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To top of page Using Benchmarking, Needs Assessment, Quality Improvement, Outcome Measurement, and Library Standards: A How-To-Do-It Manual

By Rosalind Farnam Dudden, MLS, AHIP, FMLA, Health Sciences Librarian, Gerald Tucker Memorial Medical Library, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO
Using Benchmarking Cover

2007 (298 pages plus CD-ROM, 8½ x 11 in., soft cover)
ISBN: 1-55570-604-5; ISBN13: 978-1-55570-604-3

MLA member: $76.50 plus $9.25 shipping and handling
Nonmembers: $85.00 plus $9.25 shipping and handling

Evaluation tools are an essential part of improving service and proving the library’s value. This easy-to-understand manual outlines five of the most valuable, proven methods of evaluation:

  • benchmarking
  • needs assessment
  • quality improvement
  • outcome measurement
  • library standards

Each chapter includes detailed, step-by-step guidance for defining goals, staffing the project, developing a timeline, collecting data, analyzing findings, and sharing results. Real-world library examples demonstrate what was evaluated and how the findings helped change the organizations.

Valuable managerial tools including checklists, forms, worksheets, and more—all reproducible from the CD-ROM—help you easily and effectively implement the successful methods. Managers in all types of libraries will find this an informative and practical resource for improving their organization.

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Order this publication online directly from the Neal-Schuman website.

Download the Neal-Schuman order form (PDF, 71KB); call 212.925.8650 (or toll-free 866.672.6657); fax, 212.219.8916; or mail directly to:

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To top of page Reviews

"The perfect place to start for any librarian contemplating this type of project." --review by Mary Shultz, AHIP, in Journal of the Medical Library Association, July 2008. Full review

"Complicated processes are presented clearly, broken into manageable steps with workbooks and real-life examples applicable to libraries of all types and sizes....Highly recommended for graduate and professional collections." --starred review in Library Journal, November 15, 2007

"Dudden takes every opportunity to clarify each topic, and give concrete examples, breaking each problem into smaller, less intimidating tasks." --American Reference Books Annual

To top of page Table of Contents

List of Figures
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements

Part I: Evaluating Library Quality and Performance
1. Why Evaluate?
2. The Effective Library
3. Library Measures

Part II: Working with Evaluation Methods
4. Method 1: Needs Assessment
5. Method 2: Quality Improvement
6. Method 3: Benchmarking
7. Method 4: Library Performance Standards
8. Method 5: Outcomes Measurement
9. Other Systems for Quality Improvement and Evaluation

Part III: Tools for Doing Evaluations
10. Data Collection and Analysis Methods
11. Skills for Communicating in Evaluation Projects
12. Tools for Improvement and Evaluation
Appendix A: Glossary of Terms
Appendix B: Recommended Reading (on the CD-ROM)
Index

                 Thanks to our MLANET sponsors!

Thanks to Rittenhouse for their sponsorship of MLANET.

Thanks to Nature Publishing Group for their sponsorship of MLANET.

Thanks to The Endocrine Society for their sponsorship of the MLA website!

                 Thanks to our MLANET sponsors!