Simone Fühles-Ubach
Cologne University of Applied Sciences
Simone Fühles-Ubach studied library and information science. For almost 10 years, she worked in the administration of the German Bundestag. She did her PhD at the Humboldt University in Berlin. Since 1998, she has been working as a professor for library management. Her research interests: user research and performance measurement.
Purpose:
The paper describes the different positions and roles that research libraries may have in their funding organizations: center or periphery, making a difference respecting the overall strategy or having just a strategy of their own; having strong communication links to the top management as well or just to their users.
Design, methodology or approach:
Since 2008 the Joint Science Conference (Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz – GWK) in Germany deals with all questions of research funding, science and research policy strategies and the science system which jointly affect the Federal Government and the Länder. For the big four German national research societies (Max-Planck, Helmhold, Fraunhofer, Leibnitz) the GWK formulated a set a performance indicators that are used to compare the different societies in a monitoring report published every year. Interestingly there are a several aspects affecting the libraries and their services and products, but the libraries (approximately 200) are not mentioned in any way.
While customer orientation has become increasingly important in research libraries for many years, the contribution to the overall corporate strategy has played a rather subordinate role. Libraries started to define their own library strategy very much orientated on user needs and changing library services and products. What attracted less attention was the contribution of the library to achieve the overall corporate objectives of the funding organizations, i.e., the contribution to the research society’s strategy.
Findings:
An exemplary matrix is developed, that can be adapted by all research libraries, to show the extent to which the research library is able to support and influence the level of different performance indicators and thereby to contribute to the overall goal of the organization. The matrix is developed using the example from the strategic objectives and the respecting performance indicators of the sponsoring institution. A graduated traffic light system is used to make visible which contributions in which areas can be expected from the research library.
A visible and clear demonstration of the library performance characterizes the perception by the top management. In spite of the great variety in research libraries, it is possible to find methods for demonstrating the influence and the contribution of research libraries on their funding organizations.
Research limitations:
Research libraries are usually quite different from each other and there are not many tools to compare their contributions and to show their performance to the management level. This is a method of showing influence and impact in the German research context, which may not be transmitted to other countries with other research structures.
Conclusions:
The value of research libraries has usually been seen as supporting the research process for the users in the best possible way. As more competition arises even between different research institutions or societies, the role of the library respecting the contribution to the stakeholder’s strategy opens up another perspective.
Originality and value:
The paper identifies the importance of playing an essential role in the fulfillment of the overall strategic goals of the funding organization, especially for research libraries, as there are usually special metrics to compare the big scientific research organizations in Germany.
Organisational issues , Value , Performance Indicators , Special Libraries
What_is_your_contribution_to_the_funder_s_strategy__FuehlesUbach_Oxford.pdf 