Abstract:

Currently, it is a very controversial issue the question of public services and their financing. The public services meets each of us in everyday life, often without realizing their extent and importance. Public library services belong to the cultural sector, as such, provides important benefits and rewards for society. These include the building of human and social capital, productivity growth and the creation of a skilled workforce. The development of culture is one of the primary sources of innovation and important leader in the economy as a whole. Especially important benefit of culture is particularly significant educational and informative functions. Due to the growing demand for education is a culture of great potential for further development and public library services have a significant effect on this development. The issue of public services is very complicated, especially because of the difficult measurability of benefits arising from their consumption. Foreign studies dealing with estimated values of benefits of public library services, using particularly the methods of contingent valuation and they monitor valuation of library services and effectiveness of library at the macro or mezzo economic level. The article will analyze foreign studies and here will be introduced the innovative approach in the methodology of evaluation of public library services, which will be conducted at the microeconomic level, focusing on specific libraries in the Czech Republic. The result will determine the specific values for one library loan and a visit to a library. The methodology for calculating the effectiveness of the public services will be a valuable tool for individual libraries. By their using will libraries be able to orientate in spending financial resources and make better decisions on which services will be provided and to what extent. The analysis also allows to monitor the extent to which individual services are used by visitors to the library and economically evaluated. This new approach to the valuation of library services can be utilized by management in determining each library measure the effectiveness of their economy. It is also a valuable tool for donators of libraries and public institutions on issues of decisions on the allocation of funds to public library services that have a significant impact on the development of culture and education.

Keywords:

Libraries, public services, education, measurement, valuation.