The value of library services in development

Abstract

In spite of their enormous power to propel human progress, libraries are increasingly asked to justify the resources spent on them, to justify even their very existence. In this climate, libraries must be accountable, responsive, and effective in portraying the value of their services to funding authorities, be they public or private. These imperatives have led to a new emphasis on quantitative assessments to provide hard evidence about the extent of their value to the society or their sponsors. Secondly as online information become more and more available, arguments against funding of libraries are increasing in number and Loudness. Therefore, assuring the proper functioning of libraries depends on demonstrating their value in the widest sense and to their widest audiences.