Costing medical libraries: the feasibility of functional cost analysis.
As a result of organizational changes in the National Health Service (NHS) there is a need for a coherent costing model for NHS libraries, particularly for the smaller libraries based in postgraduate medical centres. One possible model is functional cost analysis, whereby all costs are assigned to library functions representing services to users, such as loans from stock, interlibrary loans, enquiry services, etc. Using data from a 1991 survey of postgraduate centre-based libraries in the North West Thames (NWT) Region of the NHS, the feasibility and appropriateness of functional cost analysis is examined.
Jones
L
L
North West Thames Regional Library & Information Service, London.
Nicholas
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D
D002017:Budgets / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000191:economics; D005568:Forms and Records Control; D007993:Libraries, Medical / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007999:Library Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008131:London; D010934:Planning Techniques; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods