Using these continuous improvement tools, mapped to the specific out-comes needed, your library team will consistently add value to its community, make a difference to customers, and improve services. The material for this book grew out of the co-authors' work over the past three years with the Indiana Continuous Improvement Initiative, a new approach to library planning and management that incorporates systems thinking models, sponsored by the state's Library Federation.

Based on more than 50 years of author expertise in organizational improvement, "The Quality Library" offers a methodology to pinpoint trouble areas and improve processes.In an environment of budget cuts and freezes, libraries must keep a tight rein on costs and inefficiencies. The efficiency of systems and processes goes hand-in-hand with excellent customer service. Managers, however, often find themselves far enough removed from the day-to-day activities in the library that they don't know where inefficiencies, mistakes, and poor customer service may occur.By developing a customer-focused...