Impacts outcomes: searching for the most elusive Indicators of academic library performance

摘要

Many indicators of academic library effectiveness have been accepted and implemented, but it is clear from the literature that measuring objectively the impact of academic library services has remained an intractable problem. While it is recognized that the value of library services is a multidimensional construct that will not easily be captured by single or simplistic measures, one of the major goals of academic institutions has always been the education and qualification of students that conform to certain standards. Academic libraries in turn have aimed at the provision of resources that assist students in complying with these standards.This presentation suggests that with two different approaches to the correlation of use data with final grades obtained at a South African university, it was indeed possible to demonstrate practically that students' academic achievement may be positively associated with using the library.