PMTF Final Report
Reference A

BENCHMARKING

Identification of best practice in another organizational unit, followed by its analysis and adoption. (Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Organizational Behavior, 1995.)

A Total Quality tool used to measure and compare your library's work processes with those in other libraries. The goal of benchmarking is to increase your library's performance by adopting the best practices of your library benchmarking partners. ("Library Benchmarking Explained", Library Benchmarking Newsletter, 1997.)

 

DISCONFIRMATION THEORY

An approach to studying customer satisfaction--as applied in service quality, it posits that, before using a service, a client has certain expectations about it. After the service encounter, he compares those expectations with actual performance and his perception is either confirmed (if they match), negatively disconfirmed (if the perception is lower than the expectation), or positively disconfirmed (if the perception is higher than expectations). (White, Marilyn D. & Eileen G. Abels) [see also Gaps Model]

 

EFFECTIVENESS

Extent to which a library is achieving its goals and objectives. (Poll, p.117)

 

EVALUATION

A systematic process which assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of certain activities and offers a value judgment of their value in terms of some criteria (such as goals and objectives). (McClure, "Measurement and evaluation." In American Library Association Yearbook, vol. 9, 1984. As quoted in Morgan, p 4.)

The process of identifying and collecting data about an organization or its specific programs, operations, and/or services. (Hernon & Altman, "Service Quality in Academic Libraries", p.15)

 

GAPS MODEL

A model formulated by Parasuram, Zeithaml and Berry in 1985 based on disconfirmation theory. The Gaps Model focuses on service gaps that affect service quality. (White, Marilyn D. & Eileen G. Abels) [see also Disconfirmation Theory]

 

IMPACT

Measures the actual impact of libraries (e.g. "How students' use of libraries affect their academic performance.") (Hernon & Altman, "Service Quality in Academic Libraries", p. 29)

 

INFORMATION SERVICES

Those activities and outputs which facilitate the use of materials and information and which normally involve interaction between the user and the librarian. (Edwards, S. and M. Browne, "Quality in Information Services: Do Users and Librarians Differ in their Expectations?", p.167)

 

INPUTS

Resources used by the library (Poll, p.117)

 

LIBRARY SERVICE (academic library)

a partnership between the librarian and the user alt. - a partnership between the librarian and the faculty (Chacha R. "An Experiment in Academic Library Performance Measurement", p.22)

 

ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Successful organizational transactions. "Organizational transactions" refers to any activities involving the interaction of people or units or both within the organization. (Kim Cameron, "Organizational effectiveness: its measurement and prediction in higher education." Ph.D. dissertation, Yale, 1978. As quoted in McDonald and Micikas, "Academic Libraries: the dimensions of their effectiveness.")

 

OUTCOMES

The service quality, satisfaction, and preferences, judged only from the perspective of the library's customers. (Hernon & Altman, "Service Quality in Academic Libraries", p. 29)

The effect of the outputs from the library on the larger environment, usually considered as benefits or impacts, e.g. the degree to which library use affects students' learning, (Van House, et al., p.117)

 

OUTPUTS

The products and services created by the organization, many of which are used by library patrons, e.g. use of materials or online catalogs, answers to reference questions, etc. (Van House, et al, p.117)

The products and services created by the library (Poll, p.118)

 

PATRON SATISFACTION

the reaction to a patron's subjective assessment of the degree to which the organization's performance met or exceeded some standard internalized by the patron (Stamatoplos, A. "Effects of Library Instruction on University Students Satisfaction with the Library", p.324)

 

PERFORMANCE

The degree to which a library is achieving its objectives, particularly in terms of users' needs. (Poll, p.118)

 

PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

Collection of statistical and other data describing the performance of the library, and the analysis of these data in order to evaluate the performance. Or, in other words: Comparing what a library is doing (performance) with what it is meant to do (mission) and wants to achieve (goals). (Poll, p.16)

 

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Precise and quantifiable indicators which serve as a gauge for the overall services (quantity) and their level of effectiveness (quality). (Dalton, "Performance measurement matters when evaluating the effectiveness of reference services." Mousaion, 6(2), 28-46. As quoted in Morgan, Performance assessment in academic libraries.)

 

QUALITY

The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. (Poll, p. 118)

 

SERVICE

• High Quality - Service: in which

  1) there is a perceived congruence between what clients expect to and what they receive or

  2) perceptions of service quality exceed expectations.

• Low Quality - Service: in which perceptions of actual service are lower than expectations.

(Edwards, S. and M. Browne, "Quality in Information Services: Do Users and Librarians Differ in their Expectations?", p. 163-4))

 

SERVQUAL

Diagnostic tool to measure service quality, defined as the difference between customer perceptions and expectations of service. (Nitecki, Danuta A. "Changing the concept of measure of service quality in academic libraries", p.181.)

 

SERVQUAL DIMENSIONS (Zeithaml, Parasuraman & Berry)

• Tangibles - the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials
• Reliability - the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately
• Responsiveness - the willingness to help customers and to provide prompt service
• Assurance - the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence
• Empathy - the provision of caring, individualized attention to customers

 

STAKEHOLDER

Any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of an organization's objectives, i.e., those who have or could have a stake or interest in the organization's activities. (Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Organizational Behavior, 1995)

 

SUCCESS (as perceived by the patron)

measure of how easy a system or process is to use and whether or not the patron is able to find the data for which they are searching (Diaz, K. "User Success in a Networked Environment", p.393)

 

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Management philosophy and company practices that aim to harness the human and material resources of an organization in the most effective way to achieve the objectives of the organization (British Standard BS 7850, as quoted by Brophy, p. 69)

 

10/9/98