For immediate release:
January 25, 2008

For more information, contact:
Kristina Justh
Association of Research Libraries
202-296-2296
kristina@arl.org

Proceedings of Library Assessment Conference Held in Thessaloniki, Greece, Now Available

Washington DC—The proceedings of the June 2005 Library Assessment Conference, co-sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Alexander Technological Educational Institution of Thessaloniki Library, and partially funded by the European Community Social Fund, are now available freely on the Web and for purchase in print.

The conference focused on the need for library assessment and discussed international developments and implications as they have evolved primarily in the Anglo-American tradition. It also examined more closely two methodologies that have widespread appeal and applicability: LibQUAL+^® and MINES for Libraries™ (Measuring the Impact of Networked Electronic Services).

The papers in this volume were presented as part of the conference and include:

• Colleen Cook, “The Importance of the LibQUAL+^® Survey for the Association of Research Libraries and the Texas A&M University,” focuses on the development of the LibQUAL+^® survey and its valuable contributions to the field of library assessment;

• Brinley Franklin, “Measuring the Impact of Networked Electronic Services (MINES): The North American Experience,” provides an overview of the MINES for Libraries™ survey methodology and results from US and Canadian institutional participants;

• Martha Kyrillidou, “Library Assessment: Why Today and Not Tomorrow?” outlines the role and projects of the Association of Research Libraries and its Statistics and Measurement program in assessment activities;

• Terry Plum, “Evaluating the Usage of Library Networked Electronic Resources,” focuses on data-collection techniques for e-resources, ARL’s e-metrics initiatives, and relevant standards for vendor-supplied data;

• Bruce Thompson, “Research and Practice: Key Elements of Success for LibQUAL+^®,” reviews the ways that trustworthiness of assessment measures such as LibQUAL+^® can be established, specifically by evaluating the integrity of aggregate and individual scores; and

• Stephen Town, “Academic Library Performance, Quality, and Evaluation in the UK and Europe,” is derived from the work of the UK and Irish Society of College, National, and University Libraries (SCONUL) Advisory Committee on Performance Improvement (ACPI) and discusses the changing emphases in performance measurement.

An electronic copy of the proceedings is available at http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/lac-greece-2005.pdf [1 MB].

To order print copies, see below:

Ordering Information

Library Assessment Conference: Thessaloniki 13-15 June 2005: Conference Papers
Mersini Moreleli-Cacouris, ed.
2006 * ISBN 1-59407-767-3 * EAN 978-1-59407-767-8 * 120 pages
$45, plus shipping and handling

Order by Mail or Online

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PO Box 531, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0531
Fax: (301) 206-9789
Phone: (301) 362-8196
E-mail: pubs@arl.org
Web: http://www.arl.org/resources/pubs/pubsorderform.shtml

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 123 research libraries in North America. Its mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is located on the Web at http://www.arl.org/.