Public Library Evaluation: A Retrospective on the Evolution of Measurement Systems

This article aims to provide a historical and contemporary perspective on how public libraries establish indicators for measuring success, using the Free Library of Philadelphia as a focus of analysis. From the 1970s though the late 1980s, libraries focused on measuring internal statistics, such as bibliographic resources, to communicate the strength of their collection. Within the past twenty years, libraries have shifted their measurement structures toward outward performance in the communities they serve. The challenge today for libraries such as the Free Library is to establish structured formats for guiding community plans for their particular library and establishing agreed-on measures. Simultaneously, these structures need to incorporate ongoing evaluation methods.