Advances in library administration and organization

measurement as well as the growing literature on customer satisfaction and service quality Gnmes’ findings validate mdependent research that shows the Importance and role of service quahty Regrettably, the author fads to address and connect her research to that cross-dlsclplmary literature Despite this weakness, Academic Library Centrality IS an Important work that links theory to practice It merits reading from everyone mterested m academic hbrananshlp Customer Service Programs m ARL Llbranes IS a recent SPEC Kit pubhcatlon As noted m the cover letter sent to dlrectors at hbranes of the Assoclatlon of Research Llbranes (ARL), “Llbranes have hlstoncally taken great pnde m the services they offer Several ARL Llbranes have recently moved mto even more active and organized programs related to the people they serve This survey seeks to discover the extent to which ARL hbranes engage m formally constituted customer service programs” (p 3) Furthermore, Soete, a consultant, notes that “customer service programs typically have one or more of the followmg charactenstlcs A written statement of service phdosophy, Organized processes for actively gathermg data about customer behavior or satisfaction, Use of data to adJust pohcles, services, or operations serve customers better, Measurement of service quality and consequent of service delivery,

to

adJustment

Trammg m effective service delivery, through both organized events or on-the-Job trammg, or Service pohcles that provide latitude for staff as they serve customers” (p 3) Seventy-five of the 12 1 hbrarles responded for a return rate of 62 percent There was no follow up with non-respondents, and the report bnefly gives responses to 27 questions The number of respondents vanes substantially from questlon to question Over 70 pages of the report provide “representative documentation” from different 10 hbranes reporting customer service programs The documentation 1s arranged by “phllosophy/gmdelmes,” “training programs,” and “assessment/datagathermg ” The term customer rervzce denotes “programs that focus, m highly organized ways, on the people hbrarles serve _” (accompanying Flyer 23 1) Clearly, the report examines customer service from an orgamzatlonal perspective, whereas the literature on service quality and customer satisfaction approaches service from the customer’s perspective The documentation includes examples from both perspectives and even addresses “problem patrons”-a separate topic-without dlscussmg the significant conceptual differences among these assorted topics They are not all the same The list of “selected readings” 1s most selective and dlsappomtmg The conclusion m the accompanymg flyer makes some mterestmg observations l

“Although formally organized customer service programs are a familiar feature of our day to day lives, they are relatlvely recent arrivals m academic research hbrarles While they seem to be growmg m number, they are not the norm for most”ARL hbranes Moreover, where they exist, the programs are uneven m intensity ”

“For some library staff, the very word curtomer and a focus on customer servcce are seen as a dnft away from core values-a dnft that includes a greater focus on accountablhty, fund-raising, and process improvement ” “A complete acceptance

1s likely to take some time ”

The final observation 1s most Interesting m that it suggests that service to library users 1s not the highest prlonty of hbrarles-an amazing admission m these times of resource reallocation, fiscal stringency, and mformatlon explosion Despite the hmltatlons noted, anyone interested m service quality, customer service, and customer satlsfactlon will benefit from browsing the accompanymg documentation There 1s even bnef mention of “customer service performance measures”both quantitative and qualitative ones (p 82) -Peter Hernon, Professor, Simmons College, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 021155898 Advances in Library Administration and Organization, Volume 15, 1997, edited by Delmus E Williams and Edward D Garten Greenwich, CT JAI Press Inc , 1997 329~ $78 50 ISBN o-7623-037 l-9 This volume Includes mne papers that focu\ on program assessment, workforce development, and orgamzatlonal design The overall quality of the papers IS consistently good, the topics are timely, and the treatment 1s interesting This reviewer would like to have seen a general mtroductory paper that pulled these three themes together m an mtellectually coherent fashion The mtroductlon by Wdhams does give the reader a good Idea of what the papers are about, but does not explain why the three issues addressed are Important to library admmlstrators The opening paper by Manlyn Domas White introduces a methodology for measurmg service quality She describes SERVQUAL, a methodology that defines quality as performance minus expectation, and then develops and applies an instrument to assess how well service programs meet the established standards Conme Van Fleet and Frances Haley continue the program assessment theme with a report of a public library proJect designed to identify library services to be measured, recommend methods of measurement, and recommend procedures for lmplementmg and reporting new measures of service The paper clearly describes the methodology used and provides a useful appendix of recommended measures Ehzabeth Plummer reports on the result of a survey on the use of customer service trammg programs m academic hbrarles m Ohlo The methodology 1s clearly described,, analysis of the survey 1s good, and the conclusions are useful This reviewer obJects to the mcluslon of a seven-page appendix hstmg the names and addresses of the hbrarles included m the survey as unnecessary Mary C Bushing takes a look at “Professionals without Degrees Rural Llbranans Defining Themselves ” Bushing interviewed mdlvlduals workmg m rural pubhc libraries with no formal preparation for hbrananshlp who were considered by state or regional hbrary systems to be successfully fulfillmg the role of mformatlon professional wlthm their commumtles The author notes that “95 percent of the 4,000 public hbranes servmg populations of less than 5,000 residents are staffed by mdlvlduals without a Master of Library Science degree” (p 149) Bushmg offers recommendations related to practice that ~111be

