Summary: set around a competitive dance marathon in Hollywood during the depression, the film follows the competitors as they take themselves to the limit, in the vain hope of winning the coveted prize or attracting the attention of the Hollywood talent scouts. But as the compare states "There can only be one winner, folks, but isn't that the American way?"
With this handy new guidebook, reference luminary Jo Bell Whitlatch outlines practical methods for evaluating and delivering excellent reference service to the technology-savvy library user of today.
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.
"Contains the results of a 1994 survey on the use of user surveys by 69 ARL members. This kit focuses on planning, designing, conducting, and analyzing surveys, and incorporating the results into the decision-making process"--SPEC flyer, p. [1].
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the information profession. The series IFLA Publications deals with many of the means through which libraries, information centres, and information professionals worldwide can formulate their goals, exert their influence as a group, protect their interests, and find solutions to global problems.
This text provides principles and methods for determining if a library collection is fulfilling the stated mission of the library. It is a clear introduction to collection evaluation for the novice collection manager, and it is also useful as a review and reference for the experienced librarian.
