Report of the
Excellence in Public Service Task Force,
Public Services Council
Phase I: Goals for Circulation Services
2001
Table of Contents
Executive Summary………………………………………………………….2
Report
1. Background and Introduction…………………………………………..4
2. Process……………………………………………………………………..4
3. Implementation Plan
a. Introduction………………………………………………………..4
b. Follow ups needed……………………………………………….5
c. Identification of resources needed……………………………7
d. Measures of success…………………………………………….7
e. Incorporation into unit & individual goals & evaluations…7
4. Phase II: Next Steps for the Excellence Task Force………………7
Appendix I: Goals for Circulation Service………………………………9
Appendix II: Components of Public Service……………………………14
Appendix III: Responses to Access Goal 3……………………………..15
Executive Summary
Report of the
Excellence in Public Service Task Force,
Public Services Council
Phase I: Goals for Circulation Services, 2001
- The Excellence in Public Service Task Force, a sub-committee of the Public Services Council, was formed by the Public Services Council in January 2000 to promote excellence in public service. Initial members were Elizabeth Byrne (chair), Imani Abalos, Phyllis Bischof, Nensi Brailo, Catherine Cortelyou, Gail Ford, Michelle Robinson Goode, Rick Love, Isabel Stirling (AUL, Public Services) and Jutta Wiemhoff. Rick Love and Nensi Brailo were replaced by Lea Mascorro and Peter Soriano; Imani Abalos was not replaced.
- While we identified numerous components of public service for which standards of excellence were needed (see Appendix I), we focused on Circulation Services because a 1990 Circulation Services Goals document existed and made an excellent beginning, and because circulation is the Library's most visible and most used public service.
- We followed the model established by the Organizational Culture Committee for process and used their Library Statement of Purpose and Library Statement of Values as principles for the formulation of Goals for Circulation Services, incorporating the spirit, if not the actual wording, where appropriate.
- We consulted with and incorporated suggestions from the Circulation Services Group, Roundtable, and the Public Services Council.
- The resulting Goals document sets forth attainable and user-oriented goals for circulation services concerning:
- Environment
- Information
- Access
- Collegiality and Cooperation
- Continuous Improvement
- The Goals were reviewed and endorsed by the Circulation Service Group and the Public Services Council. After Roundtable discussion, the Goals will be forwarded to Library Cabinet for official adoption and incorporation into the Public Service Manual for continued use by all staff.
Recommendations
- Post page one of the Goals document, "The Commitment," (see Appendix I) on the Library's public Website for users to see.
- Post the entire Goals document (Appendix I) on the Library staff pages as part of the Public Service Manual and/or the Circulation Services User's Manual, and distribute paper copies to Circulation Supervisors and their Unit Heads.
- Each AUL meet with his/her unit heads and circulation staff to discuss the Goals, reinforce their importance, address concerns, help plan implementation, including incorporation into unit goals and training, identify unit-specific resources necessary to attain them, and define indicators of success.
- After completion of unit-AUL meetings, if major concerns or library-wide issues are identified, AUL for Public Services host an Early Bird to answer questions and discuss the issues raised. One year after adoption another Early Bird be held to review the Goals and the implementation process.
- Appropriate committees or groups (that we have suggested in [italics] in the Follow-ups section) be assigned to create or update the outdated or non-existent procedures, related standards and training referenced in the Goals that are important in implementation and attainment.
- Circulation Services Group, in consultation with the Public Services Council, develop measures of success for the Goals.
- Public Services Council disband the current Task Force.
- Public Services Council recommend one member of the Excellence Task Force to serve on the soon-to-be-formed Doe-Moffitt Working Group on Reference Skills and Expectations in preparation for a January, 2002 PSC Excellence in Reference Service Task Force. The new Task Force can build on the work of the Doe-Moffitt Reference Skills Task Force and develop standards for library-wide reference service.
- Public Services Council coordinate the process of implementing the Circulation Service Goals and ensuring that issues identified as requiring follow-up be undertaken.
- Public Services Council appoint additional task forces to address standards for the other public service components identified in Appendix II.
Report of the
Excellence in Public Service Task Force,
Public Services Council, 2001
1. Introduction
The Excellence in Public Service Task Force was formed by the Public Services Council in January 2000 to promote excellence in public service. Elements of our charge are to:
- articulate existing service goals
- formulate service goals which are desirable, but not yet part of our environment
- draft library-wide performance standards in support of service goals
- identify skills and training needed to attain these service goals and performance standards
- itemize obstacles to meeting service goals and performance standards
- identify methods for evaluating and measuring services, including user feedback
- identify methods of integrating excellence into the organizational culture
We began our work by identifying the components (see Appendix II) and activities of public service, identifying existing standards and appropriate groups within the Library with which to consult, creating an action plan and timetable. We explored the literature on the subject and identified existing public service standards or goals within the Library and in use by other libraries. Shortly afterward, we realized that we could not tackle development of service goals or standards for all these components simultaneously or within our one-year time-frame. Since circulation is our most visible and wide-spread public service, and since circulation service goals were drafted in 1990 by the Circulation Committee, but never implemented, we agreed to focus Phase One of our work on updating these service standards for circulation services.
