Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine international trends in performance evaluation of public libraries. We examined major theoretical models for performance evaluation and its measurement guidelines and tools in the literature. We also conducted case studies to investigate actual practices in major regional public library systems in the United States. In-depth interviews with library staff were conducted in three large U.S. public library systems along with analyses of both internal and public documents. The results of the study inform that the most noticeable trend of performance evaluation was to assess the impact of public library in the lives of citizens and the society. Guidelines and methods to measure intangible impact were developed in both international and national levels. These efforts were also found at the local library levels. While the outcome and impact measures were found to be direct reflections of strategic goals of the library systems, actual impact measures have yet to be refined in actual library practices.