METU Library: A Pilot Institution in the Performance-based Budgeting

Project

Hale Yumşak & Emre Hasan Akbayrak

24th IATUL Conference, 2-5 June, 2003

Middle East Technical University

FOUNDED IN 1956 5 FACULTIES 5 INSTITUTES 2.197 FACULTY 18.745 STUDENTS 2.362 PUBLICATIONS 3.384 PROJECTS

METU Library

BOOKS 334.000 BOUND JOURNALS 150.000 CURRENT PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS 1.399 ELECTRONIC JOURNALS 10.284 ELECTRONIC DATABASES 12

Mission

The mission of the library is developed from the essential mission of METU, which aims to carry out education, research, and public service activities at the universal standard level. With this mission, the METU library strives to reveal that in order to develop our society and humanity socially, culturally, economically, scientifically, and technologically, obtaining, producing, practicing, spreading knowledge and educating individuals with this knowledge are necessary.

Vision

The vision of the library is based on the needs of the education and research programs of METU. The library aims to provide knowledge for its users through adopting contemporary computer and network technologies in a rapid and economical way and it aims to be a modern information and document center which presents knowledge free from time and space, which is based on professional mutual support and cooperation and which catches up with the developments in this area with the help of its staff.

The Performance-based Budgeting Project

Since August 24th, 2001, the METU library has been one of the six selected pilot institutions of “The Performance-based Budgeting Project”,

The METU library has started to form a 5-year strategic plan through this project with an action plan including its mission, vision, goals, weak and strong points in order to provide a contemporary electronic information and documentation center.

The Goal

The METU library aims to increase the user satisfaction through providing service in accordance with modern library standards.

The Strategies of Material Collection

To restrict the collection of print journals according to facilities and present them on the electronic media

To evaluate and improve the electronic journals in the frame of cost, usage and requirements,

To evaluate the collection of the library except for the periodicals in the frame of usage, requirements and costs and develop a plan to keep, transfer and present it,

To form an “improvement mechanism of material collection” in accordance with modern library principles,

To form a collection of e-books with the aim of establishing an electronic reserve center,

To improve the basic collection of electronic reference,

To transfer the theses to the electronic format and make them available for the users.

The Strategies of User Service

To improve the reference service and transfer it to the web,

To establish learning places (satellite reserve and multimedia laboratory) appropriate for users’ requirements,

To develop informative programs in the real environments and on the internet in order to introduce the library resources and service effectively.

The Strategies of Technology

To establish the necessary informatics support and technical structure in order to sustain e-library collection and provide service to the users in the electronic media,

To observe and adapt the innovations and developing technologies in the library management.

The Strategies of Physical Environment

To improve the places which preserves printed collection,

To examine the use of places in the library in order to change them into more modern, ergonomic and functional places according to the staff’s and users’ requirements of the present library building,

To transfer the printed collection, which is not used intensively, to the “depository library”,

To develop strategies for natural disasters and implement these strategies.

The Strategies of Human Resources

To make searches for allocation and staff in order to employ temporary and permanent personnel according to human resources plans,

To prepare and practice educational, development and consulting programs according to the requirements of human resources,

The Strategies of Working Environment

To improve the conditions by supplying necessary supports and skills for user satisfaction,

To improve policies and practices that give priority to the user satisfaction while allocating resources and rewarding the staff,

To establish an atmosphere that supports the staff, provides the conditions for effective service and encourages career development,

To form a culture of organization that proposes merits.

The Strategies of Improving Organization and Management

To form a “Commission of Strategic Planning”, To form a “Commission of Observation and

Evaluation of Performance”, To obtain consulting service in the field of

improving organization and evaluation, To form a unit of “Observation of

Environment”, To form a unit of “adequacy and comparison”

in the fields of collection, user service, human resources, technology, and physical resources,

To form a unit of “Quality Assurance”,

The Strategies of Source and Support

To form a “Consultative Committee of Library”,

To develop a network with various organizations in Turkey and abroad in order to receive support for education, technology and employment,

To develop and carry out the suggestions of projects that can provide funding from the organizations in Turkey and abroad

The Strategies of Social Service

To announce the innovations in the fields of library management and information management through conferences, panel discussions, articles, etc,

To support the professional education programs providing degrees in the fields of library management and information management,

To organize professional meetings and education programs with the libraries in Turkey and relevant organizations and to form study groups.

Some Important Action Plans

Improving book collection Improving electronic collection Digitization of the theses Management of the Web User Education Improving Technical Structure Improving Physical Conditions

Survey

Within this project, a survey has been made in order to compare the user satisfaction levels before and after the project. This survey has been applied to three different user groups (academic staff, M.A. and Ph.D. students, and undergraduates). The survey has been performed online with the academic staff and given to other user groups in printed format.

Scales That Are Used For Performance Measurement

LibQUAL+ E-Metrics ISO 11620

Memberships

ANKOS (Anatolian University Libraries Consortium)

IATUL AMS SIAM

Thank you…

Hale Yumşak hale@metu.edu.tr

Emre Hasan Akbayrak akbayrak@metu.edu.tr