BUILDING A MODEL BUSINESS CASE - CURRENT-AWARENESS SERVICE IN A SPECIAL-LIBRARY

Special librarians are increasingly being asked by senior management t o demonstrate the value of their services. Building a business case is an effective way to demonstrate the value of library services in a ma nner that addresses the financial and strategic concerns of the organi zation. This article describes the use of a customized business case m odel to evaluate ct current awareness service offered by the library o f the Ontario Ministry of Finance. This article will provide a practic al model of the business case approach that can be used by special lib rarians in other settings to evaluate a variety of services. The analy sis showed a variety of cost/benefits based on what would happen if th e service were not available, the cost of outsourcing, and the perceiv ed value of the service, including its contribution to organizational objectives.