Page 116 - DLIS406_ACADEMIC_LIBRARY_SYSTEM

Unit 11: Budgets

11.2.2 S.W.O.T. Analysis Worksheet Notes
S.W.O.T. Analysis is an effective way to identify your library’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,
and Threats. Your analysis will help you to focus your library’s services and programs on
areas where you are strong and where the greatest opportunities lie. This is an activity particularly
suited for the entire planning group or a sub group which includes both library staff and
library board members. You may even want to consider including some “outsiders” or library
customers in this process.

This analysis will help you compare your library’s strengths and weaknesses (internal assessment)
with the opportunities and threats presented by the library’s external environment. Begin by
making up 4 lists using the S.W.O.T. Analysis Worksheet to record them. Then match your
strengths to your opportunities, discuss ways to reduce or improve your library’s weaknesses,
and brainstorm about ways to protect your library against the threats you have identified or
ways to transform those threats into opportunities for library service.

The National Arts Marketing Project offers these rules for conducting a S.W.O.T. Analysis:
• Keep lists short: 10 items per list ensures only important factors are considered.
• Opinions must be supported with facts: One person’s idea of strength may be another’s idea
of a weakness. Having the facts to back up an argument gives it credibility.
• Show competitive factors: Perhaps you don’t have a direct competitor in your category, but
every organization competes for dollars so competition should not be dismissed.
• Prioritize and weight the factors in the lists.
• Use language that is clear and relevant to the task: Confusing or obscure language may
complicate your ability to execute the strategy.
Once you have completed your lists, Austrainer provides these questions to stimulate your
analysis:
• How can we use our library’s strengths to enable us to take advantage of the opportunities
we have identified?
• How can we use these strengths to overcome the threats identified?
• What do we need to do to overcome the identified weaknesses in order to take advantage
of the opportunities?
• How will we minimise our weaknesses to overcome the identified threats?

11.3 Costing and Cost Analysis of Libraries Services

The cost benefit analysis play an important role in the smooth functioning of an organization
and helps in the optimum utilization of its resources. Information and Communications Technology
(ICT) has accelerated exceptionally during the last decade, which has also increased the cost
of it. So, the need of the cost-benefit analysis has been arise for the usage of ICT in an
academic institution especially in libraries. Now ICT recognize as a valuable organizational
resource, like any other resources in an organization. ICT should also receive serious attention
of management for the adequate utilization of its benefits compared to its cost. ICT is the key
to the evolution of our practices in many domains, such as education, work effectiveness and
National productivity. The cost-benefits analysis helps in effective usage of ICT for its excellences.
This article gives brief introduction about cost-benefit analysis, its needs, importance as well
as meaning of ICT and its importance in the current scenario.

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