Quality Assurance In Library And Information Services

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

In the present turbulent times and increasingly uncertain, complex and competitive world, the accumulation, processing and strategic use of cutting edge knowledge is playing predominant role for propelling growth and advancement in all most every sector of economy .In the present century generation of new knowledge, management and use of knowledge resources in becoming crucial of wealth. An awareness of what is happening and what is important in a developing knowledge based society, can help information professionals to restructure their institutions redesign their information ameliorate their operations, manage change and reorient their services to needs and convenience of contemporary and anticipated future readers. Knowledge based societies have mainly been created by the information technology revolution and are fooled by the internet, Because of globalization, growing competition and speedy access to vast global information resources, one can witness a spurt in knowledge activities and an enormously accelerating speed in work and action.

Introduction

The changing role of information professionals from ‘passive’ providers of information to ‘more pro- active’ ones has thrown many challenges before them. They will succeed in facing these challenges if they accept them as opportunities. This would imply that not only will they have to be contented with providing books and papers to their users, when asked for but they will have to acquire, process, read understand, interpret and apply the information for the ultimate use and satisfaction of their patrons. Hence, the collection they acquire, the process they use to organize the collections, the ways they design to serve their users, must be user-oriented and not provider driven. Implementing strategies with this end in mind will make ‘quality’ happen. With this understanding, it is fair to say that ‘quality’ is not a ‘quick’ is not a ‘quick fix’ and that it does not happen by chance ‘quality’ is a continuous process and needs commitment from everyone involved, right from top to bottom. This commitment can not be taken for granted unless he/she is made to understand and appreciate the value of his/her bit of contribution to the total cause.

Quality is nothing but delivering goods and service exceeding the expectations of the customers. These services need to be consistent every time. Therefore customer focus is the key issue in quality assurance. In a library situation the user is the customer and, therefore, quality, means providing library services which exceeds user expectations maintains consistency in service delivery.

Library and information context

If guided and inspired, what the father of the Nation has said in the following lines:

- A customer is the most important visitor on our premises;

- He is not dependent on us; we are dependent on him.

He is not interrupter to our work; He is the purpose of it;

He is not an outsider to our business; He is part of it;

We are not doing him favor by servicing him; He is doing us a favor by giving us a giving us an opportunity to do so.

Library and information Management will succeed in maintaining longitivity of quality assurance in library and information services if listening to ‘users’ become their business.

Quality Assurance in the Library

Collection Development –

Collection development takes. It is a dynamic and continuous activity. In order to develop a need based, balance, and active collection, a well-planned thought out system should ensure collection development on following lines:

Quality rather than quantitative acquisitions;

No ‘Mach’ and march like pressure;

No vendor patronage;

Selection based on user requisition/recommendation rather than on approvals/exhibition;

Strict adherence to delivery schedules;

Promptness in setting payment;

Neatness in budget keeping;

Exploit Internet based resources to ensure speed in acquisition; etc.

Designing and putting in place a well thought out instrument in the form of an ‘acquisition’ policy’ can help addressing the above concern. However, such instrument will have to be developed only with the active involvement of users concerned. Further, such instruments can not be definitive of all times but will have to be subject to revision and modifications at regular interval of time, keeping in viewer various parameters that include:

Change/modification in the organization agenda;

Change/modification in the user profile;

Vendor performance profile; etc

Organization –

The main activities in the ‘processing’ are: (i) Classification (ii) Cataloging and (iii) Subject/Key-word indexing. All these are technical and if performed with logic and user in retrieving his/her documents/ information expeditiously. In the present age when powerful computer devices and integrated library software are available, it does not make any good sense to assign a call number like and so on.

