Open AccessCost-Benefit Analysis of Electronic Information: A Case Study
Author(s) -
Gary W. White,
Gregory A. Crawford
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
college and research libraries/college and research libraries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.886
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 2150-6701
pISSN - 0010-0870
DOI - 10.5860/crl.59.6.502
Subject(s) - service (business) , product (mathematics) , cost–benefit analysis , electronic product , cost analysis , business , computer science , risk analysis (engineering) , operations management , marketing , operations research , economics , engineering , mechanical engineering , ecology , geometry , mathematics , biology
Library services and products have associated costs, including direct monetary costs and indirect costs such as time. The decision to acquire or provide a particular product or service should involve an examination of its costs and benefits to library customers. One technique for analyzing cost-effectiveness is to perform a cost-benefit analysis (CBA). CBA involves analyzing the benefits, or potential benefits, of offering a product or service and comparing them to the costs of offering that product or service. This article describes a study in which CBA was used to examine the cost-effectiveness of an electronic database. Librarians can use the results of CBA studies to justify budgets and acquisitions and to provide insight into the true costs of providing library services.