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beneficial to the library profession m supportmg staff m rural hbrarles Ray McBeth provides a good review of the literature related to management m mformatlon Intensive orgamzatlons This IS a well-wntten piece that could have well served as the opening for this volume If It contained Just a bit more analysis of the Imphcations for hbranes The last three papers on the structure of organizations Includes Edward O’Hara’s summary of case studies completed m elite liberal arts colleges and addressing the impact of the mtroductlon of mformatlon technology The mam difficulty with this piece IS that It lacks a reference point for the study The reader gets the impression the study was completed a few years prior to pubhcatlon Christen E Kollen, Nancy R Slmons, and Jennalyn W Tellman describe the 22 month redesign of the orgamzatlonal structure at the University of Arizona begun m 1992 They provide a good literature review, a clear explanation of the methodology used m the proJect, and a good overview of an mnovatlve and comprehensive organizational redesign effort m a large complex research library Kathleen Webb and Kerrle Moore follow with a case study of an orgamzatlonal redesign project designed to assist m the move toward a client-focused library The authors present a clear time-line for the work, and provide good tables that help to illustrate the methodology used and the findings from the apphcation of the Moos and Insel(1974) Work Environment Scale (WES) at the Roesch Library at the University of Dayton The final paper m the volume pre?ents the results of Hwelfen Weng’s doctoral dissertation work using “A Contmgency Approach to Explore the RelatIonshIps among Structure, Technology, and Performance m Academic Library Departments ” Weng provides a number of contmgency proposltlons recommended for further hypothesis testing This 1s a useful contnbutlon to research m hbrarlanshlp with the potential for application in practice The book offers valuable Insights mto current research and practice m library admmlstratlon, however, the editors’ overall orgamzatlon of the book was not as strong as it might have been The book IS recommended for academic and pubhc hbrarles.Carolyn M. Gray, Dean, Library Services, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10505 FGCU Blvd. South, Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565 Collegial Professionalism: The Academy, Individualism, and the Common Good, by John B Bennett Phoenix, AZ Oryx Press, 1998 193~ $32 50 ISBN l-57356-093-6 Bennett believes, and cites many others who believe, that American higher education IS m deep trouble Higher education has lost trust and esteem m our society and IS under increasing public scrutiny and crltlclsm Bennett believes there 1s good reason for the negative attention higher education 1s not doing the Job it should do He asserts that the culture of academia, with its “mslstent mdlvlduahsm,” concern for the “autonomous self,” and “academic professlonahsm,” Isolates professors from their colleagues, their mstltutlons, theu students, and the public This culture Impedes scholarship and education and has dlmmlshed the personal satisfaction and quality of life of the professonat The “emphasis upon nghts rather than responslblhtles, upon unilateral power rather than interdependence, reinforces the centnfugal forces and fragmentation that Isolate rather than empower mdlvlduals” (p 18) Bennett IS unsparing m his

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descnptlon and condemnation of the current academic culture and the behavior he believes It engenders-behavior that IS immoral, unethical, and self-destructive, and senously damages the academic enterpnse To Improve the quality of higher education and of careers m academia, Bennett promotes the adoption of a new model and value system-a “relational model,” characterized by “hospltallty” (openness to others) and “thoughtfulness” (Judlclous evaluation and sensltlvlty) Academic leaders-presidents, provosts, deans, department chairs, and Informal leaders among the faculty, as well as every professor-should recognize the deleterious effects of the prevalhng academic culture and strive to create a “relatlonal community,” which “emphasizes connectedness, colleglahty, and attention to a common good” (p 12) He IS prescrlptlve and specific m method3 and techniques that academic leaders can employ to change the culture, starting with the recruitment and mentormg of new faculty He advocates the development of exphclt departmental pohcles regarding behavior and attitude and enforcement by way of performance evaluation Bennett cares deeply about higher education, and, though probably not Intended to be, this IS an intensely personal book (a credo), marked by a sense of loss and \ometlmes outrage regarding the perceived detenoratlon of higher education m the past 40 years The concepts of “hospltahty,” “thoughtfulness,” and a “relational community” are elaborated throughout the book and repeated like a refrain or mantra, usually woven mto the discourse but sometimes obtrusively InJected Bennett has a remedy and he wants to spread the word This book IS definitely worth reading The blbhography and references are extensive, and Bennett draws on broad expenence as an academic admmlstrator and as the former director of the Department Leadership Program and the Office on SelfRegulation Imtlatlves at the American Council on Education There IS much m this book that many people will disagree with At the same time, whether one thinks this IS the best of times or the worst of times, many of Bennett’s observations rmg true, and higher education has, m fact, been subJect to disruptive external forces m recent years-forces that demand adaptation at a mmlmum and perhaps a fundamental change m the culture of academia For those m a posltlon to effect change m academia, Bennett provides some practical suggestions.-Martin D. Runkle, Director, The University of Chicago Library, 1100 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637 Complete Internet Companion for Librarians, by Allen C Benson New York Neal-Schuman, 1997 543~ $65 00 ISBN l-55570-3 17-8 This confusmg presentation of the Internet will make you appreciate the ways m which the rise of the World Wide Web has already tamed this wild frontier Benson’s Companion captures the chaos of the late 1980s and early 1990s on the Internet quite well, unfortunately ds a handbook it falls to prove Its value Benson often dwells on technical details while sklppmg cntlcal first steps For example, a whole chapter IS devoted to “estabhshmg a basic connectlon” to the Internet without once mentlomng the Infrastructure of local and national “Internet Service Providers,” which has grown m the last few years to provide this very connection Only a terribly outdated list of “Commercial Internet Suites” on page 82 even hints at the thnv-