by Greg MacAyeal ACRL College & Research Library News – June 2014 The Northwestern University Library recently established a committee to coordinate efforts related to assessment. Of course, assessment and evaluation have taken place at Northwestern’s libraries for a long time. However, recent calls for more accountability in academic libraries and higher education made us Read More…
Tag: United States
A Return on Investment Study of Salt Lake County Library Services (2013)
This study is a major research paper completed for an Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree at the University of Utah in July 2013. Snippet: To calculate ROI for Salt Lake County Library Services (SLCoLibrary), a mixed-methods approach was used to quantify the value of the public libraries in Salt Lake County. In the first Read More…
Santa Clara County Library District 2013 Return on Investment Report (2013)
This study was conducted by Berk Consulting for the Santa Clara County Library District in 2013. The report was funded by the Cupertino Library Foundation. Snippet: SCCLD’s full impact on Library District residents’ education, personal growth, community building, information and technology access, and quality of life is immeasurable. By estimating the value of a more Read More…
Minnesota Dept of Transportation Library Valuation/ROI Study (2013)
The Minnesota Department of Transportation Library conducted a valuation and ROI study in 2013. This study is one of the few valuation studies that have been conducted for a special (non-public or non-academic) library. Snippet: While an abundance of research is available for the ROI of public and academic libraries, practically no valuation studies have Read More…
Texas Public Libraries: Economic Benefits and Return on Investment (2012)
This study was conducted by the Bureau of Business Research, IC2 Institute, at the University of Texas at Austin in 2012. This study was funded with Library Services and Technology Act funds administered by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Snippet: Public libraries Read More…
The Library in the City: Changing Demands and a Challenging Future (2012)
This study was conducted by The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Philadelphia Research Institute in 2012. Snippet: Big-city public libraries have rarely been as popular as they are today and rarely as besieged. The hard economic times of recent years have generated increased demand for the free and varied services libraries provide, even as revenue-challenged local governments Read More…
Taxpayer Return on Investment in Florida Public Libraries (2010)
This study was conducted by the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development at the University of West Florida in 2010. It was funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Read More…
The Economic Value of the Free Library in Philadelphia (2010)
This report is authored by the Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania, and Fels Research & Consulting. Snippet: What value does the Free Library of Philadelphia (“the Library”) create and add to the economic lives and futures of its users and the citizens of Philadelphia? This was the central question posed by the staff of the Read More…
Worth Their Weight: An Assessment of the Evolving Field of Library Valuation (2007)
This study was commissioned by the Americans for Libraries Council as part of their larger program, “Building Knowledge for Library Advocacy”. This study, published in 2007 was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Snippet: Section I of Worth Their Weight approaches the subject of economic valuation from three directions: (1) a discussion of Read More…
Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development (2007)
The study was commissioned by the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) in January 2007 and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Snippet: Strategies for building a strong economic base are being realigned. Human resource strategies are coming to the fore, as jobs created in the new economy require highly Read More…