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ABSTRACT
The overall goal of the
study is to develop a core set of national statistics and performance measures
that librarians, researchers, and policy makers can use to describe public
library and library based statewide network use of the Internet and Web
based services and resources.
More specifically,
the study has these key objectives:
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Develop a preliminary
descriptive list of national core data elements, statistics, and performance
measures that describe public library network use;
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Assess this preliminary
list and refine the proposed data elements, statistics, and performance
measures in operationalized terms;
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Test and validate the
statistics in a sample of public libraries in selected states with the
assistance of selected state library agencies and public libraries;
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Produce a concise manual
that describes the proposed national statistics, the data elements needed
to produce the statistics, possible performance measures that can be computed
from these data elements and statistics, and the techniques through which
to collect the data.
The study will use a multi-method
approach to develop, test, and implement the statistics and performance
measures. The Institute of Museum
and Library Services (IMLS) has funded this study which begins
in January 1999 and ends May 2000.
Several Chief
Officer of State Library Agency (COSLA) members are providing
additional support and assistance for the study. The participating
COSLA states will assist the researchers by participating in site visits,
in the development and field testing of various study statistics and performance
measures, and in the review of various project documents including the
final manual. The study will also be guided by an Advisory
Committee of leaders in the provision of networked information.
As public libraries
and statewide library networks move into the networked environment, it
is essential that there are a core set of national statistics and performance
measures to track and assess the delivery of services and resources over
various networks. This study will be a first and significant effort
to provide a beginning set of statistics and measures by which libraries
can:
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Better track their activities
in the networked environment;
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Use such information to
better plan for networked services; and
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Provide policy makers
and others with data that describes their activities and use of services
in this networked environment.
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