This outstanding volume won the 1986 Ida and George Eliot Prize--awarded by the Medical Library Association for the work judged most effective in furthering medical librarianship. Library professionals review the controversy behind fee-for-service programs and provide a rationale for incorporating them into contemporary library philosophies of service. Some fee-based services are necessary for survival in a society that treats information as a marketable commodity; this comprehensive book gives practical advice on cost analysis, cost recovery and marketing of reference services, and presents information on establishing a fee-based information service, as well as examples of successful information service programs.

With tax-funded organizations under microscopic scrutiny, library directors need to make a strong public case for the value their library provides. Measuring Your Library's Value, designed to serve large to medium-sized public libraries, gives librarians the tools to conduct a defensible and credible Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). Based on research funded by IMLS and PLA, this hands-on reference covers the economic basics with librarian-friendly terms and examples, preparing library leaders to collaborate with economist-consultants. Library directors and trustees will learn how to credibly measure the dollars and cents value your community receives from library services and access proven examples for communicating what different community stakeholders need to hear.

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