Ten years progress in quantitative research on libraries

Approximately ten years ago there developed a widespread interest in the application of Operations Research techniques to library problems. An extensive body of literature now exists. However, implementation has been limited and some important topics have been neglected. This survey reviews the areas in which most work has been done, identifies neglected areas and concludes that the progress and lack of it is typical of the application of quantitative research in social service situations. Numerous references are made to the literature.