a while back, we started collecting FDLP Success Stories. Please check them out. This is also a good opportunity to remind folks to send us their stories so we can share in our successes!

Actually, this thread ties into your thread about promotion of depository libraries. I really think we as a community need to think about the terms "value" and "benefit." IMHO, these terms are loaded with economic meaning while libraries in general and documents collections in particular can not (or should not) necessarily rely on economic value/benefit or cost-benefit analysis to measure libraries' worth to their communities or documents collections to their libraries.

I just helped a researcher get his hands on a white paper for which he had a citation but nothing more. Turns out it had been submitted to a hearing which was available in our collection. Is there a way to economically measure the impact of my library having that hearing in its collection or my knowledge in knowing how to *find* that hearing? Can one measure that in terms of that researcher's success/scholarly output (which, BTW, is pretty impressive!)? I would highly recommend reading Library at Night by Alberto Manguel, a beautifully written reflection on the meaning and critical role that libraries play within our culture.

Yes it's quick and easy to measure the library's worth quantitatively in terms of # of visitors, # of items in the collection, # of reference "transactions" (another economically loaded word!), # of items checked out etc, but that doesn't even begin to tell the story of the cultural worth of libraries. We must remember that the item that meets the library user's need is of the utmost importance *to that user* no matter if it's been checked out 1000 times or never been taken off the shelf.

So I really hope that we take that into account when promoting library success stories and planning for FDLP's future.