User consultation in public library services

Morris, Anne; Barron, Elizabeth

doi:10.1108/01435129810232027

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(3 reference statements)

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“…Examples of this aspect of community engagement work in public libraries tend to focus around the consultation of users (often specific groups of users such as young people or people from ethnic minorities) in decisions relating to the design or redesign of library buildings or specific areas within them. User or public consultation has long been a feature of public library service management although the effectiveness of some of the more conventional methods used has been questioned (see, for example, Morris and Barron, 1998). Probably as a result of criticisms of techniques relied upon in the past, and as a response to government demands for wider and deeper engagement, library services have been experimenting with more innovative ways of gathering users' views and opinions often as a basis for making decisions related to library space.…”

Section: Community Involvement In One‐off Decision Making and In Relation To Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engaging with community engagement: public libraries and citizen involvement

Goulding

2009

New Library World

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of community engagement within a public library contextDesign/methodology/approachThe paper analyses selected literature discussing the concept of community engagement, focusing particularly on that considering community engagement activities in public libraries. Key issues are illustrated using examples from the literature and data from an interview‐based study of public library practitioners and policy makers.FindingsThe evidence suggests that the public library is being positioned as a key community resource. Community engagement in public libraries includes: making the library space available for community activities; working in partnership with the voluntary and community sector as well as with other public services; involving volunteers in the delivery of library services; activities to support community involvement in various levels of decision making. The paper concludes that library services have been quite effective at involving local people in the simpler forms of community engagement, such as surveying their opinions and consulting them on a range of issues, but they could do more to support the development of community capacity building. Activities focusing on work with reading and books could provide a useful way forward.Originality/valueThe paper provides empirical evidence of the views of key stakeholders towards community engagement activities in public libraries and should be of use to policy makers, practitioners, researchers and students of the public library sector.

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Section: Community Involvement In One‐off Decision Making and In Relation To Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engaging with community engagement: public libraries and citizen involvement

Goulding

2009

New Library World

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“…Morris and Barron (1998), Cullen (2001) and Woodberry (2006) claim that measuring customer satisfaction is the most commonly used indicator of library performance. However, it is possible to receive high scores in customer satisfaction surveys and still not be fulfilling the expectations of library customers (Audit Commission, 2002, paragraph 26).…”

Section: Service Quality and Customer Satisfactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is particularly important in the discussion on the use of service quality instruments in the context of library and information services, as the service quality scores can be construed as indicators of customer satisfaction (Woodberry, 2006). Morris & Barron (1998), Cullen (2001) and Woodberry (2006) claim that measuring customer satisfaction is the most commonly used indicator of library performance.…”

Section: Service Quality and Customer Satisfactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the gap between service provision and customer expectations

McKnight

2009

Performance Measurement and Metrics

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to serve as a reminder to all managers that they must understand their customers, from the customers' perspective, and not make assumptions about customer needs. Design/methodology/approachCustomer Value Discovery workshops are held with undergraduate on-campus students and academic staff at Nottingham Trent University to identify customer values and irritations. Library staff participate in the workshops and vote as they expected their customers to vote. The gaps identified between staff assumptions of customer perceptions of service importance and performance serve as a catalyst for staff engagement in the change process that is necessary to deliver on the value propositions and reduce customer irritations. FindingsLibrary staff assumptions of customer perceptions were not always accurate. The gaps identified helped to engage staff in the change process that was necessary to improve perceptions of value and to reduce irritations. By explicitly addressing the value propositions with the aims of adding value and reducing irritation, student satisfaction with library services, as measured by two independent satisfaction surveys, improved considerably. Research limitations/implicationsThe research is based on two customer segments of one university library. The research should be repeated after a gap of three-four years to check if the value propositions and irritations have changed in that time. If so, the goals of the library's operational plan would have to change to reflect the new value propositions. Practical implicationsA comparison of the Customer Value Discovery methodology with LibQUAL+™, which is used internationally, and the Rodski Research Group's methodology, used in Australia and New Zealand, is given. Originality/valueThe Customer Value Discovery methodology is most often used in the commercial sector. This paper explores its potential in the not-for-profit sector in the context of a university library service.

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“…9 To determine those needs, it is vital that library staff observe the facility while it is being used. This observation can be applied to the facility evaluation plan to justify the continued operation of the facility to meet the needs of the library service population.…”

Section: N Research Purposementioning

confidence: 99%