How can libraries determine how well they are performing? Authors Viveca Nyström and Linnéa Sjögren show practical, clear methods for discovering just that. An Evaluation of the Benefits and Value of Libraries is essential reading for librarians and students, particularly those involved in library management and evaluation.

From the press release:

An Evaluation of the Benefits and Value of Libraries, to be released in North America by Neal-Schuman Publishers on March 10, 2012, offers practical guidance on gauging library performance through clear, understandable economic methods.

Library consultant Viveca Nyström and e-channels librarian Linnéa Sjögren offer authoritative guidance on conducting benefits assessments in a way that assumes no prior knowledge of economics. The first three chapters provide an introduction to performance analysis and benefits assessment that can be applied to any library setting. Other topics include the financial benefit assessment, cost-benefit analysis on one-time investments, and customer surveys. The authors also describe the persona method, which uses personas of fictional library users to generate data, and the balanced scorecard method, which is used for systematic follow-up. The book is packed with practical examples and numerous sample customer surveys.

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