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Survey results and focus group discussions at the University of Washington suggest that the impact of information technology is pervasive, evolving rapidly, and indicative of major changes in the way research and teaching will be done.

The purpose of this study is to report on the findings of the two‐year Association of Research Libraries (ARL) sponsored project, “Making Library Assessment Work: Practical Approaches to Effective and Sustainable Assessment,”; it aims to examine the organizational factors that facilitate and impede effective data use and the implications for assessment in research libraries.

Information was gathered from a variety of sources, including: a self‐evaluation of assessment activities and needs done by each of the 24 participating libraries; extensive discussion with a designated contact at each library; a review of library and institutional sources such as annual reports, strategic plans, accreditation self‐studies, ARL and IPEDS statistics; and the observations and discussion that occurred during 1.5 day site visits.

The paper finds that libraries surveyed have made some progress incorporating data in decision making and services improvement, but there is much work to be done.

This is not an evidence‐based practice study but rather one that examines why evidence (the data on which a decision may be based) is not used more widely in libraries.

The decline in published thematic mapping, especially U.S. government census mapping, the growing availability and affordability of computers, and the rise of geographic information systems have been important catalysts in moving map libraries toward the establishment of public access computer‐assisted mapping programs. Until recently, most computer‐assisted mapping systems were tied to large computers and required a significant degree of technical expertise. A program on computer‐assisted mapping at the Spring 1984 Western Associa‐tion of Map Libraries meeting in Seattle found few examples of microcomputer‐based mapping sys‐tems and none that was really designed for direct public access. However, the past five years have seen the explosive growth of microcomputers and applications software, the rise of desktop publishing (and by extension desktop mapping), the development of large databases on CD‐ROM and their use in libraries, and increasing librarian familiarity with microcomputers. These technical advancements in combination with changes in data distribution have contributed to the recent rise of public access computer‐assisted mapping programs in academic libraries.

This paper aims to report on the first phase of a two‐year project sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries, “Making Library Assessment Work: Practical Approaches for Developing and Sustaining Effective Assessment”.

This paper reports on the project, which is intended to provide libraries with the knowledge and understanding necessary to select and apply appropriate measurement techniques, and to use assessment data in decision making. The focus of this effort is on practical and sustainable approaches to effective assessment. The paper is particularly interested in the successful application of assessment within different organizational cultures and moving library assessment from a project‐based approach to a more programmatic, integrated, and sustainable operation within libraries.

The findings of the study indicate that all the ARL libraries in Phase I are developing a stronger understanding of the value of assessment and library leadership supports this movement. It finds that there are staff in each library who have good research methodology skills, although they may not be involved in assessment efforts. It reveals that areas that did not receive a passing grade in most libraries included resource allocation, sustainability, prioritizing needs, choosing the appropriate assessment method, using data for improvement, and communicating assessment results.

The paper provides useful information on a project intended to help librarians in decision making.

During the past decade, many university faculty and students have changed the way they find and use information, getting what they need from online sources rather than visiting the library. This decline in the use of the physical library, combined with substantial investments in electronic information and stagnating university budgets, has led to a reappraisal of the role of the physical library in academic institutions. This contribution reviews the viability of academic branch libraries and examines efforts at the University of Washington to assess the physical library. A series of 20 performance measures was developed in four categories – use, primary user population, library dependency, and facility quality – to evaluate the viability of individual branch libraries and their potential for closure or merger with other libraries.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the service quality of the central library of Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services (IUMS) from the viewpoints of female and male users of the library.

The study was done using a LibQUAL+™ survey, consisting of 22 core questions. The research sample included 361 users of the library and the results were interpreted on the basis of gap analysis. The mean values of gap scores for female and male users were compared statistically.

The mean score for the overall adequacy gap for women was 0.08 while this score for men was −0.08. The overall and dimensions superiority gap for both genders were negative. Statistical analysis did not show significant differences between mean values of gap scores for female and male users. The desired level of service quality, as in most LibQUAL+™ surveys in non‐Iranian libraries, was not met by this library.

The similarity in some results of LibQUAL+™ in different socio‐cultural contexts implies that perhaps customer expectations from library services are somehow global.

The paper shows that the translated version of LibQUAL+™ , can be reliably implemented in different countries. Furthermore, though LibQUAL+™ is a web‐based survey, in the case of the countries where ICT facilities are not still completely established, its printed version can reliably be utilized.