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Unit 8: Leadership

between service and manufacturing industries is that in the former, there is usually a direct Notes
interaction between the customer and the service. Libraries and information services have
intensive direct interaction and also indirect contact with the customers. Because of the immediacy
of the interface, libraries must develop their own framework when integrating quality management
approaches into libraries.

8.1.5 Framework of Quality Management Approaches in Libraries
Having different characteristics, library services require special approaches of quality management
that go beyond the simple adoption of manufacturing techniques for a product. Quality management
related to library functions can be viewed in three phases: before service, during service, and
after service. Library services ultimately focus on satisfying the information needs of customers.
Before services are provided, the technical service departments should have required books
and information resources collected and value-added to enhance their value to the customers.
Therefore, the customer-oriented library should regard technical services as resource development
system to ensure that every customer has resources properly acquired, organised, displayed
or accessed. Having direct contact with customers, the public services should be regarded as
information service delivery system and focus on providing information to customers accurately,
promptly, and responsively to help customers solve problems, and build up customers’ knowledge
and ultimately enhance their productivity. Administrative management should be regarded as
the service support system to coordinate and allocate resources as well as provide support for
technical services and public services to satisfy customers’ needs, and to evaluate service
performance periodically and to continuously improve service quality.

8.1.6 Resource Development System

Largely concerning itself with backstage activities, a resource development system is the off-
line preparation for public services and has no direct contact with customers. For services in
which the customer need not be present, the service transaction can be de-coupled and standardized.
For example, acquisition is considered to be a customized service. Convenient access to Web-
accessible public access catalogue, however, has weaned customers from present interaction
with live librarians to interaction via online purchase request and, consequently, only routine
order preparation and communication is required. Most activities related to technical services
have technical and procedural standards to follow, accounting for why each function is characterised
by a high routine and process-orientation. International or domestic rules govern the cataloguing,
classification, and information organisation. In addition, standardized practices also exist for
acquisition and preservation, e.g., how order requests are to be formulated and transmitted.
In fact, many practices in technical services are standardized by actual work routines and
formalized based on a detailed and systematic study during library automation. Therefore, the
quality management of a resource development system should emphasise the concurrent control
of process to ensure that all books and resources have been accurately collected, accessed and
value-added appropriately. Quality by process control is the best quality management strategy
for a resource development system.

Task Explain some extra activities and qualities of libraries managers.

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