ERIC Number: EJ875902
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Oct
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0024-2519
EISSN: N/A
Balancing the Books: Emphasizing the Importance of Qualitative Evaluation for Understanding Electronic Information Services
Dalton, Pete; McNicol, Sarah
Library Quarterly, v74 n4 p455-468 Oct 2004
Evaluation in Library and Information Services has traditionally focused on quantitative measures of input and output. This trend has been generally reflected in the emerging efforts relating to the evaluation of electronic information services (EIS). Less well developed are qualitative approaches to evaluation of EIS. Issues that feature high on the agenda of the U.K. government are inclusion and learning; widening participation and lifelong learning cannot be effectively measured by quantitative data alone. The library sector needs to draw on the experiences of other disciplines in the use of mixed methods and user-focused evaluation. Libraries often lack the skills and time to prioritize qualitative evaluation methods; however, the eVALUEd tool kit provides librarians with a range of tools to support them in undertaking person-centered, qualitative evaluation of EIS.
Descriptors: Electronic Publishing, Lifelong Learning, Evaluation Methods, Information Services, Qualitative Research, Electronic Libraries, Foreign Countries, Library Services
University of Chicago Press. Journals Division, P.O. Box 37005, Chicago, IL 60637. Tel: 877-705-188; Tel: 773-753-3347; Fax: 877-705-1879; Fax: 773-753-0811; e-mail: subscriptions@press.uchicago.edu; Web site: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Media Staff
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A