ABSTRACT
It is important to devise a systematic regime of assessment which meets the needs of the library and can be understood outside the library by a parent body or users. This usually involves an annual overview survey to identify more general problems, backed up by a range of methods, to clarify specific issues. It helps to know where you ‘fit in’. John Sumsion, former head of the Library and Information Statistics Unit has devised a classification of universities as follows (Sumsion 1994):
large and postgraduate and miscellaneous
pre-1960 universities
post-1960 pre-1992 universities
1992 universities (former polytechnics)
HE colleges: education and general
HE specialist colleges.
