Purpose of Web site

This Web site promotes putting science back into library science. Librarians are doing a great job sharing ideas using technology. Unfortunately, we are not using science to test those ideas.

The Central Kansas Library System is developing a simple science methodology.

1. Read past experiments testing what works and the researcher's explanation/claim for why it worked.
2. Based on past experiments and their explanations, list what we think works and what else might work.
   
3. Create and execute simple experiments testing what else works.
4. Record the results to build a collection of knowledge and understanding of what works.

The left-side menu called "What effects circulation?" contains three essays. The first essay, "The Principle of Least Effort," explains the theoretical concepts underlying our "creating reader-friendly libraries" initiative. The next two essays about "access to books" summarize experimental evidence demonstrating two ways the principle of least effort effects circulation.

The left-side menu called "Past experiments" provides links to more detailed summaries of experiments on patrons' use of the library.

The right-side menu links to "proposed experiments" mentioned in the essays.

At this time, CKLS is working on a "reader-friendly library" initiative. Therefore, the current focus of the experiments described and ideas discussed is about how readers select books in libraries.