Research and evaluation for information professionals

• Main Author: Losee, Robert M. 1952- (Robert MacLean) (Author)
• Other Authors: Worley, Karen A
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego Academic Press 1993
• Series: Library and information science
• Subjects: Library statistics; Information science > Statistical methods
• Online Access: Click Here to View Status and Holdings.

 This text provides a detailed examination of the component parts of an information system, including evaluation criteria. It discusses, in both concrete and theoretical terms, the characteristics and function of information systems and how these may be measured and evaluated. The book also examines the trade-offs and balancing acts associated with juggling multiple criteria in decision-making. Discussions of statistical operations are largely non-formulaic, as is appropriate for the computer age. Virtually all students now run their statistics through a statistical package on a computer, so emphasis is placed on the appropriateness of tests and the proper interpretation of results rather than on the computational aspects. This book examines popular, easy-to-perform statistical tests that are computationally complex. The presentation of results is the subject of a separate chapter. State-of-the-art graphing techniques are described and methods compared. Emphasis is placed on the presentation of research results in both written and oral forms. Basic research methods in the broader context of evaluation of information systems are presented. This book should provide librarians and other informed specialists with research methodologies that can be used to solve problems and facilitate decision-making.