The Evolution of Measurement and Evaluation of Libraries: A Perspective from the Association of Research Libraries

摘要

This paper reviews the evolution of measurement and evaluation inlibraries from the perspectives of three important figures who haveshaped the history of library assessment activities: James Gerould,F. Wilfrid Lancaster, and Duane Webster. Although Lancaster is abouta decade older than Webster and almost half a century removed fromGerould, the contributions of the three individuals knit a commonfabric in the development of assessment in libraries in the past century.In investigating the interconnections of the three individuals,not only can we gain an understanding of how we got to today???sworld of evaluation in libraries, but also we can gain a glimpse intofuture developments in the field. James Gerould was a library administrator,Lancaster was a library educator, and Webster was a libraryassociation executive. Each brought unique perspectives into theevaluation and measurement of library services. In this article weattempt to offer a tribute to Lancaster???s accomplishments within thecontext of the work done in the Association of Research Librariesas it was shaped over the years between Gerould and Webster, fromthe beginning toward the end of the twentieth century.