Indispensable or indifferent? The reality of information service performance measurement at the University of NSW Library

Richard D'Avigdor

Abstract
This paper discusses practical aspects of measuring service performance in an academic library. It outlines the local indicators developed and used in the social sciences and humanities Library at the University of New South Wales in two main areas of activity, the information service enquiry desk and information skills program. It lists both quantitative and qualitative measures of information service used. The difficulties in acquiring, processing and analysing the results of information service evaluative activities are discussed. The paper outlines the utility of such information, and proposes a meta-indicator that relates the resources needed to develop and maintain these indicators to the overall library effort in producing the services measured, and also relates the effort involved in developing these indicators to their direct use in library decision-making processes.