Through vision, leadership, and creativity, Salisbury University's Blackwell Library transformed its access services department structurally and philosophically to better position itself to meet, and strive to exceed, today's user needs and expectations. Restructuring and the introduction of new leadership and new ideas provided the foundation for…

This paper outlines the emerging trends for leadership in the knowledge era. It discusses these within the context of leading, creating and sustaining the performance development cultures that libraries require. The first step is to recognise that we all need to take leadership personally no matter whether we see ourselves as leaders or followers.…

Library scholars and practitioners have frequently reflected on the various factors that in combination make up a hospitable library, but there has been little theoretical synthesis of the notion of the library as a place of hospitality. The hospitality industry provides a rich vein of theoretical material from which to draw definitions of…

Examines the relationship between strategic management and quality management concepts in a library and information services setting. Conceptual frameworks are presented and a new strategic quality management framework, inspired by the Japanese policy deployment approach, is developed that also discusses total quality management. (Author/LRW)

Over the years, the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) has experimented with various continuous improvement initiatives. Some projects fizzled owing to the universal killers of grand ideas such as inertia, inconsistent implementation, lack of buy-in, "flavor of the month" attitude, and the all-time favorite: if they ignore this idea it…

Explains the theory of learning organizations and offers examples from and implications for library management practice. Parallels are drawn between academic library reorganization and the ideas of learning organizations. (Author/JKP)

This annotated bibliography lists 36 books, reports, and journal articles on total quality management (TQM). Several discuss the implementation of TQM in the library setting. All but one of the sources were published in 1990 or later. Annotations include major themes and arguments, case studies, contents of collected works, and a number of…

Discusses three management concepts that can be used by special librarians or information management specialists to achieve excellence in information delivery: total quality management (TQM), quality information management (QIM), and the ideas in the Special Libraries Association's (SLA) "Competencies for Special Librarians of the 21st…

Discusses Total Quality Management (TQM), benefits to libraries, and possible barriers to its adoption. An overview is provided of 13 articles included in this issue on (1) library approaches to TQM; (2) implementing a TQM program; (3) supporting TQM efforts; and (4) learning from the experience of others. (EAM)

The University of Chicago's Joseph Regenstein Library Bookstacks Department has used process mapping and continuous improvement to successfully improve its overall operations. The most recent efforts focus on Lean manufacturing, an initiative centered on eliminating waste in manufacturing processes. The conversion of the Bookstacks Department from…

Describes the features of the Austin Public Library that made it Library Journal's pick for the 1993 Library of the Year Award. The library's outreach programs, use of total quality management, volunteer program, and the bonds between the library and the city government are covered. (KRN)

Discusses the use of total quality management (TQM) principles in libraries. Topics addressed include commitment from the library director; strategic planning; training needs for library staff; the identification and selection of targeted areas that would benefit from TQM; quality improvement teams; analysis; proposed solutions; and evaluation…

Often when total quality management (TQM) does not live up to expectations, that failure is a sign that implementation of TQM was simply fashionable "management hype" or "window dressing" without strong organizational underpinnings. TQM can have staying power when it is backed up by leadership basics of training people…

The past decade has seen an increasing emphasis on customer service in business research and management. Two concepts in understanding business customer service practices are discussed: the service encounter and total quality management. Highlights include customer service research and practices in business; implications for library reference…

Explains benchmarking, a total quality management tool used to measure and compare the work processes in a library with those in other libraries to increase library performance. Topics include the main groups of upper management, clients, and staff; critical success factors for each group; and benefits of benchmarking. (Author/LRW)