The problems of managing libraries have been multiplying. The operations of libraries have become increasingly complex, involving in many cases mechanization, centralization, and computerization of library services. The size and scope of collections have grown rapidly as they attempt to keep up with the geometric expansion of knowledge, and so have the variety of services offered or contemplated and the expectations of users. These kinds of change and growth have made it more important than ever that libraries utilize comprehensive frameworks for planning and decision making concerning their operations and resources, and the major focus of this book is on the development of such analytical frameworks for university and large public library systems. "It is in the spirit of making a contribution to the development of such frameworks," Professor Hamburg writes, "that this book has been written.... Since there is an inseparable need not only for improved library statistical data systems but also for the above-mentioned frameworks for rational planning and decision making, we have devoted considerable effort to the development of analytical models that might assist library administrators in making decisions that would maximize the flow of benefits imparted to the communities the library serves. Some of the results of this model-building effort are reported in these pages.... "Some of the methods discussed in this text fall within the discipline known as management science (or operations research). There is a large communications gap between librarians, who use English to make themselves understood, and management scientists, who routinely use mathematics as a language. We have tried to communicate clearly to those concerned with library management, and, except in parts of Chapter 4, we have managed to keep the presentation on a verbal rather than a mathematical level." The six chapters are entitled Introduction and Summary, Library Objectives and Overall Performance Measures, A Framework for Library Decision Making, Library Models and Empirical Findings, Development of a Management Information System for Libraries, and Higher-Level Decision Making.

The PLA Results Series has long served to help public librarians envision, evaluate, and respond to community needs with distinctive programs and services. Building from this proven model, Strategic Planning for Results is the fully revised version of Planning for Results, the foundational book in this groundbreaking series. Sandra Nelson, senior editor of the Results Series, focuses on the essential steps to draft a results-driven, strategic planning process that libraries can complete over the course of four months, regardless of organizational structure or size. Reflecting on the current planning environment for public libraries, Nelson makes the case for strategic rather than long-term planning and includes a wealth of information about understanding and managing the change process to help staff Assess the change-readiness of the library and preparing staff to implement forthcoming changes Simplify data collection and decision-making processes through the use of 14 reproducible workforms Identify service priority options and reach agreement as a group Successfully present and communicate within their library Including the newly revised and adopted Public Library Service Responses, along with case studies, workforms, and tool kits, Strategic Planning for Results offers librarians a wealth of ideas to effectively meet changing community needs.

A revitalized version of the popular classic, the Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, Second Edition targets new and dynamic movements in the distribution, acquisition, and development of print and online media-compiling articles from more than 450 information specialists on topics including program planning in the digital era, recruitment, information management, advances in digital technology and encoding, intellectual property, and hardware, software, database selection and design, competitive intelligence, electronic records preservation, decision support systems, ethical issues in information, online library instruction, telecommuting, and digital library projects.

This book, first published in 1983, stresses the need for libraries to weed out expenditures which do not contribute to their basic role - the collection and organization of information - when planning where and when to spend money. It illustrates how priorities and goals must change in accordance with changes in libraries’ roles in the information world.