Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Libraries And Total Quality: Making The Patron A Partner, Todd Bruns, Rendong Bai

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Libraries began to see service competition for the first time in the 1990s, due to the Internet and Google. The necessity of being more customer-focused became apparent, and this resulted in the creation of LibQUAL+, a tool developed to quantitatively measure the quality of customer service (Saunders, 2007). While LibQUAL+ serves as a first step toward increasing quality and value for patrons, library commitment to responding to survey results is essential.

Although LibQUAL+ has been used by a wide range of libraries, this paper focuses on the use of LibQUAL+ by academic libraries, using two university libraries (Vanderbilt University and …

Getting A Good Read, Todd Bruns, Rendong Bai

Todd A. Bruns

Libraries began to see service competition for the first time in the 1990s, due to the Internet and Google. The necessity of being more customer-focused became apparent, and this resulted in the creation of LibQUAL+, a tool developed to quantitatively measure the quality of customer service (Saunders, 2007). While LibQUAL+ serves as a first step toward increasing quality and value for patrons, library commitment to responding to survey results is essential.Although LibQUAL+ has been used by a wide range of libraries, this paper focuses on the use of LibQUAL+ by academic libraries, using two university libraries (Vanderbilt University and the …

Getting A Good Read, Todd Bruns, Rendong Bai

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Libraries began to see service competition for the first time in the 1990s, due to the Internet and Google. The necessity of being more customer-focused became apparent, and this resulted in the creation of LibQUAL+, a tool developed to quantitatively measure the quality of customer service (Saunders, 2007). While LibQUAL+ serves as a first step toward increasing quality and value for patrons, library commitment to responding to survey results is essential.

Although LibQUAL+ has been used by a wide range of libraries, this paper focuses on the use of LibQUAL+ by academic libraries, using two university libraries (Vanderbilt University and …

Getting A Good Read, Todd Bruns, Rendong Bai

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Libraries began to see service competition for the first time in the 1990s, due to the Internet and Google. The necessity of being more customer-focused became apparent, and this resulted in the creation of LibQUAL+, a tool developed to quantitatively measure the quality of customer service (Saunders, 2007). While LibQUAL+ serves as a first step toward increasing quality and value for patrons, library commitment to responding to survey results is essential.Although LibQUAL+ has been used by a wide range of libraries, this paper focuses on the use of LibQUAL+ by academic libraries, using two university libraries (Vanderbilt University and the …

Marketing And Outreach In Law Libraries: A White Paper, All-Sis Task Force On Library Marketing And Outreach, Amanda Runyon, Carol A. Watson, L. Cindy Dabney, Liz Mccurry Johnson, Emily Lawson, Shira Megerman, Jamie Sommer, T. J. Striepe, Michele Thomas

Librarian Scholarship at Penn Law

In recent years, libraries have turned to marketing and outreach to better educate library users about services and resources while gaining an understanding of their needs. Marketing and outreach are relatively new concepts in academic law libraries, and librarians tasked with these functions have found resources and examples of this type of work to be lacking. Though focused on academic law libraries, the article identifies the challenges facing all law libraries, explains why libraries need marketing and outreach plans, and provides examples of marketing and outreach successes.

Making Change Happen In The Middle (Approaches To Innovation For Library Middle Managers), Robert Farrell

Publications and Research

This paper seeks to provide library managers with a theoretical framework for thinking about how change is effected by those in middle management positions. Starting from the principles that change takes place within socio-culturally bounded contexts and is most successful when approached indirectly, two scenarios characteristic of many situations requiring change middle managers commonly face are then put forward. Following each scenario, a possible solution or path towards change is advanced in order to provide the reader with models for putting into practice the theoretical ideas presented. A methodology that combines theoretical frameworks and practical scenarios is adopted in order …

The Effect Of Unions On Productivity In The Public Sector: The Case Of Municipal Libraries, Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Joshua L. Schwarz

Ronald G. Ehrenberg

[Excerpt] This paper represents our initial efforts at analyzing the effects of unions on productivity in the public sector. We first sketch an analytical framework that can be used to estimate these effects, focusing for expository purposes on municipal public libraries. We initially focus on libraries because considerable effort has been devoted to conceptualizing productivity measures for them and because of the availability of data to implement the framework. After discussing the analytical framework, we present preliminary estimtes of the effects of unions on productivity in public libraries based upon analyses of data from 71 municipal libraries in Massachusetts. We …

Addressing Information Needs In Sport Management, An Interdisciplinary Field, Kendra Spahr, Stephanie Wiegand

University Libraries Faculty Publications

Sport management as a scholarly discipline is relatively new, and very few students who earn doctorates in this field go into academia, instead choosing to go into practice where salaries are much higher. Due to these circumstances, literature research in sport management is difficult for students as well as librarians, as very little primary research exists in published journals and books. This poster reviews challenges for librarians, the best information resources to support academic sport management programs, common student questions, and tangential research areas that support research in this discipline.

Effects Of Library Instruction On University Students’ Satisfaction With The Library: A Longitudinal Study, Anthony Stamatoplos, Robert Mackoy

Robert Mackoy

Consideration of satisfaction should be an important part of the evaluation of library services. Satisfaction depends, to some extent, on patron expectations of services. This study evaluated changes in student expectations following library instruction and how they were related to overall, long-term satisfaction with the library. Satisfaction appeared to be related to student perceptions of information accessibility, staff competence and helpfulness, computer usefulness and ease of use, and skill level for using libraries. The study suggests that libraries may be well served by measuring patron satisfaction and learning what variables drive satisfaction at particular libraries.

