Lib(rary) Performance

ABOUT THIS BLOG.  These posts are essays and editorials about library evaluation and assessment, library statistics, measurement, performance evaluation and similar topics, with occasional emphasis on how these topics pertain to public libraries.

ABOUT ME.  I graduated three years ago from the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science. I returned to graduate school after twenty-some years in information technology project management. I received my Master of Public Administration degree from the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, where I specialized in quantitative methods and information systems. I pursued library science, for one thing, because my first job after receiving my MPA was as a programmer at OCLC in the mid-1980′s. Another draw was a growing interest in the publishing field that I gained while working as IT director for a suburban newspaper chain owned by Advance Publications. Beyond these, my therapist and I are still sorting out the reasons for this life decision… Oh yes, and I wanted the intellectual stimulation of reading and writing, which grad school afforded. And now this blog serves as another outlet for this inclination.

I also have had a rather peculiar love for statistics and statistical theory, applied behavioral research methods, and related topics (including, would you believe, the pros and cons of statistical significance testing!). While in library school I completed a graduate internship at the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science in Washington, D.C. under the guidance of Dr. Neal Kaske, Director of Statistics & Surveys. (Since then the Commission was merged with the Institute of Museum and Library Services.) My original project was a mini-survey of library assessment instruments–but something (I can’t remember what) led Dr. Kaske to suggest I study the HAPLR rating methodology in depth. So, I did. Eventually, my thesis from that project was published in the Winter 2007 issue of Public Library Quarterly.

I consult with and provide training to library organizations in statistics, assessment, and performance measurement. With Dr. Keith Curry Lance, former Director of the Library Research Service, I am co-designer of national public library ratings for the Library Journal. And outside the library arena I do statistical (SAS, SPSS) programming and technical writing.