The economic value of library services for children: The case of the Czech public libraries

Public support of library services must be targeted towards children because these services play a key role in their development. However, no prior research has investigated the value of public library services for children. Specifically, earlier studies evaluated the value of public libraries as a whole, without considering library services for different stakeholders. The fact that children are not autonomous economic agents is another problem to address. These barriers can be overcome by using the contingent valuation method with parents/caregivers as the subjects queried and children used as the objects in this study. Thus, the economic value of library services for children can be obtained to support managerial decisions on services specifically designed for children. More precisely, this study is unique in that it develops a contingent valuation methodology for estimating the value of children's library services based on adults' willingness to allocate a proportion of municipal budgets. Both users and non-users were surveyed to verify the proposed methodology empirically. The results show that the perceived effectiveness (ratio between perceived benefits and costs) of children's library services is 11.2 (11.2 units of benefits for each unit invested) in Czech public libraries compared with 4.3 for a library as a whole. This finding confirms the essential role of children's library services, implying that public libraries should offer a broader selection of children's books and other services. The study also shows that the value of children's library services depends on the age, education and economic structure of the adults queried. In addition, their satisfaction with library services is another important determinant, indicating that public libraries can influence the perceived benefits of children's library services.     

The effects of cd-rom on library services

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The value of library and information services in patient care: results of a multisite study

Objective:

The research conducted a large-scale, multisite study on the value and impact of library and information services on patient care.

Methods:

The study used: (1) 2 initial focus groups of librarians; (2) a web-based survey of physicians, residents, and nurses at 56 library sites serving 118 hospitals; and (3) 24 follow-up telephone interviews. Survey respondents were asked to base their responses on a recent incident in which they had sought information for patient care.

Results:

Of the 16,122 survey respondents, 3/4 said that they had definitely or probably handled aspects of the patient care situation differently as a result of the information. Among the reported changes were advice given to the patient (48%), diagnosis (25%), and choice of drugs (33%), other treatment (31%), and tests (23%). Almost all of the respondents (95%) said the information resulted in a better informed clinical decision. Respondents reported that the information allowed them to avoid the following adverse events: patient misunderstanding of the disease (23%), additional tests (19%), misdiagnosis (13%), adverse drug reactions (13%), medication errors (12%), and patient mortality (6%).

Conclusions:

Library and information resources were perceived as valuable, and the information obtained was seen as having an impact on patient care.

Highlights

• Library and information resources were perceived as valuable, and the information obtained was seen as having an impact on patient care.
• Electronic access to information resources from multiple locations has increased the ability of health professionals to use these resources for improved patient care.
• The roles of librarians are diversifying to include management of electronic resources, user instruction and support, specialized research and clinical information search services, and involvement in institution-level quality improvement.
• It is possible to conduct a large-scale, multisite study on the value and impact of library services on patient care.

Implications

• Ongoing studies of the value and impact of library and information resources will be important for advocacy and quality improvement.
• Community-Based Participative Research methods hold promise as a way of ensuring the relevance of future research.

     

AHEC library services: from circuit rider to virtual librarian. Area Health Education Centers

The North Carolina Area Health Education Centers Library and Information Services (NC AHEC LIS) Network provides library outreach services to rural health care providers in all nine AHEC regions of North Carolina. Over the last twenty-five years, the AHEC and university-based librarians have collaborated to create a model program for support of community-based clinical education and information access for rural health care providers. Through several collaborative projects, they have supported Internet access for rural health clinics. The NC AHEC Digital Library--under development by NC AHEC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, East Carolina University, and Wake Forest University--will further extend access to electronic biomedical information and resources to health professionals in a statewide digital library.     

Developing of methodologic tools for planning and managing library services: 3. Standardized inventories of library services

A standardized procedure was developed for eliciting those details of a library's service policies that are important to its users and for recording the data by checking appropriate categories on a form. This inventory procedure covers the entire spectrum of user services and accommodates a wide range of policies. The inventory was originally designed for use by trained interviewers in largescale surveys of academic medical libraries. However, it is also suitable for other kinds of libraries, and the Interview Guide and Checklist can be used for a self-survey by library staff. In addition to survey use, the inventory has a variety of educational, administrative, managerial, and research applications. A method for weighting the categorical inventory data to reflect the relative desirability of different policies makes it possible to calculate scores indicating how a library's policies compare with those of an "optimal" library. An analogous inventory of the services a library provides to other libraries was developed for surveying major backup resources in the medical library system.     

The new library building at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

The new University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Library opened in June 1983, replacing the 1968 library building. Planning a new library building provides an opportunity for the staff to rethink their philosophy of service. Of paramount concern and importance is the need to convey this philosophy to the architects. This paper describes the planning process and the building's external features, interior layouts, and accommodations for technology. Details of the move to the building are considered and various aspects of the building are reviewed.     

