Increasingly, libraries must address questions of accountability, efficiency, effectiveness, and impact--the extent to which a program causes positive changes in the target population. All of these issues are important to library managers and those to whom they directly report. With the heightened interest in customer expectations and increased focus on service quality and customer satisfaction, evaluation and assessment research provides the essential methodology for library managers to obtain meaningful answers.
Engaging in Evaluation and Assessment Research introduces evaluation and assessment, clearly distinguishing between the two; explains evaluation and assessment research as a formal inquiry process with individual components; and demonstrates the use of the evidence gathered for planning, decision making, and accountability. This book is not another research methods textbook; it is a resource that will provide real knowledge and strategies to expand the library manager's toolkit for operating in the real world. Beyond exposing the reader to the unique culture of research and to different ways of conducting research, the authors also offer advice on how to get published.
About the Author: Peter Hernon is professor of library and information science at Simmons College, Boston, MA. He is the author of over 50 books, including Libraries Unlimited's Viewing Library Metrics from Different Perspectives: Inputs, Outputs, and Outcomes.
Robert E. Dugan is dean of libraries at University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL. He has written extensively on the application of information technologies outcomes assessment, financial management, and planning.
Danuta A. Nitecki is dean of libraries and professor in the College of Information Science and Technology at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. She writes on topics such as service quality, document delivery, and the impact of digital images on teaching and learning.