2. Process
In August and September 2000, using the Organizational Culture Committee's process for feedback and discussion, we distributed copies of the 1990 Goals for Circulation Services to members of Roundtable and the Circulation Services Group, and received their suggestions for additions, changes and deletions, as well as ideas on implementation. From September through November we incorporated these suggestions and reorganized the Goals to reflect and incorporate the spirit, if not the actual wording, of the Library Statement of Valuesand the Library Statement of Purpose. The new draft was presented to the Circulation Services Group for review and for assistance in identifying the quantifiable numbers related to timely access. The responses (see Appendix III) were used to create our recommended Circulation Service Goals below.
3. Implementation Plan
a. Introduction and implementation: the new Circulation Service Goals(see Appendix I)were reviewed and endorsed by the Circulation Services Group and the Public Services Council. The AUL for Public Services will present the Goals to Roundtable for discussion and forwarding to Library Cabinet for official adoption and incorporation into the Public Service Manual.
Once formally approved, we recommend each AUL meet with his/her unit heads and circulation staff to discuss these goals. We believe that such a meeting will reinforce the importance of and the seriousness with which the Library takes these goals. This discussion will also address unit concerns, help plan implementation, including incorporation into unit goals and training, and reassure staff that the AULs are willing to work with them toidentify resources needed to attain the goals and define indicators of success.
If, after AULs have met with their units, there are library-wide issues or recurring questions about the Goals, the AUL for Public Services may host an early bird to answer questions, discuss the issues and share solutions.
Paper copies of the Goals should be distributed to all unit heads with circulation services and to all circulation supervisors, and the Goals should simultaneously be mounted on the Library Staff Web in the Public Service Manual and/or Circulation Manual so they are easily accessible and become an official Library document.
We also recommend that the first page of the Goals be mounted on the Library Webpage's public side to inform our users of our service goals, perhaps in the section now called "Borrowing Privileges" or a new section on Library Service Goals.
We recommend that another Early Bird be held one year after implementation of the Goals to review their implementation and usefulness.
b. Follow-ups needed: the Circulation Service Goals document contains references or links to some procedures and standards that either do not exist or need updating. Below is a list of follow-ups needed to carry out and fully implement the Goals, and our suggestions in [italics] for the committees or groups that seem most appropriate to undertake them. To assist in the implementation of the Goals, we recommend that the AUL for Public Services assign the updating or creation of these procedures or standards to the appropriate group, and that PSC coordinate their progress.
Goal: Environment [Administrative Services Council; AULs]
3. We provide a safe and healthy environment.
NEED committee: reconstitute Library Safety Committee
NEED guidelines:"guidelines for what constitutes a safe and healthy environment"
NEED procedures: "regularly assess units and make health and safety improvements as needed"
4. We prepare for emergencies and difficult situations.
NEED update: "written safety and emergency response procedures" including earthquake preparedness
NEED training: train staff for emergencies and difficult situations
NEED procedures: review incidents after-the-fact to assess procedures and support systems
5. We provide--on-site or nearby--library computers, printers, microform readers/printers, copiers, and change machines
NEED procedures: assess the need for and placement of various equipment annually
Goal: Access[Circulation Service Group; AULs; Unit Heads; Preservation Dept.]
1. We work to match hours of on-site circulation services and study space to users' needs
NEED procedures: "assess users' needs annually and adjust unit hours accordingly"
2. We work to minimize the amount of time users have to wait for services
NEED procedures: to request backup assistance at circulation points when long lines develop
NEED procedures: for alerting users to delays and managing lines
NEED procedures: for notifying users when extra demands on collections and staff affect ability to meet goals
3. We make library materials available in a timely and accurate manner
NEED procedures: for measuring success in meeting discharging and shelving time goals
NEED procedures: for monitoring accuracy in discharging and shelving
6. We make return of library materials as convenient and reliable as possible
NEED procedures: for making return of library materials as convenient as possible (universal returns?)
