Argues that library book circulation is a binomial rather than a Poisson process, and that individual book popularities are continuous beta distributions. Three examples demonstrate the superiority of beta over negative binomial distribution, and it is suggested that a bivariate-binomial process would be helpful in predicting future book…

Study of trends in financing public library buildings reviews data on federal, state, local, and private funding sources since the Carnegie era, and discusses statistics on expenditures by category, including construction, equipment, and site. Data are presented in 12 tables and graphs. (30 references) (MES)

Discusses measurement and evaluation as ways to justify reference work to users and library administration. A trivia contest is cited as a way to achieve public recognition, and measuring use of reference materials rather than the number of reference questions is recommended. User surveys and other measures of reference activity and value are also…

Reviews the role played by the International Federation of Libraries Association, International Standards Organization, and UNESCO in the establishment of international standards for library statistics. The Brazilian literature on the collection of library statistics is then analyzed to evaluate the extent to which such standards have been…

Reviews attempts by Library of Congress in the 1940s to resolve the cataloging crisis that preceded changes in cataloging rules in the 1950s and 1960s. Recommendations of an unpublished report on reorganization, simplified cataloging, cooperative cataloging, personnel policy, and cost analysis changes are examined, and results of implementation…

At a time when emphasis is being placed on quality, standards, and accountability, the research world is spending more time assessing the value and impact of library organizations. This paper argues that research in this area requires sociological and psychological research skills. Qualitative data are as important as statistics. Different…

Discusses the generalized inverse Gaussian-Poisson (GIGP) process for informetric modeling. Negative binomial distribution is discussed, construction of the GIGP process is explained, zero-truncated GIGP is considered, and applications of the process with journals, library circulation statistics, and database index terms are described. (50…

Discusses the application and use of a microcomputer-assisted reference statistics procedure which allows for customized programs to be designed and determined by local, unique research objectives, service demands, and the ultimate use of the recorded data. A literature review of the development and use of reference statistics is included. (EM)

This exploratory study focuses on the management of decline as characterized by shrinking resources and substantial reductions in operating budgets (retrenchment) in academic research libraries in Canada. The first of four major sections of the report addresses the management of retrenchment in Canadian research libraries, including the design of…

Public library effectiveness efforts are placed within the context of theoretical and empirical research on organizational effectiveness. The construct, measures, and determinants of public library effectiveness are investigated, and a possible model of the determinants of public library output measures is presented. (Author/EM)

Presents a study of Georgia college libraries that used published library statistics to compare public historically black college libraries to traditionally white college libraries. Comparisons were made by: volumes and total library staff per student; salary expenditure per student and per professional librarian; and professional library staff…

Argues that a mix of quantitative and qualitative measures is most efficacious in library collection analysis. Cases drawn from the literature in which a combination of these measures was profitably applied are considered, and the types of software packages for purposes of data manipulation are discussed. (Contains 15 references.) (KRN)

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…

Identifies current challenges to children's library services including inequality in access to information; integration of information skills in the classroom; rising costs, low budgets, and increasing demands; the state of book collections; and the need for research at state and national levels. Local examples of successful solutions are…

Reviews studies done on academic library growth in attempt to clarify three reasons for failure of these analyses to result in usable projections of library size. Highlights include patterns in library growth (hypothetical exponential and arithmetic growth), Fremont Rider's studies of growth, and literature on growth after Rider. (28 references)…