Excellence Configuration

At some point on the Journey to stock performance Excellence, a Library Authority will have to configure its adoption of EBSM to support the standards that go hand in hand with Excellence Achievement.

The key aspects to be configured at this point are the Tools that are scheduled, and the Targets and Parameters to be adopted.

Toolset Scheduling

The methodology has suggested elsewhere that it is unlikely that a Library Service will adopt all of the tools during the earlier Phases of EBSM. The key toolset that may not have been exploited is the Inter Authority toolset - stock transfer and swapping tools that enable Library Authorities for sharing resources to further improve stock quality and stock relevance at both the consortia and national level.

Clearly this is a complex area, and requires powerful tools to manage the large sets of data, timing and collection matching, to name but a few of the challenges that Library Services will undoubtedly face when trying to arrange Inter Authority swaps and transfers.

However, this should not be regarded as 'pie in the sky' - an unachievable goal. The methodology suggests that Inter Authority resource sharing needs to be adopted, and managed on a repeatable basis, for Stock Performance Excellence to be achieved.

The full Toolset that should be in place at this point is illustrated below:

Targets and Parameters

Clearly the EBSM targets and parameters that a Library Service adopts during this Phase will vary from Service to Service. The methodology cannot suggest a target setting or parameter setting for each of the EBSM KPIs that is the de facto EBSM standard that should be used by everyone.

For further advice on this subject specific to a Library Service, some of the EBSM training courses may prove to be useful.