ABSTRACT
Measuring performance is a key management activity. Measures are needed to provide an indication of the effectiveness of a library or information service-however, services are notoriously difficult to measure. A service is intangible and depends on an act that is often variable, lacks consistency and depends on the interaction between the client and the provider. The production and consumption are simultaneous and transitory; special libraries and information services offer intangible services directed at peoples’ minds. The staff often have a membership relationship with their clients and usually provide services in discrete transactions. The services themselves are customised, the staff are specialised in meeting individual needs. Services can be delivered in person or through electronic means and may be offered from single or multiple sites, therefore measuring effectiveness is complex. Performance measurement can be seen merely as a reactive mechanism, responding to the need for accountability. Information service managers however should welcome the process, as above all they need to account for their services to their stakeholders and clients. It is they who will decide if the information service lives or dies, is worthy of investment or starved of resources. The indicators will tell the story of the service and it is by this means, by having an effective Information Strategy, that decisions on future strategic developments will be made.
