Library Performance And Service Competition

A practice-driven and proven resource for library administrators of all types of libraries. The work describes how the library can identify the service environment factors impacting customers; strategic needs; identify library competitors; strategic abilities and service environment impacts; and use the combined results to develop proactive competitive responses that drive the service environment instead of reacting to the service environment. These strategic competitive responses would allow the library to increase the value of its service impact and effectiveness while increasing customer appreciation and the libraries advantage in the competitive service environment. Written by a highly knowledgeable practitioner from the library field Experience of the author (library and for-profit management experience) provides a hybrid/blended view of library competition and management responses from both the library and for-profit management worlds Written to applicable to all types of libraries

What is an abbreviation? Abbreviations have a long history, created so that spelling out a whole word could be avoided. This might be done to save time and space, and also to provide secrecy. In both Greece and Rome the reduction of words to single letters was common. In Roman inscriptions, "Words were commonly abbreviated by using the initial letter or letters of words, and most inscriptions have at least one abbreviation". However, "some could have more than one meaning, depending on their context. An abbreviation, on the other hand, is also a way to shorten a phrase but with a slight difference. In general, abbreviations tend to shorten the word or phrase being referenced by literally shortening the word but not creating a new one. So for example, shortening the word “avenue” to “ave.” is an abbreviation rather than an acronym because “ave.” does not form a new enunciable word. Similarly, shortening the names of the months, such as “December” to “Dec.” is also an abbreviation because when reading “Dec.” out loud, you would just say the full term “December.”

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International Conference, UNESST 2011, held as Part of the Future Generation Information Technology Conference, FGIT 2011, Jeju Island, Korea, in December 2011. The papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions and focuse on the various aspects of u- and e-service, science and technology.

Now beyond its eleventh printing and translated into twelve languages, Michael Porter’s The Competitive Advantage of Nations has changed completely our conception of how prosperity is created and sustained in the modern global economy. Porter’s groundbreaking study of international competitiveness has shaped national policy in countries around the world. It has also transformed thinking and action in states, cities, companies, and even entire regions such as Central America. Based on research in ten leading trading nations, The Competitive Advantage of Nations offers the first theory of competitiveness based on the causes of the productivity with which companies compete. Porter shows how traditional comparative advantages such as natural resources and pools of labor have been superseded as sources of prosperity, and how broad macroeconomic accounts of competitiveness are insufficient. The book introduces Porter’s “diamond,” a whole new way to understand the competitive position of a nation (or other locations) in global competition that is now an integral part of international business thinking. Porter's concept of “clusters,” or groups of interconnected firms, suppliers, related industries, and institutions that arise in particular locations, has become a new way for companies and governments to think about economies, assess the competitive advantage of locations, and set public policy. Even before publication of the book, Porter’s theory had guided national reassessments in New Zealand and elsewhere. His ideas and personal involvement have shaped strategy in countries as diverse as the Netherlands, Portugal, Taiwan, Costa Rica, and India, and regions such as Massachusetts, California, and the Basque country. Hundreds of cluster initiatives have flourished throughout the world. In an era of intensifying global competition, this pathbreaking book on the new wealth of nations has become the standard by which all future work must be measured.

Libraries enter into strategic planning by a variety of routes, from dynamic technology and rising costs to budget cuts and pressure for change. In this book, Joe Matthews guides library managers towards a greater understanding of the role and attendant responsibilities of strategic planning. Academic, public, and special librarians alike will benefit from Matthews' cogent explanations, real-life examples, and time-tested recommendations. In the process, Matthews addresses such intrinsic questions as: Why is it important that I add strategic thinking to my managerial arsenal? How will strategic planning benefit my library, and is there more than one way to go about it? What is the best way of monitoring and updating our strategic plan for maximum effect? In each case, he debunks false impressions, attends to the goal of providing good service, and identifies at least one new way to communicate the library's strategic importance in the lives of its customers. Academic, public, and special librarians alike will benefit from Matthews' cogent explanations, real-life examples, and time-tested recommendations.

Social, cultural and technological developments are revolutionizing library services. The way ahead for the profession is now generally seen as a practical blend of traditional and electronic materials with integrated support services which fit seamlessly into users' normal ways of working. This is leading to a fundamental rethinking of the role of the library in society. Drawing on the author's recent research, this timely second edition of The Library in the Twenty-first Century offers a clear new model of how traditional and electronic sources can co-exist in the library of the future, building on the previous work by focusing on the library as a vehicle for encouraging creativity as well as a provider of information resources. It is now commonplace that libraries have a major role to play as expert intermediaries, helping users to gain access to the tools needed for effective acquisition and use of information, within the broader context of the networked information world. But it is beginning to be recognized that they still have a profounder role within their communities, and this book emphasizes that beyond the intermediary role is the vital requirement to promote understanding and engagement. Written by one of our most experienced librarians and drawing on a range of international research and development experience, this authoritative work offers the following topics: libraries in the modern world the view from the sectors cross-sectoral models the profession's view digital libraries what is a good library? linking users to resources beyond the intermediary the library user the information universe. Readership: This incisive text, supported by an extensive glossary and bibliography, proposes a practical agenda of issues for the information profession to tackle, and is essential reading for both established library practitioners and LIS students, as well as for library managers and administrators across all sectors.

Academic and public libraries are continuing to transform as the information landscape changes, expanding their missions into new service roles that call for improved organizational performance and accountability. Since Assessing Service Quality premiered in 1998, receiving the prestigious Highsmith Library Literature Award, scores of library managers and administrators have trusted its guidance for applying a customer-centered approach to service quality and performance evaluation. This extensively revised and updated edition explores even further the ways technology influences both the experiences of library customers and the ways libraries themselves can assess those experiences. With a clear focus on real-world application, the authors Challenge conventional thinking about the utility of input, output, and performance metrics by suggesting new ways to think about the evaluation and assessment of library servicesExplain service quality and customer satisfaction, and demonstrate how they are separate but intertwinedIdentify procedures for qualitatively and quantitatively measuring both service quality and satisfactionEncourage libraries to take action by presenting concrete steps they can take to become more customer-centricOffer a range of customer-related metrics that provide insights useful for library planning and decision making, such as surveys and focus groupsThis book shows how to nurture an environment of continuous improvement through effective service quality assessment.