Library and Information Science

The present tendency of requesting more complex services to medical libraries makes it necessary for medical librarians to evaluate their library activities much more objectively than by merely using library statistics so that they can grasp the true situation of their services and be prepared to meet the changing demands of their library users. The quantitative method of assessing medical libraries developed by R. H. Orr and his colleagues and the criteria which John I. Thompson and Company developed for evaluating technical library effectiveness are two of the more objective methods to be recommended for the purpose, although there are many factors in library activities which are left unattended by these two methods. Further development in attaining more complete coverage of library activities by objectively evaluating methods is desired.