the various areas of professional practice? Is it desirable for information professionals to integrate research findings into their day-to-day decision-making? These and other related issues are discussed in this book, the first to examine this key topic in depth. It is divided into three parts: The Context for Evidence-based practice; Skills And Resources for Evidence-based Information Practice; and Using the Evidence Base in Practice. This last part explores each of the six domains of evidence-based librarianship identified in research, to demonstrate the application of evidence-based information practice in a practical decision-making context. These chapters with their associated Special Topics present concise summaries of evidence-based information practice within generic areas of work, together with practical examples of the application of evidence-based principles and methods. Supported by a wealth of case studies drawn from a wide range of sectors, these contributions from leading-edge professionals cover the following key issues: why evidence-based information practice? a brief history of evidence-based practice how good is the evidence base? why don't librarians use research? formulating answerable questions identifying sources of evidence and searching the LIS literature appraising the evidence applying evidence to everyday practice and evaluating your performance disseminating the lessons of evidence-based practice examining the evidence base for reference services and enquiry work the contribution of evidence-based practice to educational activities towards evidence-based management evidence-based perspectives on information access and retrieval introducing an evidence-based approach to marketing and promotional activities. Readership: This book is of wide interest to all new and established information professionals, both those in fields such as healthcare where the evidence-based paradigm is already impacting on their work, and those in other fields encountering it for the first time. It is a core text in departments of library and information work.


The Evaluation and Measurement of Library Services

The Evaluation and Measurement of Library Services

Author: Joseph R. Matthews

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2017-10-27

Total Pages: 481

ISBN-13: 1440855374

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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.


Evaluation and Decision Models with Multiple Criteria

Evaluation and Decision Models with Multiple Criteria

Author: Denis Bouyssou

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2006-06-07

Total Pages: 460

ISBN-13: 0387310991

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Formal decision and evaluation models are so widespread that almost no one can pretend not to have used or suffered the consequences of one of them. This book is a guide aimed at helping the analyst to choose a model and use it consistently. A sound analysis of techniques is proposed and the presentation can be extended to most decision and evaluation models as a "decision aiding methodology".


Data-driven Organization Design

Data-driven Organization Design

Author: Rupert Morrison

Publisher: Kogan Page Publishers

Published: 2015-10-03

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 0749474424

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SHORTLISTED: CMI Management Book of the Year 2017 - Management Futures Category Data is changing the nature of competition. Making sense of it is tough; taking advantage of it is even tougher. There is a clear business opportunity for organizations to use data and analytics to transform business performance. Data-driven Organization Design provides a practical framework for HR and organization design practitioners to build a baseline of data, set objectives, carry out fixed and dynamic process design, map competencies, and right-size the organization so everyone performs to their potential and organizations have a hope of getting and sustaining a competitive edge. Data-driven Organization Design shows how to collect the right data on organizations, present it meaningfully and ask the right questions of it to help complex, fluid organizations constantly evolve and meet moving objectives. Through the use of case studies, practical tips, and sample exercises, it explains in detail how to use data and analytics to connect all the elements of the system so you can design an environment for people to perform, an organization which has the right people, in the right place, doing the right things, at the right time. Whether you are looking to implement a long-term transformation, large redesign, or a one-off small scale project, Data-driven Organization Design will guide you through making the most of organizational data and analytics to drive business performance.


Library Improvement through Data Analytics

Library Improvement through Data Analytics

Author: Lesley S. J. Farmer

Publisher: ALA Neal-Schuman

Published: 2016-05-26

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780838914250

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This book's clear, concise coverage will enable readers of every experience level to gain a better understanding of statistics in order to facilitate library improvement.


Network Meta-Analysis for Decision-Making

Network Meta-Analysis for Decision-Making

Author: Sofia Dias

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2018-03-19

Total Pages: 484

ISBN-13: 1118647505

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A practical guide to network meta-analysis with examples and code In the evaluation of healthcare, rigorous methods of quantitative assessment are necessary to establish which interventions are effective and cost-effective. Often a single study will not provide the answers and it is desirable to synthesise evidence from multiple sources, usually randomised controlled trials. This book takes an approach to evidence synthesis that is specifically intended for decision making when there are two or more treatment alternatives being evaluated, and assumes that the purpose of every synthesis is to answer the question "for this pre-identified population of patients, which treatment is 'best'?" A comprehensive, coherent framework for network meta-analysis (mixed treatment comparisons) is adopted and estimated using Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods implemented in the freely available software WinBUGS. Each chapter contains worked examples, exercises, solutions and code that may be adapted by readers to apply to their own analyses. This book can be used as an introduction to evidence synthesis and network meta-analysis, its key properties and policy implications. Examples and advanced methods are also presented for the more experienced reader. Methods used throughout this book can be applied consistently: model critique and checking for evidence consistency are emphasised. Methods are based on technical support documents produced for NICE Decision Support Unit, which support the NICE Methods of Technology Appraisal. Code presented is also the basis for the code used by the ISPOR Task Force on Indirect Comparisons. Includes extensive carefully worked examples, with thorough explanations of how to set out data for use in WinBUGS and how to interpret the output. Network Meta-Analysis for Decision Making will be of interest to decision makers, medical statisticians, health economists, and anyone involved in Health Technology Assessment including the pharmaceutical industry.


A History of ALA Policy on Intellectual Freedom

A History of ALA Policy on Intellectual Freedom

Author: Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF)

Publisher: American Library Association

Published: 2015-07-01

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 0838913253

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Collecting several key documents and policy statements, this supplement to the ninth edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual traces a history of ALA’s commitment to fighting censorship. An introductory essay by Judith Krug and Candace Morgan, updated by OIF Director Barbara Jones, sketches out an overview of ALA policy on intellectual freedom. An important resource, this volume includes documents which discuss such foundational issues as The Library Bill of RightsProtecting the freedom to readALA’s Code of EthicsHow to respond to challenges and concerns about library resourcesMinors and internet activityMeeting rooms, bulletin boards, and exhibitsCopyrightPrivacy, including the retention of library usage records


Assessing Service Quality

Assessing Service Quality

Author: Peter Hernon

Publisher: American Library Association

Published: 2015-05-12

Total Pages: 552

ISBN-13: 0838913105

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This extensively revised and updated edition explores even further the ways technology influences both the experiences of library customers and the ways libraries themselves can assess those experiences.


Evaluation of Reference Services

Evaluation of Reference Services

Author: Linda S Katz

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-18

Total Pages: 351

ISBN-13: 1317951271

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Library authorities address the increasing significance of reference services and the increasing need for evaluation of those services to further ensure professionalism and efficiency.