8. We protect the collection and extend its life by applying conservation standards when binding, shelving and handling materials
NEED standards: for conservation and proper shelving and handling of collections
Goal: Collegiality and Collaboration [Circulation Services Group; Technical Services; Selectors; Unit Heads]
1. We work with Technical Services and Systems staff to create and apply standards and procedures for updating circulation and catalog records to ensure consistency and clarity of display
NEED procedures: clarify and publicize procedures for updating circulation and catalog records and informing appropriate units of corrections and changes needed
NEED procedures: for notifying selectors when demand warrants additional copies
NEED guidelines: for selecting items for off-campus storage
NEED guidelines: for circulation staff to inform selectors when stacks are overcrowded and need review for weeding or storage
Goal: Continuous Improvement[Circulation Supervisors; Circulation Services Group; Unit Heads; AULs; LHRD; Selectors, Library User Survey Team]
1. We communicate information that is concise and accurate in person, by telephone, and electronically
NEED procedures: establish procedures and determine responsibility for providing standardized, Library-wide training for new circulation staff
NEED procedures: for incorporating standards and guidelines into training plans and performance evaluations
NEED procedures: for use of results and information from user surveys and other feedback
NEED procedures: methods to collect and assess collections and usage statistics
c. Identification of resources needed: In order for implementation to be successful, we recommend that each AUL meet with his/her unit heads and circulation staff to provide reassurance that the AULs are willing to work with them toidentify resources needed to attain the goals. If expensive needs (training, equipment, additional staff, etc.) are justified, requests will be submitted as part of the annual budget process.
d. Measures of success: Goals and standards are only useful if they are implemented and their success measured. We recommend that the Circulation Service Group and the Public Service Council develop specific means of measuring if, how well, and how regularly the goals are being met, and what resources or responses are needed if the goals are consistently not met.
Possibilities include user surveys, material availability studies, inventories or shelf-reading of targeted high-use collections, counts of number of people and length of wait in lines for service (service point use), samples of length of time between a patron's placing a search and the item is located (requested-materials delay), etc.
Whatever measures are chosen should have clear criteria or indicators for meeting each goal, procedures that are consistently and uniformly applied and repeated over time, and the results reviewed for appropriateness, and used to assess where changes or resources are needed.
e. Incorporation into unit and individual goals and evaluations: Unless these Goals become integrated into our organizational culture, and are incorporated into both unit and individual training, practice and performance evaluations, they may be, like the original 1990 version, forgotten and set aside.
We recommend that AULs work with their units to determine how best to implement and measure attainment of the service goals for their units, and that unit heads and circulation supervisors incorporate applicable components into training plans, individual performance standards and annual performance evaluations. LHRD may also be able to provide assistance or advice on creating performance standards, etc.
4. Phase Two: Next Steps for the Excellence Task Force
Our Task Force spent several months clarifying the issues surrounding "Excellence in Public Service," refining its charge, and developing a process for the work. Phase One focused on Circulation. When the Circulation Service Goals and Recommendations are formally approved and incorporated into the Public Policy Manual, we will have accomplished the first part of our goal. We recommend that the current Excellence Task Force be disbanded.
We recommend that the next phase of work focus on Goals or Standards for Reference Service. We recommend that one member of the Excellence Task Force serve on the soon-to-be-formed Doe-Moffitt Working Group on Reference Skills and Expectations in preparation for a new January, 2002 PSC Excellence in Reference Service Task Force. The new Task Force can build on the work of the Doe-Moffitt Reference Skills Task Force and develop standards for library-wide reference service.
It is our hope that, in the long term, the Public Services Council will appoint additional task forces to continue to address goals or standards for the other public service components identified in Appendix II.
Excellence in Public Service Task Force of the Public Services Council
Elizabeth Byrne, Chair
Phyllis Bischof
Catherine Cortelyou
Gail Ford
Michelle Robinson Goode
Lea Mascorro
Peter Soriano
Jutta Wiemhoff
Isabel Stirling, AUL Public Services
Former members: Imani Abalos, Nensi Brailo, Rick Love
March, 2001
Appendix I:Goals for Circulation Services, 2001
(for public side of Library webpage)
Goals for Circulation Services
The UC Berkeley Library connects students and scholars to the world of information and ideas.
With a daily commitment to excellence…we provide… access to resources that are relevant to the campus mission of teaching, research and public service. (paraphrased from the Library's "working" Statement of Purpose) link
"We pursue excellence and offer quality service within the context of the Library's
stated needs and priorities. We have clearly stated standards of excellence. We regularly measure our performance against our standards of excellence."
— excerpt from the Library's "working"Statement of Values link to Library Statement of Values, C.
Commitment
We articulate our goals for Circulation Services so that
our staff have a common understanding of the standards we pursue
our users may know what to expect from us and what we expect from them
We aspire to the following goals:
- Environment: We provide a safe, clean, and collegial environment, which promotes effective use of library resources.
- Information: We provide concise and accurate information on the use of basic services and sources, and refer users appropriately.
- Access: We provide timely, convenient, and equitable access to materials.
- Collegiality and Collaboration: We work closely with all library staff and users so that we can meet these goals.
- Continuous Improvement: We seek and use feedback, and provide on-going training for our staff to improve our services.
2001