It is true for cataloguing and indexing also. We may no longer be fussy about punctuation marks and other and such little useful aspects prescribed by catalogue codes rather should instruct the machines to try all sort of permutation and combination in making intensive search for our patrons in desired fashion. Use of comprehensive database like that of the LC OCLC is advocated rather than redoing the same thing OCLC has done a project on cataloguing internet document by using rule-set named ‘Dublin core’(WWW.oclc.org.) . Since we are getting into the digital information world usage of ‘Dublin core’ will be of great help in cataloguing the documents as well as in economizing upon time aspect. Because of its very simple features, it will also help users in quick retrieval of information.

Services –

Creating awareness about the resources, facilities and services of a library & Information centre, facilitates optimal utilization of the same. Guidance in the usage of complex information resources in print as well as electronic media is what is becoming crucial for their advantageous explosion. Accessing, retrieving & delivering desired information, Scanned through library and other alternate resources (Like Internet) is posing a major challenge as well as opportunity for the librarians. Developing competencies to take care of such requirement is what can be a critical strategy for the librarians.

Cultural and Environment

Quality assurance requires a culture that prompts customer delight through continuous improvement involving participatory and creative problem solving approaches and a team ethos. These requirements can be met only if developing and sharing knowledge becomes a part of organizational ethos. Bringing in such a kind of culture needs to be addressed from the leadership issue. In the LIC, Leadership requires a transition from individual to holistic orientation, which, in turn will help in sustaining quality by integrating the activities all of its individuals and units.

Further, the whole style of management has to change from bureaucratic and hierarchical structure to a flat and team oriented one wherein, the entire team will have to be made responsible. The team members will consequently need to be a empowered to take decisions. The core issue for us is to recognize individual skills in an organization. There is an underlying assumption that more an organization can share its knowledge in an adoptive and creative manner, the more likely it is able to sustain itself in the force of change. Some of us in the work force, may have knowledge about the history of the growth of the system, others may know about IT implementation systems and so on, we need to leverage on the knowledge we already have. Concept of knowledge sharing could be endured in an organization by rewarding people for sharing knowledge, which further improves organization culture.

Human resource Issues

Advantageous absorption of IT in library has a tangible impact on man power. Since the work culture, methodologies, systems and procedure will under go a change, the job content and the profile of the individuals will also have to change accordingly. They will have to regularly trend in using newer technologies, be it in the area of working with computer (Hardware/Software), communication, networking, Internet or other related technologies. Such regular exposures will enable them to discharge there services better.

User Education

Another major concerned about reaching the goal of quality assurance is user education. In the present scenario. Users suffer from information over load and they have insufficient knowledge about what is available on internet in there own discipline. On the other hand there expectations have increased many folds manly because of internet and web. Students in particular intend to finish there academic/research projects/term papers etc. online as they expect to find everything on the internet. Increased user expectations have necessitated the need of refocusing on instructions by LIMS.

Organizational Preparedness

Given the present organization’s mission, goals, objectives and functions, the library has to clearly define its mission, objective and function via-a-via its relationship with the users. Understanding the organizational management, regular liaison and interactive skills act as catalysts to further developing this relationship. Based on this relationship, they should go in for suitable information technology product and information technology based products as services. The services thus rendered have to be standard, reactive and proactive. Such services will have to be extremely efficient and internally effective. In this regard, LIMS will have to go in for the state-of-art computers technologies, in both hardware and software communication technologies and networking technologies that are aimed at meeting the library’s objectives in a more cost effective manner. For these purpose LIMS in most of the situations will have to closely interact with experts in the IT area and it is through such closed interaction, meaningful and lasting solutions will emerge.

Conclusion

New technology creates opportunities for learner but they must be approached critically and used correctly. Libraries must be part of the process to inform and empower learning which technology that enables student to access and interest effectively with information in its many forms and formats – real and virtual and use responsibility and purposefully. One must realize that competencies such as saving downloading, manage, e–mailing, organizing electronic environments so that resources can be accessed. Librarians must seek advice of Information Technology experts in issues related to the selection, procurement, installation of and training in computer hardware and software technology, communication technology media as well as in the networking solutions. Their help will also be handy in term of internet connectivity/accessibility and design/development of internet based library application and so on.

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