ALA Publishes The Quality Library
Indianapolis

A book co-written by SLIS adjunct faculty member Sara Laughlin (and colleague Ray Wilson), The Quality Library: A Guide to Self-Improvement, Better Efficiency, and Happier Customers has been published recently by the American Library Association.

Laughlin, a SLIS alumna (MLS 1985), has taught Public Library Management as well as Evaluation of Library Sources and Services for the SLIS Indianapolis program. She is currently the interim director of the Monroe County Public Library (Bloomington, Indiana), and the president of Sara Laughlin & Associates.

From the Publisher's Description
"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.

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. By developing a customer-focused system outlining library processes and networks, administrators and managers can quickly determine areas for improvement that directly apply to the library's goals and missions. Staff will also learn how to statistically document the new process's performance, giving the library a means to quantify its effects.

Sara Laughlin is president of Sara Laughlin & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in customer-focused, future-oriented planning, evaluation, and continuous improvement. In her 30-plus years as a librarian, she has worked as a reference librarian, branch manager, consortium director, library school faculty, and as a library trustee. Her consulting clients include public and academic libraries, school districts, State librarians and regional consortia, as well as foundations and other non-profits.

Ray Wilson is a process engineer with more than 25 years of experience. He is coauthor with Sara Laughlin and Denise Sisco Shockley of The Library's Continuous Improvement Fieldbook: 29 Ready-to-Use Tools (ALA Editions, 2003). Ray and Sara have worked together over the last four years in the Indiana Staff Development Council. He is also an active member of the Indy Quality, Productivity, and Improvement Council."

Posted May 08, 2008