The evaluation of automated library systems is an essential component of system planning and implementation. The type of information needed -technical, organizational or patron service - will determine the tools and methods of evaluation. Complementary but sometimes competing perspectives have an impact on the objectives and nature of system assessment. The system designer, the system vendor, the automation project director, the library administrator, and the staff and patron users of the system all have a significant stake in the application of evaluation results. It is the perspective of the system user that must, however, achieve hegemony over all others and drive the evaluation process. Evaluation presents the opportunity to learn a great deal about user needs, preferences and behavior, and about the responsiveness of automated systems.
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