Practical issues of performance measurement in British and German university libraries

The paper reports a survey of 23 British and German university libraries, focusing on three aspects of performance. First, the extent to which the sample libraries used performance measurement is examined; most did so; there was also interest in measuring more qualitative aspects of service. Second, the use made of performance-related data was examined; a wide variety of purposes was identified. Third, the measurement of library performance presents the practitioner with considerable problems; some might be relatively easy to overcome, others seem more difficult to address effectively. The issue of making comparisons was controversial: whereas year-on-year comparisons in the same library were perceived to be useful, there were reservations about comparing different library services. The cost effectiveness of performance measurement is discussed.