Telling Stories Of Libraries And Leadership, Audrey Defrank

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

A presentation outlining the four frames of leadership and storytelling as they relate to libraries. Leadership Orientation Questionnaire; Overview; Inspiration; Leadership; Reframing Leadership; Structural Frame; Human Resources Frame; Political Frame; Symbolic Frame; Where do you fit in the frame?; Native American Storytelling; Organizations as Cultures; Story Narrative; Telling the Story.

Successful Liaison Marketing Strategies For Library Instruction: The Proof Is In The Pudding, Jamie M. Graham

The Southeastern Librarian

There are many tried and true forms of marketing libraries today. Networking, emailing, calling, and requesting an audience with a department are all common practices. The key to successfully utilizing these practices in your liaison areas is persistence.

Enhanced User Experiences Through Relationship Management, Michiel E. Moll

Michiel E Moll

Within libraries the need to be able to relate clearly to the customer and their needs is paramount. Although Customer Relationship management software does exist, fundamentals underlying the philosophy need to be in place first. For this librarians need to use three principles that are expressed as: 1. Be yourself, 2: Integrate as a team, 3: Go boldly!.

Practicing Librarianship Around The World, Deana Groves

DLTS Faculty Publications

More and more librarians are sharing their knowledge with colleagues around the world. This paper examines several examples of the type of international work conducted by librarians and also explores the various opportunities available worldwide. A general list of suggested travel tips is also included.

Use And Satisfaction Of Library Resources And Services By Hospitality Patrons: An Exploratory Study, Faye Hall Jackson, Heidi Sung, Lateka Grays, Joyce K. Thornton

Library Faculty Publications

A great challenge for present day libraries is to move from the thought process of being a destination location with a captive audience to positioning its services to meet the needs of its users. This paper explores the frequency of library use and satisfaction of library resources and/or services by hospitality education patrons. Using data collected with patrons (N=368) of five Hospitality Management programs across the country, the study found significant differences in library access, use, and satisfaction based on gender, academic status, and international versus non-international patrons.

Perceptions Of The Library: A Key To Planning Effective Services, Sue Alexander, William Black, Virginia Vesper

The Southeastern Librarian

such as questions answered, books cataloged, and dollars spent. Now we are called upon to measure the impact of those services on our clients. Stakeholder demand for accountability, changing accreditation standards, and state and federal concerns over student outcomes have driven a real concern for measurement from the client’s perspective. This will become increasingly important as demands for accountability and competition from other sectors increase. “Assessment and evaluation are intended as means to demonstrate institutional effectiveness, foster institutional improvement, and demonstrate accountability.” Programs such as the New Measures Initiative, from the Association of Research Libraries, have been developed to strengthen …

Organizational Cultures Of Libraries As A Strategic Resource, Michelle L. Kaarst-Brown, Scott Nicholson, Gisela M. Von Dran, Jeffrey M. Stanton

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

Theorists have suggested that organizational culture is a strategic resource that has value in ensuring the continuing existence and success of organizations (Michalisin, Smith, & Kline, 1997; Barney, 1986, 1991; Hult, Ketchen, & Nichols, 2002; Gordon, 1985). This assertion is supported by various studies that have linked organizational culture to broad strategic outcomes such as an organization’s ability to manage knowledge (Davenport, Long, & Beers, 1998; Storck & Hill, 2000), innovation capability (Hauser, 1998), and strategic management of information technology (Kaarst-Brown & Robey, 1999; Reich & Benbasat, 2000; Schein, 1985). Based on this research, we suggest that there are characteristics …

Web Based Business Information On A Budget, Andrée Rathemacher, Carol West, Alex Caracuzzo

Technical Services Faculty Presentations

Notes for a presentation, "Web Based Business Information on a Budget," at the New England Library Association Annual Conference 1999, Traditions: Where We've Been... Where We're Going. The presentation took place in Manchester, New Hampshire on September 27, 1999.

Business Web Page Design, Andrée Rathemacher, Kelli Belmonti

Technical Services Faculty Presentations

Flier for ACRL New England Chapter Business Librarians' Interest Group (BLIG) Fall Program, "Business Web Page Design." The program was held on November 12, 1998 at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Effects Of Library Instruction On University Students’ Satisfaction With The Library: A Longitudinal Study, Anthony Stamatoplos, Robert Mackoy

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Consideration of satisfaction should be an important part of the evaluation of library services. Satisfaction depends, to some extent, on patron expectations of services. This study evaluated changes in student expectations following library instruction and how they were related to overall, long-term satisfaction with the library. Satisfaction appeared to be related to student perceptions of information accessibility, staff competence and helpfulness, computer usefulness and ease of use, and skill level for using libraries. The study suggests that libraries may be well served by measuring patron satisfaction and learning what variables drive satisfaction at particular libraries.

Finding Investment Information In Libraries, Andrée Rathemacher

Technical Services Faculty Presentations

Thank you letter for a presentation, "Finding Investment Information in Libraries," to the Wickford Women's Investment Club.

The presentation introduced twenty participants to information sources useful to stock market inventors that are commonly found in libraries. It took place on June 18, 1997 at the Cold Spring Harbor Community Center in North Kingstown, RI.

Your Ticket To The Information Highway, Andrée Rathemacher

Technical Services Faculty Presentations

Thank you letter and program evaluations for a workshop, "Your Ticket to the Information Highway," sponsored by the Institute for Labor Studies and Research (ILSR). The workshop was held on November 15, 1996 in Providence, Rhode Island.

The purpose of the three-hour workshop was to “provide a basic understanding of the Internet, demonstrate labor-related sites, and give [participants] hands-on experience ‘surfing the Net.’” The workshop was one of a series of three intended to help participants become more effective union leaders. It received unanimously positive evaluations from the ten participants.