Slide 23 of 36
Notes:
Notebook #2 -This is a complicated step. We’re talked about what to benchmark - a process which needs improvement. What are some of the re-occurring problem areas found in libraries. Public Services? Technical Services?
Next we need to understand the process as it is currently practiced. That is not as easy as it seems. Most processes have evolved and new staff is trained by old staff and the reasons why various steps are done gets lost in the fog of time. Tell about the AF study. Explain how to do a Work Process Chart.
You must understand what and why something is done in your library before you can discuss it with partner libraries. Creating a flowchart or process map can help you understand the library process.
And last you need to develop measures, another 5-step process, for the process you want to benchmark. So what is a metric? A metric describes the quantitative data that you are going to collect on your work process
Benchmarking requires a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. Metrics help you collect quantitative data. Quantitative information allows you to identify a partner who performs a process better than you. The qualitative data comes from interviewing your best practiced partner. You develop a number of metrics to measure different parts of your work process.
. Having these measures, or metrics, will ensure that all members of your library staff collect data the same way and that all of your partner libraries in the benchmarking study collect data the same way.
These metrics should monitor aspects of your library process that are important to one of three groups: library staff, library clients and upper management.
