The 3rd Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML2011) was scheduled during the previous 2nd QQML2010 Conference. QQML2009 and QQML2010 were successful events both from the number and quality of the presentations and from the post conference publications in Journals and Books. QQML2011 will continue and expand the related topics.There will be session on Management & Marketing in the QQML 2011:
SESSION TITLE: Library management and marketing
Coordinator: Dr. Angela Repanovici, Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania
Leadership in managing services for diverse and complex groups of patrons
In this session we are looking to learn from best practices from libraries that have demanding, diverse and complex groups of patrons. How will academic libraries balance between demands from scholars from different traditions; the bookish humanities and the more journal-oriented Social Sciences? Is there anything to learn about catering for the different emphasis placed on bibliometrics as a tool for funding agencies? On what basis will the academic libraries that are in this kind of situation act and make decisions?
Performance indicators
Libraries, as well as other organizations, are under close scrutiny from patrons and funding agencies. The library manager needs some tools for assessing the performance of the library, both as itself and bench–marked with others. In this session we are looking for papers on best practice on performance indicators. What are good and useful indicators for performance for different kinds of libraries? How can library leaders and managers utilize the information derived from such indicators to improve the library services? Can performance indicators be used to market the library to stake holders?
Evaluation
Library leaders have to find some ways of gaining systematic information about the activities in their libraries. Staff meets users every day, so there is no shortage of impressions, ideas and mental images, if one as a leader can find a way to utilize this. Often, though, this information will be ad hoc and qualitative rather than systematic and quantitative, and as such less useful for improvement and bench marking in a library. What are efficient ways of evaluation for libraries? What examples of best practice can we find of different evaluation methods for different purposes?
User education
The traditional approach to library patron education is being challenged by several factors. One is the enormous amount of information that is available from libraries; so much, that it is not possible for anyone, not even the librarians themselves, to keep abreast of the development. Another challenge is the growing concern from stake holders and funding bodies that the population should become more computer literate and information literate, and seeing libraries as useful tools for this purpose. In this session we will look for papers describing best practises within the field of user education.