图书馆复合型参考咨询服务的开展

计算机技术的发展和网络的普及使越来越多的图书馆走进了数字参考咨询服务时代，但图书馆传统的参考咨询服务仍有其发展的空间，如何将二融合起来，即开展复合型参考咨询服务成为图书馆界应重视的问题。本针对复合型参考咨询服务的开展提出了几点建议，以期图书馆界能更好地将传统参考咨询服务和现代参考咨询服务融合起来。     

The value and impact of information provided through library services for patient care: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE: An updated systematic review was carried out of research studies looking at the value and impact of library services on health outcomes for patients and time saved by health professionals. METHODS: A comprehensive systematic search was undertaken of the published literature to September 2003 in ERIC, LISA, MEDLINE, PREMEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and Google. Some handsearching was carried out, reference lists were scanned and experts in the field were contacted. Twenty-eight research studies of professionally led libraries for health-care staff, including clinical librarian projects, met the inclusion criterion of at least one health or 'time saved' outcome. Papers were critically appraised using internationally accepted criteria. Data were extracted and results were summarised using a narrative format as the studies were heterogeneous and precluded a statistical analysis. RESULTS: There is evidence of impact from both traditional and clinical librarian services. The higher quality studies of traditional services measured impacts of 37-97% on general patient care, 10-31% on diagnosis, 20-51% on choice of tests, 27-45% on choice of therapy and 10-19% on reduced length of stay. Four studies of clinical librarian projects suggested that professionals saved time as a result of clinical librarian input, and two of these studies showed evidence of cost-effectiveness. However, the clinical librarian studies were generally smaller, with poorer quality standards. CONCLUSIONS: Research studies suggest that professionally led library services have an impact on health outcomes for patients and may lead to time savings for health-care professionals. The available studies vary greatly in quality but the better quality studies also suggest positive impacts. Good practice can be gathered from these studies to guide the development of a pragmatic survey for library services that includes the direct effects for patients among the outcome measures.     

论图书馆价值观建设

本从图书馆价值观对图书馆发展的意义入手，阐发了建设图书馆价值观的意义。同时，分析了图书馆价值观的类型和特点，最后，提出培育图书馆价值观的方法。     

Outsourced library technical services: The bookseller's perspective

This paper looks at outsourcing library technical services primarily from the perspective of the relationship between outsourcing libraries and their suppliers. It first looks at why businesses outsource and how suppliers gain sufficient advantages to benefit those businesses. The author then extends these concepts to libraries and the booksellers who provide them with these services. Based upon business literature and practical experience, the author outlines some of the potential pitfalls in outsourcing arrangements and what can be done to minimize them. The author concludes with a call to temper enthusiasm for outsourcing in view of the sober realities of doing business in a complex, fast-changing environment.     

信息生命周期管理对图书馆信息服务的启示

本文在分析信息生命周期管理理念的基础上，探讨了图书馆可从延长馆藏信息资源生命周期、采用动态藏书模式、分级存储数字资源等方面着手，以提高信息服务质量。     

网络环境下图书馆服务的创新研究

章首先分析了网络环境下图书馆服务创新的动力，然后根据推动力的需要提出了几种图书馆服务创新的方式。     

图书馆的价值体系及其价值服务战略思考

图书馆的价值是读者价值、社会价值、资金提供者价值、馆员价值的动态有机综合。资金提供者价值是图书馆价值存在的前提和保证，读者价值是图书馆价值的核心和最直接体现，馆员价值是创造图书馆价值的基础，社会价值又是形成图书馆价值的基本资源和环境条件，并全面影响着资金提供者、读者、馆员价值的形成和提高。这四种价值相互促进又相互制约，构成了图书馆的基本价值体系。价值服务战略的核心就是如何围绕这四梦够值誓价值体系采取服务战略，来努力实现图书馆价值的最大化。     

农业图书馆用户需求与服务研究

本文针对网络环境下农业图书馆用户的需求特点进行探讨，并联系工作实际，从开展咨询服务、开发网上资源、建立虚拟图书馆等几方面提出了相应对策。     

The value and impact of information provided through library services for patient care: developing guidance for best practice

Introduction: Previous impact tool‐kits for UK health libraries required updating to reflect recent evidence and changes in library services. The National Knowledge Service funded development of updated guidance. Methods: Survey tools were developed based on previous impact studies and a systematic review. The resulting draft questionnaire survey was tested at four sites, and the interview schedule was investigated in a fifth area. A literature search in assia , Google Scholar, intute , lisa , lista , scirus , Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Knowledge), and the major UK University and National Libraries Catalogue (copac ), identified ways to improve response rates. Other expert advice contributed to the guidance. Results: The resulting guidance contains evidence‐based advice and a planning pathway for conducting an impact survey as a service audit. The survey tools (critical incident questionnaire and interview schedule) are available online. The evidence‐based advice recommends personalizing the request, assuring confidentiality, and using follow‐up reminders. Questionnaires should be brief, and small incentives, such as a lottery draw should be considered. Bias is minimized if the survey is conducted and analysed by independent researchers. Conclusion: The guidance is a starting point for a pragmatic survey to assess the impact of health library services.     

Assessing access: Surveying user services at library high density storage facilities

Millions of library items are held in storage locations, but how well are libraries providing access to those materials? A survey of North American research libraries was conducted to examine the services that were available at library storage facilities for researchers and students before the global pandemic, during the pandemic, and as libraries adjust and plan for the new normal as the pandemic recedes. In addition, results of previous studies of storage facilities are compared to understand historical trends in access to library materials held in storage. A better understanding of user services as a component of library storage facilities will allow libraries to better serve the needs of scholars and researchers as well as provide insight to those who may be planning future library storage facilities.