Citation
(2014), "2013 Awards for Excellence", Performance Measurement and Metrics, Vol. 15 No. 1/2. https://doi.org/10.1108/PMM-07-2014-001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
2013 Awards for Excellence
Article Type: 2013 Awards for Excellence From: Performance Measurement and Metrics, Volume 15, Issue 1/2
The following article was selected for this year's Outstanding Paper Award for Performance Measurement and Metrics
"What business are we in? Value added services, core business and national library performance"
Judith Broady-Preston and Wendy Swain
Department of Information Studies, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report results of a research project which investigated how two UK national libraries categorise
their core business purpose together with an assessment of the role and relevance of additional (or value-added) services
in their strategic thinking, future planning and performance measurement.
Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative interpretive study, using a collective case study methodology, with the National Libraries of Wales
and Scotland as the core cases. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior managers in both institutions, together
with focus groups with librarians and library assistants, selected using purposive sampling. All instruments were piloted;
data from the respondents were recorded, coded, classified and cross-checked to ensure validity and rigour, using themed interview
schedules to facilitate analysis.
Findings – It is difficult to be definitive as to core and additional services as individuals have differing interpretations of the
terms. Changing customer demands and expectations, technological developments and the impact of a dynamic and complex economic
environment suggest it is more meaningful to reconceptualise services according to the extent to which they contribute to
achieving basic business purpose at any one time.
Originality/value – Libraries must demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness in service provision, and in relation to achieving primary purpose
and resource priorities in order to survive. Examining the relevance of defining and distinguishing core and added-value services
in relation to performance assessment and strategic vision addresses a gap in existing knowledge.
Keywords: Added valueChange, Core business, Digitisation, National libraries, Performance measurement, Performance measures, United Kingdom
www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/14678041211241323
This article originally appeared in Volume 13 Number 2, 2012 Performance Measurement and Metrics
The following article were selected for this year's Highly Commended Award
"Can we quantify the library's influence? Creating an ISO standard for impact assessment"
Roswitha Poll
This article originally appeared in Volume 13 Number 2, 2012, Performance Measurement and Metrics
“Web-tutorials in context: affordances and usability perspectives”
Haakon Lund and Niels Ole Pors
This article originally appeared in Volume 13 Number 3, 2012, Performance Measurement and Metrics