Evaluation of Digital Libraries

Giannis Tsakonas holds a BSc and a PhD in Librarianship from the Department of Archives and Library Sciences, Ionian University, Corfu. Currently he works as a librarian in the Library & Information Center, University of Patras. Christos Papatheodorou holds a BSc and a PhD in Computer Science from the Department of Informatics, Athens University of Economics and Business. He is Assistant Professor at the Department of Archive and Library Sciences, Ionian University, Corfu, Greece.

The librarian interested in exploring how to carry out the evaluation of the library’s digital offerings will find a guide to help them ask the right questions to advance further. …an interesting set of contributions on the subject of evaluating digital libraries., Information Research

• Introduction: The framework for digital library evaluation. Part 1 To whom it may concern: From usage to user: Library metrics and expectations for the evaluation of digital libraries; An agency perspective on digital library evaluation. Part 2 What to place under the evaluation lens: What should we take into consideration when we talk about usability? Users and digital libraries: An insightful story; Towards an infrastructure for digital library performance evaluation; Employing deep log analysis to evaluate the information-seeking behaviour of users of digital libraries. Part 3 Behind the evaluation curtain: The push-me-pull-you of design and evaluation; Extending borders: Outcomes assessment in the era of digital libraries; Digital library service quality: What does it look like? Part 4 How to conduct an evaluation activity: Planning digital library evaluation with logic models; Examining how end users use and perceive digital libraries: A qualitative approach; Investigating users’ perceptions and acceptance of digital libraries: A quantitative approach.