AASL's new integrated standards are designed to empower leaders to transform teaching and learning. The new "National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries" reflect an evolution of AASL Standards, building on philosophical foundations and familiar elements of previous standards while featuring the…

The "New South Wales Learning 2.0" training program is being made available to the entire NSW public library work force of over 2300 people in 2008-2009. This paper is a snapshot of the impact of the course as at September 2008, five months after it was launched. It explores how the training impacted on the staff skill levels, knowledge,…

School librarians serving diverse learning communities, such as the Chicago Public Schools, have always been aware of the need to seek out multicultural books as "mirrors [that] let readers see reflections of their own lives; windows [that] let them see others' lives." But until a colleague sent this author the document "10 Quick…

Interest in developing ways to assess information literacy has been growing for several years. Many librarians have developed their own tools to assess aspects of information literacy and have written articles to share their experiences. This article reviews the literature and offers readers a flavour of the methods being used for assessment:…

In attempt to answer the question of how to measure or evaluate the quality of reference service to youth, this essay examines the literature; defines the terms (reference services and tools, parental concern, library instruction); discusses move toward quality evaluation; and provides options and approaches to such measurement. (EJS)

Evaluation in Library and Information Services has traditionally focused on quantitative measures of input and output. This trend has been generally reflected in the emerging efforts relating to the evaluation of electronic information services (EIS). Less well developed are qualitative approaches to evaluation of EIS. Issues that feature high on…

This book, written by a number of library professionals, familiarizes the reader with the motives for and purposes of evaluation and the major contexts and models for evaluation and provides explicit examples how evaluation projects have been and can be carried out in a variety of library contexts. The strategies in this book grew from the S:OLE…

Discusses the use of microcomputers for automating school libraries, both for entire systems and for specific library tasks. Highlights include available library management software, newsletters that evaluate software, constructing an evaluation matrix, steps to consider in library automation, and a brief discussion of computerized card catalogs.…

This manual provides librarians and library managers with a performance appraisal system that measures staff fairly and objectively and links performance to the goals of the library. The following topics are addressed: (1) identifying expectations for quality service or standards of performance; (2) the importance of a library's code of service,…

This step-by-step guide gives librarians the information to develop successful, collaborative ventures with other organizations in an effort to provide comprehensive and integrated services for children and families. Each chapter outlines steps to take in the creation of a family-centered library environment. The topics discussed are: serving…

This guide is designed to assist library media specialists in achieving the outstanding, comprehensive library media program outlined in "Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning," published by the American Library Association and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. The guide contains the following…

This article presents interesting articles that explore several different areas of reference assessment, including practical case studies and theoretical articles that address a range of issues such as librarian behavior, patron satisfaction, virtual reference, or evaluation design. They include: (1) "Evaluating the Quality of a Chat Service"…

This handbook offers a practical set of ideas to help all types of libraries in the task of marketing their services in an increasingly competitive economy and provides a model program as urged by the White House Conference on Library and Information Services. It is aimed at adult information services in particular, with passing references to…

Developed as part of a three-year project funded by the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), this manual is designed to present librarians in the State of California with an alternative, "sense-making" approach to assessing the information needs of patrons and potential patrons and to assessing accountability, i.e., whether…

This "sampler" of how quantitative and qualitative information is gathered, compiled, and reported can be useful for media staff seeking to develop the most effective library/learning resources program and to integrate that program into the overall institutional effectiveness plan. This guide was created through contributions from 24 community…