How to evaluate suppliers with an automated system

Vendor evaluation data in online and offline format such as reports varies according to your system. The volume of data is also a key determinant. Advantages and disadvantages of using data obtained from automated systems are compared with those from manual surveys. The paper concludes that statistical data should not be the only input to ongoing supplier evaluation.     

How to evaluate rankings of academic entities using test data

In the field of scientometrics, impact indicators and ranking algorithms are frequently evaluated using unlabelled test data comprising relevant entities (e.g., papers, authors, or institutions) that are considered important. The rationale is that the higher some algorithm ranks these entities, the better its performance. To compute a performance score for an algorithm, an evaluation measure is required to translate the rank distribution of the relevant entities into a single-value performance score. Until recently, it was simply assumed that taking the average rank (of the relevant entities) is an appropriate evaluation measure when comparing ranking algorithms or fine-tuning algorithm parameters.With this paper we propose a framework for evaluating the evaluation measures themselves. Using this framework the following questions can now be answered: (1) which evaluation measure should be chosen for an experiment, and (2) given an evaluation measure and corresponding performance scores for the algorithms under investigation, how significant are the observed performance differences?Using two publication databases and four test data sets we demonstrate the functionality of the framework and analyse the stability and discriminative power of the most common information retrieval evaluation measures. We find that there is no clear winner and that the performance of the evaluation measures is highly dependent on the underlying data. Our results show that the average rank is indeed an adequate and stable measure. However, we also show that relatively large performance differences are required to confidently determine if one ranking algorithm is significantly superior to another. Lastly, we list alternative measures that also yield stable results and highlight measures that should not be used in this context.     

Reconciling rising serials costs, the serials budget, and reference needs in a medical library serials retrenchment program: a methodology

Devising a coherent serials retrenchment plan while maintaining quality reference service is a dilemma faced by increasing numbers of medical librarians. In 1991, the staff of the Shiffman Medical Library, Wayne State University, began to address increasing serials budget reductions that by 1994 amounted to a projected 20% maximum cut. The resulting retrenchment plan combined an ongoing serials use study, faculty and librarian reviews of cancellation lists, and systematic refinements in interlibrary cooperation and document delivery service. The Shiffman plan provides a constructive framework that can be adapted to other medical libraries facing immediate, major serials retrenchment.     

Ethics within the serials family

This paper raises and answers some basic questions related to ethical issues in business and personal transactions among serials publishers, vendors, and librarians. It describes a real case study of Kamkin, a serials vendor experiencing financial difficulties, as a springboard to review how to make ethical decisions. The author hopes it will provoke the reader to reflect upon the ethical components of individual actions and how to approach business relationships ethically. The principles noted here are equally applicable to those dealing with monographic or electronic-resources business transactions.     

A pilot project to investigate commercial document suppliers

In the winter of 1993/1994, the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) Libraries began a project to test several of the emerging commercial document suppliers. The purpose was to evaluate their responses in terms of speed, efficiency, quality, and cost effectiveness. The testing was done in four science branch libraries at University Park. In each of the branches (Earth & Mineral Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences) requests that were submitted for Interlibrary Loan (ILL) were reviewed. Those that qualified under the pilot project guidelines were sent to commercial suppliers of documents, instead of through the normal ILL work flow. Compiled data indicated that the cost of each item and the time taken to supply items were less than that required for ILL. The pilot project suggests that when integrated into ILL work flows, acquiring items through commercial document delivery suppliers would assist in making the process less costly and more efficient.     

利用Unicorn系统编制西文期刊机读目录方法浅谈

本文以期刊编目工作流程的方式介绍了Unicorn系统在西文期刊编目工作中的具体运用,并分析了引入系统后的利与弊.     

Evaluating suppliers for South Australian public libraries: The PLB principal suppliers agreement

The article reports upon the reasons for the drafting of a tender document, the Principal Suppliers Agreement, at the South Australian Public Libraries Branch. It discusses the need to be accountable to funding authorities by documenting the basis on how major suppliers to public libraries are selected. The contents of the agreement, the process of evaluating suppliers and the implementation of the agreement are described. The consequences of issuing the tender for both the institution and the companies and the evaluation of suppliers are also considered.