Discusses program evaluation concepts and methods and how they can be applied to children's library services. What program evaluation is not is explained, as well as three levels of evaluation, including a variety of "threats" to the possible effectiveness of a program. Examples of program evaluation instruments are appended. (EM)

Libraries devote serious resources to user-education programs and need to measure their effectiveness with hard data. This guide was designed to simplify the evaluation planning process and the making of evaluation instruments. The material was developed from hundreds of survey instruments used by librarians around the country. The handbook…

Suggests factors to be considered in planning a youth services department: (1) the public served; (2) kinds of materials included in the collection; (3) kinds of equipment available; (4) commitment to public service; (5) amenities for public comfort; (6) needs of library staff; and (7) integration of youth services into total library service. (MES)

This document describes total cost of ownership (TCO) as a useful tool in the effective planning of technology use in schools. TCO is an analysis of all the costs of computer technology in a school in comparison with the value derived from the current investment. It also includes an assessment of strategies that can be implemented to reduce costs.…

Proposes five measurable indicators to assess effectiveness of young adult library services program: proportion of eligible young adults served; success rate in using library; appropriateness of collection; proportion of young adults participating in library programs; and proportion of cross-age programs held involving adolescents. Twenty-seven…

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…

A dramatic increase in interlibrary loan (ILL) in academic and research libraries in the last five years, combined with a changing office environment, is forcing reassessment of the relationship between the volume and cost of loans to service quality. In the spring of 1988, a survey was sent to 116 member libraries of the Association of Research…

A variety of resources is needed to effectively carry out a comprehensive evaluation of any reasonably complex program of library instruction. At the State University College at Oswego, New York, the means and motivation for carrying out formal evaluation of a college library's instruction program were greatly enhanced when librarians cooperated…

A program designed by the Palatine (Illinois) Public Library to help children reading below grade level included weekly storytimes in the classrooms, parent/child programs in the library, and cable television programs on storytelling and illiteracy. Increased attention spans, higher levels of cooperation, and more positive attitudes toward reading…

This report summarizes the experience of the university library of the Technische Universitat Wien (University of Technology, Vienna, Austria) in offering one-hour orientation lectures, including guided tours of the library, to groups (up to 15) of new library users at the beginning of each winter term for the past six years. The design of the…

This report summarizes studies related to school library media that have appeared in "Resources in Education" (RIE) or "Current Index to Journals in Education" (CIJE) between June 1981 and December 1985. Reports and papers on library media programs are discussed in the following three broad categories: (1) Library Media…

Discusses current issues in measuring library effectiveness, including rapid technological changes and increasing obsolescence in librarians' competencies; increased pressure for accountability; tools to help libraries become what they determine they should be rather than conforming to national standards; and how to determine the validity and…

This report describes the results of a field test of "Federalism", a program from "The U.S. Constitution", an instructional video program series for secondary school students developed by the Agency for Instructional Technology (AIT) in association with Project '87. The participants of the preview are teachers and students in…

These guidelines provide basic information to administrators, teachers, library media specialists and the general public for the evaluation of library media programs at the school and district level. They can also be used as a resource for establishing, developing and improving programs as well as for setting goals and objectives for the program…

Presents the position of the American Association of School Librarians on the essential contribution of school library media programs to elementary education. Twelve principles that codify the role of school library media centers are given and 35 research studies supporting them are listed. (EM)