Strategies of Assessing and Implementing Quality Assurance in Nigerian University Libraries

University Libraries play significant role towards achieving the teaching, learning and research needs of Universities. This they can do by quality assurance of their operations and services. This study examines thestrategies of assessing and implementing quality assurance in Nigerian University Libraries. The population for the study comprised the Nigerian University Librarians. Cluster random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 18 respondents from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. A questionnaire was administered to sample size, of the eighteen copies of the questionnaires administered only ten were duly completed and returned. Data collected were analyzed using frequency and  percentages. The findings of the study showed that methods, criteria, strategies, and mechanisms used for the assessment of the quality of the university libraries were not uniform. The main strategy used for implementation of quality assurance was integration of the library` services quality assurance agenda into the university structures and the quality assurance mechanisms available and used in Nigerian university libraries were programme accreditation and benchmarking of library systems. The paper amongst other things recommended that the criteria, method, strategies and mechanisms assessment of library information systems,resources and services in Nigeria university libraries should be unified for easy comparability

Snakes and ladders: towards a post-maturity evaluation index of integrated library system ownership

Although the integrated library system increasingly dominates the information activities of library staff and users, there are very few objective measures available by which to evaluate its medium to long-term impact. This article moves towards the production of a simple, numerical index of ILS evaluation. It applies a variety of context-dependent evaluation methods to the different phases of the ILS lifecycle culminating in a draft index of evaluation. Although this methodology and index should not be regarded as a finished product, it should act as a useful starting point for further comparative studies, particularly those that seek simple ways to incorporate relevant, less-subjective criteria into the ILS evaluation process

Innovative United Kingdom Approaches to Measuring Service Quality

published or submitted for publicatio

Item sampling in service quality assessment surveys to improve response rates and reduce respondent burden: The ???LibQUAL+?? Lite??? randomized control trial (RCT)

The purpose of the study was twofold: (a) identifying whether item sampling using matrix sampling methods improved the well-known survey protocol, LibQUAL+??, and produced a viable alternative, LibQUAL+?? Lite; in particular, improvements regarding participation rates, completion time for the survey, and results comparisons are examined in the Lite version of the protocol within different institutional settings through a series of randomized control trials; (b) identifying whether there are differences in the total, subscale, and linking item scores between the long and the Lite protocol overall as well as within the three main user groups: undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty. For the purposes of this study data from more than 10,000 library users from 14 institutions that implemented randomized control trials during the spring 2008, fall 2008, and spring 2009 survey cycles were analyzed. Findings indicate that LibQUAL+?? Lite is a viable and preferred alternative to the long form of 22 core items that has been established since 2003. LibQUAL+?? Lite uses item sampling methods to: (a) gather data on all 22 LibQUAL+?? core items, while (b) each individual participant responds to only a subset of items. Every Lite user responds to one ???linking??? item from each of the subscales, and to a randomly-selected subset of five items from the remaining 19 (22-3) core LibQUAL+?? items. As a consequence, survey response times are roughly cut in half, while the library still receives data on every survey question. The matrix sampling method, the randomized control trial framework, and the statistical analysis methods outlined in the current study are useful heuristic methods for other high stakes library survey implementations whether for a physical as well as a digital library environment. These methodological approaches add rigor and thoughtful perspectives as they inform ways libraries shape their services and ???touch??? their users through improvements and innovations in the years to come

Discovering the factors impacting the evaluation of knowledge management in the organizational domain

The knowledge, skills and experience possessed by employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders are major components of an organization\u27s Intellectual Capital, the effective management of which has been found to be critical for business success. In order to manage knowledge at an organizational level however, it is necessary to be able to define it in the context of the organization, measure its existence and, more importantly, assess how its creation, use, dissemination, evaluation and management impacts business performance and learning. Whilst the term Knowledge Management has evolved since the early nineties into a generally recognisable management discipline in its own right, significant literature over the past eight years has focussed on the management of knowledge as a more generic organizational competence making Knowledge Management Initiatives difficult to identify and define and even more difficult to evaluate. Despite the challenges, the subjects of knowledge management and intellectual capital are gaining strategic management exposure particularly in relation to how investment in, and outputs from, these initiatives can or should be evaluated. Knowledge management and intellectual capital are inextricably related, and whilst some previous research has gone into evaluating knowledge as an extension or derivative of information and into intellectual capital as a discrete item on the balance sheet, little has been done to analyse the development of models that attempt to evaluate the impact of knowledge management as an organizational process or capability. A comprehensive meta-analysis by literature review of international articles dealing with knowledge management and intellectual capital evaluation from a broad range of business and scientific journals was undertaken to identify precisely what has been measured by public and private sector organizations within the Knowledge Management, Intellectual Capital and other closely related domains between the years 1996 to 2002. By the end of 2002, human capital based measures were found to be the most frequently quoted in KM literature. Financial, human capital, internal infrastructure and composite measures such as the Balanced Scorecard have grown in varying degrees in frequency of use, whilst customer, process, intellectual property, innovation and quality related measures have gradually lost ground compared to other metrics between 1996 and 2002. Significant differences occur in the evaluation and reporting of KM initiatives amongst the main geographic regions of North America, Europe, Scandinavia and Japan, but these differences seem to be more related to public policy differences and to management style than to a result of any definitive or deliberate differences in formal evaluation plans and methodologies. Generally, KM evaluation between 1996 and 2002 has focussed on explicit (rather than tacit), internal (rather than external) and outcome (rather than process) oriented measurement processes. Inadequate accounting systems, lack of measurement and reporting standards, lack of long-term vision and poor understanding of the contribution of knowledge to competitive advantage have been and remain major constraints to the future development of KM

The impact of external quality assurance on University libraries in Kenya

The study investigated the impact of accreditation, a process of external quality assurance (EQA) on university libraries in Kenya. The study demonstrated that globalization and commercialization had affected higher education systems. An increasing emphasis was towards outcomes of higher education and evaluators were looking for new data and indicators that demonstrate that students have mastered specific objectives because of their education. The philosophy of pragmatism formed the basis of this study and the mixed research method was used for data collection. This study adopted a sequential mixed model design and data was collected in two phases. Questionnaires and interview survey methods were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data for this study. A total of 27 (87%) of the 31 respondents from private and public universities completed and returned the questionnaires. Based on the findings from the questionnaire survey five heads of university libraries were interviewed. The findings of the study established that accreditation had made significant impacts on university libraries in Kenya. It was evident that the university librarians did not undertake self-assessment as a step prior to the accreditation visit. The standards used for evaluation of university libraries only covered inputs. The types of measures collected were only descriptive inputs of the libraries. From the findings, it was evident that there was no collection of statistics nationally. It was also evident from the findings that there were no specific performance indicators to facilitate self-assessment and benchmarking between university libraries.The study recommended that CHE should also advocate the use of self-evaluation in university libraries and evaluate university libraries based on evidence of normative practice, hence the need for revision of the standards. The standards should focus on outputs and outcomes of the library programs as primary indicators of quality. The study further recommended that university libraries in Kenya adopt the use of standardized instruments for data collection such as LibQual. In order to develop a culture of assessment in university libraries in Kenya the study recommended a performance evaluation model with a set of nine criteria including 26 indicators.Information ScienceD. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science