Approved on	19 May 2004	by	Academic Council	Res. No.	AC/91/2004
Last Amended	n/a	by	n/a	Res. No.	n/a
Next Review Date	19 May 2007
Keywords	Quality Review of Library Services
Responsibilities, Related Materials / Policies & Revision History

Quality Review of Library Services

Principles Governing Library Reviews

1.1
Reviews of Library Services will be conducted on a regular and systematic basis as part of the University’s commitment to maintaining and enhancing the quality of all its activities.

1.2
The review process will emphasise self-evaluation by the Library Services staff and will be conducted with full participation of the staff. The review process should be a time of critical self-reflection for the Library. During the process of preparing for a review, all personnel, and where possible, students and other library users, should have input to the review documentation. The review methodology is that of self-review followed by peer evaluation. The external panel will evaluate the documents, reflections and conclusions of the Self-Review.

1.3
The review process must not impose an undue burden on members of staff nor impede the normal pattern of Library Services during teaching periods.

Timing of Reviews

2.1
Library Services should be reviewed once every five years. The President of Academic Council will determine a schedule for reviews, after consultation with the Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic).

2.2
The President of Academic Council or the Vice Chancellor may at any time initiate a review outside the normal schedule.

Composition and Appointment of Review Panels

3.1
Review panels will be appointed by the President of Academic Council, after considering the nominees of the Director of Library Services. The Director of Library Services will submit these nominations in confidence to the President, after appropriate consultation with Library staff and the Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic). There will be two or three nominees for each category of membership (listing them in order of preference), plus a brief statement about the suitability of each nominee.

3.2
Each panel will normally consist of three members, but may include as many as five members where it is warranted. Each panel will normally include:

(a)

a Chair external to the University;

(b)

one or more persons with expertise in the area;

(c)

A senior member of the University’s staff;

(d) a member capable of addressing any distinctive aspects of the Library Services role and vision, such as a focus on off-campus services.

At least one member of the panel must be female and at least one male, unless no suitable qualified person of that gender is available.

All members of the panel must be independent of the area. (This will exclude, for example, members from outside the area who serve on committees or advisory bodies within the area).

In all Reviews, the degree to which the proposed review will deviate from these guidelines must be considered six months before the proposed panel visit. Where it is clear that the procedures must be altered to accommodate the best interests of the University, then an agreement between the Director of Library Services, Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic) and the President of Academic Council must be signed. This agreement specifies the ways in which the process will be allowed to vary from these guidelines.

3.3
The University will pay the Chair an honorarium of $1,500 and other external members of the panel $500 each. The University will also provide the Chair, and any other interstate or international member of the review panel, with a business class return air fare, accommodation at a high standard hotel, taxi vouchers and any incidental expenses. Other costs of the review should be met by the Division.

Terms of Reference

4.1
The review will consider the past and present performance of Library Services in terms of its own stated role, objectives, strategies and outcomes, as well as commenting on the appropriateness of its plans for the future.

4.2
All reviews will be conducted in the context of the strategic plans of the University, Divisions and Schools, and the relevant administrative areas. Library Services will be considered in the light of national and international trends, best practice and any benchmarking activities in which Library Services has participated.

4.3
Where Library Services has established relationships with other parts of Murdoch University or with external organisations, these should be included in the review of its activities.

4.4
In particular the Review Panel should:

Examine broad areas of operation (ie lending & document supply; information services; information literacy programs; collection development and management; acquisition and cataloguing; planning and management; facilities; IT services; partnerships (eg Rockingham and Peel) and other collaborative activities

Review the funding mechanism for the collection budget, its adequacy, and the Library’s ability to respond to new areas of teaching and research

Review the adequacy of Library buildings and facilities

Review the Library’s impact on the University’s learning environment

Review the Library’s organisational structure and disposition of staffing resources

Review/consider Library support in regional, remote and offshore areas

4.5
The review will consider whether the University is delivering sufficient resources to ensure that the Library experience of Murdoch’s staff and students is comparable to that of staff and students in other Australian universities.

4.6
The review will consider whether there are adequate quality assurance mechanisms in place.

4.7
The President, after consultation with the Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic), and the Director of Library Services, may approve additional or amended terms of reference, or specific questions, agreed by the President, to which the Review Panel should seek answers, for any review at the time of appointment of the Review Panel.

Review Documentation

5.1
Library Services will undertake a self-review. This will involve preparing the following documents:

A Role and Resources Report (see 5.7)
A Self-Assessment Report (see 5.8)
A Plan for the Future (see 5.9)

These Self Review documents, together with:

A Schedule of Activities for the review (see 5.10)
The report and subsequent commentaries from the previous review (see 5.11) will be passed to the Review Panel.

5.2
All documentation should be kept concise and to the point. The Self Review (The Role and Resources Report, Self-Assessment Report and Plan for the Future) should be limited to a total of no more than 40 pages (including any appendices, but excluding the Strategic Plans). Use should be made of the data available in the statistics section of the University’s website.

