CALL FOR PAPERS:World Library and Information Congress

CALL FOR PAPERS

World Library and Information Congress

78th IFLA General Congress and Assembly 11-17 August 2012, Helsinki, Finland

Satellite Pre-conference

August 9, 2012

University of Turku, Turku, Finland

IFLA Statistics and Evaluation Section

IFLA Management and Marketing Section

IFLA Academic and Research Libraries Section

Library’s Efficiency, Impact and Outcomes

Statistical Evaluation and Other Methods as Tools for Management and Decision-making

The radical change in the operational environment of libraries has set new challenges for library leadership and management. The traditional method for libraries has been collecting a substantial amount of statistical data. This is no longer enough for modern management. New ways of analysing efficiency, impact and outcomes measurement are needed to obtain better data and information for marketing and managing as well as demonstrating the impact of libraries. In addition to the quantitative data, one also needs qualitative data and methods of identifying users’ needs. Finally, combining different types of results and data will provide new possibilities in fighting for the library’s resources and meeting the users’ service needs.

Main themes

1.Statistical analysis and qualitative methods as tools for the advocacy of libraries

2.Evidence based management

3.Case studies about efficiency, impact and outcomes measurement

Preliminary programme

8 Aug 2012 Library tours and delegate reception

9 Aug 2012 The conference

Important dates

1st December 2011 Deadline for submitting abstracts: Proposals for papers should be in English and include a structured abstract of no longer than 150 words and biographical details of the author.

The papers will undergo a review process by the Evaluating Committee and eight to ten papers will ed for this one day conference.

The abstracts should be sent to:

Markku Laitinen, the National Library of Finland, markku.laitinen@helsinki.fi

February 2012 Notifications of acceptance by the end of February 2012

1st June 2012 Deadline for submitting full text of paper: the paper should be no more than 3000 words in length. The paper should be in one of the IFLA official languages, but the conference language is English. If the paper is in any of other official IFLA languages than English, an accompanying translation in English must be attached.

End 2012/early 2013 Publication of proceedings: Electronic publication to be decided.

Instructions for preparing a structured abstract

Include a structured abstract with the following format of no more than 150 words (excluding the subheadings):

Objective: What were the reasons for writing the paper or the aims of the research?

Background: What were the context and motivation for the study?

Method: How were the objectives achieved? Include the main method(s) used for the research. What were the approach to the topic and the theoretical or subject scope of the paper?

Results: What was found in the course of the work? Summarize the key findings.

Conclusion: What were the key conclusions based on the findings?

Application: What applications are identified?

Evaluating Committee

- Markku Laitinen, Finland, Statistics and Evaluation Section, Chair of Evaluating Committee

Planning Officer

The National Library of Finland

Email: markku.laitinen@helsinki.fi

- Wanda Dole, USA, Statistics and Evaluation Section

Dean of Library

University of Arkansas-Little Rock

Ottenheimer Library