Comparing ourselves: using benchmarking techniques to measure performance between academic libraries

Report of the LIRG seminar: The Effective academic library held on Tuesday 12th June 2001 at Staffordshire University We can learn a lot from others. Benchmarking provides a structural framework for making comparisons with other organisations. The techniques enable us to learn from one another by looking at why there are differences in performance outcomes between organisations undertaking similar functions. This seminar concentrated on:- - Importance of benchmarking / benchmarking techniques - Establishment of benchmarking consortia - Utilising statistics and performance indicators - Practical examples of how academic libraries have evaluated and improved their services through benchmarking