Quality Assurance Efficiency Studies and Best Practices How They Impact the Library
CHAPTER ONE
Objectives
To address the research problem, the objectives of the study were to:
- Findout users‘ perceptions of the quality of the services offered by the
- Findout users‘ perceptions of efficiency studies of the services offered by the
- Findout if users are satisfied with the library
- Make recommendations based on the findings for the improvement of service
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
This chapter presents the conceptual framework for the study by exploring further the key concepts that were clarified in section 1.9, particularly the concepts of quality, impact best practice. It goes further to review relevant literature on measuring quality assurance best practice. This includes literature on library stakeholders‘ approaches to measuring quality assurance; clarification of the difference between quality best practice; the need to measure quality best practice; the early approaches of measuring quality; recent trends in quality assessment; and ends with a discussion on quality assessment in developing countries.
Conceptual Framework
This section explores the theoretical concepts related to the construct of value, quality and impact. The rationale for selecting these concepts is to address the research questions of the thesis and to gain useful insights for construction of appropriate data collection instruments in order to increase the validity of the study. Works addressing these concepts were explored in the published literature.
The Concept of Quality
Quality is an issue of increasing importance in all types of organisations since people appreciate a quality product or service. Quality as a subject of academic interest gained impetus in the 1950s as a result of the studies by management experts like Deming, Juran and Garvin (Manjunatha & Shivalingaiah, 2004: 145). The concept of quality was mainly applied to products in the manufacturing sector. In defining quality, earlier researchers such as Juran (1980) and Garvin (1983) focused more on tangibles, that is, goods and products (Mei, Dean & White, 1999: 136). Garvin‘s (1983: 66) approach to quality is largely based on manufactured goods. He distinguished between internal quality (observed before a product left the factory) and external quality (incurred in the field after a product has been delivered and installed), and measured quality by malfunction. This was so because the manufacturing industry is mostly associated with producing physical products and objective concepts, hence it is easy to set quality standards and develop control procedures for goods on the basis of objectively measurable phenomena like length, weight, hardness, frequency, height and width (Snoj, 1995: 6).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter discusses the research process that was followed when conducting the study. It begins with the research paradigm, the methodological approach and the research design that was followed. The chapter outlines the population, the sampling techniques as well as the data collection process and the methods of data analysis that were employed for this investigation. The justification for the selection of the research design, development of research instruments, pretesting of instruments, study population and sample size, and mode of administering instruments are discussed and explained. The objective of the research was to find out users‘ perceptions of the quality and efficiency studies of NIJ and OAU libraries‘ services.
Research Design
The study consisted of case studies of two small university libraries in Nigeria. The case study research design was adopted for the study and augmented by quantitative data. The case study uses multiple research methods and can make use of both quantitative data and qualitative material (Fisher, 2007: 60). According to Iorio (2004: 60), the case study as an aspect of qualitative research is primarily for obtaining an in-depth understanding of complex phenomena that are socially related, and are not possible to quantify. The most acceptable definition of case study is by one of the most famous case study scholars, Yin (2002: 23) defined case study as a practical review that examines an existing phenomenon in its real life situation when the distinction between phenomenon and context are not obvious. ―In many instances the power of the case study lies in its capacity to provide insights and resonance for the reader‖ (Fisher, 2007: 60).
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
Background Data of Respondents
Questions 1 & 2: Please indicate your age. Which programme are you pursuing?
The total population for the third year students used for the study has been discussed at section 3.6.1. Eighty-two (61%) of respondents were enrolled in a journalism programme, and 53 (39%) pursued a programme in public relations. Fifteen faculty staff were interviewed. They were from the faculties of communications and social science, journalism and public relations, and advertising. The selections were based on their availability and willingness to participate in the exercise. Five of the six library staff were interviewed for the study and the researcher was excluded, two professionals and three para professionals. Some 84% of third year students who responded to the survey were between the ages of 21-30. Twelve (8%) were in their twenties and below, and 12 (8%) were in the 31-40 age group.
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Discussion of Findings
This section compares the findings of the responses from NIJ and OAU and considers their implications.
Perceptions of Quality
The perceptions of NIJ students about the library staff quality assurance were lower than at OAU. Faculty staff from both institutions perceived library staff services to be very good. Generally, the information resources at OAU were considered sufficient and the library environment was perceived to be of higher quality than at NIJ. Despite its shortcomings, NIJ library is nevertheless perceived as valuable to its users because it meets many of their information needs. Sixty-six percent of students graded the quality of the information from excellent to average while 34% thought it was of poor quality.
Conclusions
The study found that the libraries do not at present have any standard means of measuring their value. Libraries had previously been assessed in terms of the use of the collection and how satisfied their users were. McCreadie‘s study (2013) found similar concerns among the developing countries‘ libraries that she studied. From the current study it may be deduced that librarians lack the skills and techniques to gather data, to document, interpret and communicate this data to the authorities to help demonstrate their value. In view of the expertise built up through this study, regular follow up studies will be conducted to see how perceptions change as issues improve. The Feedback from such studies will increase the understanding of the expectations and needs of the users and how best to address them.
This research project was limited to two small libraries and it was found that limited work has been done on assessing library quality assurance best practice from the perspectives of students, faculty and library staff in Africa, apart from McCreadie‘s (2013) work on some selected libraries in Africa which excluded students. It is, therefore, recommended that further studies be done in other academic libraries to find whether these findings persist in other institutions.
A more evidence-based approach in demonstrating library value, for example, aligning the university goals against the activities of the library and the probable indicators that will enable the library to demonstrate value is recommended. For example, the correlation between the collections, library space, user education or instruction and the success of student learning, retention and completing of a course could provide evidence of library value in the academic community.
This study explored the perceptions of users and library staff of the quality assurance, library environment and information resources, and the extent to which they were valued by the users. Students at both institutions explicitly stated that they valued the libraries. What constituted value to faculty staff at the two institutions were the friendliness of library staff and access to information resources. It is anticipated that the findings of the study could serve as a guide to improving the services of the libraries for the benefit of users and the general academic community.
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