Electronic services and library performance measurement: A definitional challenge

摘要

Recent global advances in communications infrastructure, digital media, network services, and electronic commerce present transformational opportunities and fundamental challenges for libraries. Developments in these areas appear to offer opportunities for increasing and enhancing library service offerings, reducing costs, and for improving organizational performance. But the transformation to an integrated digital future is also generating uncertainty for libraries. New electronic services challenge libraries to differentiate transient developments from those with lasting impact. The ability to discern these transformational changes and to respond to changing requirements depends, in large part, on the concepts, tools, and structures needed for measuring these changes over time. Library statistics and measurements provide a framework for planning and tracking change.