Library Performance Measurement in the UK and Ireland

Abstract : This survey was a joint initiative between Society of College, National, and University Libraries (SCONUL) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), that since 2004 has sponsored a program to assist libraries with the assessment of services that they offer their users and the processes that support those services. It was based on an ARL SPEC survey published as SPEC Kit 303 Library Assessment in December 2007. The intention of this survey was to produce a similar publication focused on activities in UK and Irish academic institutions, and reflects a matching SCONUL desire to provide tools, techniques, and data for performance measurement and improvement through its Working Group on Performance Improvement. The survey was distributed to the 180 members of SCONUL in September 2008. Seventy-seven libraries completed the survey, resulting in a response rate of 43%. All of the libraries that responded indicated that they engaged in various performance measurement activities beyond the annual collection of data for SCONUL