Valutazione della biblioteca e sondaggi sull’utenza nelle biblioteche accademiche degli Stati Uniti

Academic libraries in the United States, like their parent institutions, are facing increasing demands for accountability and quality assurance in light of limited financial resources, increasing priorities, and questions related to return on investment. In addition to external pressures, academic librarians also seek to «provide the highest level of service to all library users» as stated in the Code of ethics of the American Library Association. Library assessment enables and empowers libraries and librarians to respond to external accountability pressures while also monitoring and improving service quality. This essay provides a general overview of current library assessment initiatives in academic and research librarianship in the United States with a particular focus on user surveys as a mechanism for gathering useful data for decision-making and service development.