5.3
The aim of Library Services in preparing its documentation should be to provide an accurate, frank and honest appraisal of its operations and circumstances. The focus should be on the Unit’s Library’s role, the opportunities and constraints it faces in fulfilling this role, a critical self-appraisal of its performance to date, and a clear statement of its plans to enhance this performance in future.

5.4
All staff in Library Services should be consulted in determining the collective submission, as reflected in the review documentation.

5.5
At least six weeks prior to the date of the Review Panel’s arrival, the review documentation will be submitted to the President. The review documentation will be the subject of a meeting between the Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic), the Pro Vice Chancellor (Research), Pro Vice Chancellor (Resource Management), Director of Library Services and President of Academic Council, and will consider whether there are any strategic issues, problem areas or parameters which should be drawn to the attention of the Review Panel, and if additional material should be provided in the documentation. The President of Academic Council will advise the Director of Library Services of the outcomes of that meeting. Library Services will also have the opportunity to provide the Review Panel with comments on these matters.

5.6
At least three weeks prior to the date of the Review Panel’s arrival, copies of the review documentation and the proposed Schedule of Activities will be forwarded to each member of the Review Panel. The documentation will be accompanied by an invitation to the Review Panel members to request additional information or to modify the proposed Schedule of Activities in any way and at any time, including the scheduling of additional meetings with persons not currently scheduled to meet with the Review Panel. The invitation should inform the Review Panel that it may, as it thinks appropriate, handle some aspects of the review on a sub-committee basis.

5.7
Role and Resources Report

The Role and Resources Report will have the following format:

(a)

Role statement

A copy of the current Library Services Role Statement. This will broadly outline the overall role of Library Services and how it contributes to the University’s Strategic Plan. This statement will indicate the ways in which the Library sees itself as fulfilling a particular role in terms of the University’s stated commitments to teaching, research, the Rockingham-Kwinana and Peel region communities, and management. Copies of the Library Services and University Strategic Plans should also be made available with the Review Documentation.

(b)

Resources statement

This will briefly summarise the resources available to Library Services to carry out its role, making reference to staffing, equipment and accommodation.

(c) Activities to support teaching

This will provide an outline of how Library Services supports the University’s teaching programs.

(d) Activities to support research

This will provide an outline of how Library Services supports research.

(e) Community service activities

An account of how Library Services engages with the community should be provided

5.8
Self-Assessment Report

The Self-Assessment Report will have the following format:

(a) Performance on Designated Indicators

Library Services will report on its performance against the following performance indicators:

Ease of access to both printed and electronic resources held by the library
Ease of access to resources held in other institutions, according to eligibility
Ease of access to collections and services for off campus students
Collections which are relevant for current teaching and learning needs
Collections which support current areas of research focus
Effective information literacy instruction, leading to information literate graduates
Responsive and effective information and reference services, enabling library users to access collections and services
Adequate computer workstations with relevant software and network access options
Adequate opening hours
Pleasant and functional physical environment

These indicators will be measured against the Rodski (or comparable) client survey, with the objective of achieving customer satisfaction rates at least equal to the median of all participants in the survey for all relevant areas. Use of the survey will permit comparisons over time, and against similar libraries (eg. the Innovative Research Universities Australia (IRUA) libraries, of which Murdoch University is a member). Feedback from users of the information literacy online tutorial (LITE) will also be used, and other survey results.

Where relevant, usage measures will be used, again permitting comparisons over time, and potentially against other libraries (eg. through the annual Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) statistics collection). These will include collection use, use of electronic resources, use of the library, attendance at information literacy sessions, number and type of enquiries received.

Effective relationships with existing and potential partners in the provision of library services

This indicator will be measured by feedback from existing partners, the growth of shared services, and customer satisfaction with shared library services.

Effective management of resources, services and facilities

This indicator will be measured using budget outcomes, customer feedback, staff feedback, and other numerical data (eg number of computer workstations available, library use statistics, number of staff development sessions provided and attended).

(b) Analysis of Performance

This will provide a critical self-appraisal of Library Services performance against its stated role and objectives with respect to all of its activities. The analysis should give an account of evidence from benchmarking partners and other comparators, which help to demonstrate its performance.

5.9
Plans for the Future

This will set out the Library Services plan for the next 3-5 years in terms of revisions to its role, objectives, strategies and qualitative and quantitative outcomes for each significant area of activity, consistent with the University Strategic Plans. Where the process of self-review has brought an area of the University to a realization of the need for change, then that area should propose an “Action Plan”. This should include a time-line, a statement as to the measurable outcomes of the plan and an assessment as to how the plan will be resourced.

5.10
Schedule of Review Activities

The schedule of activities proposed by Library Services will include (but not be limited to):

at the Review Panel’s first session, a meeting with the Vice Chancellor, President of Academic Council, Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic), Pro Vice Chancellor (Research), and the Pro Vice Chancellor (Resource Management) to explain the context of the review and any strategic issues, problem areas or parameters which warrant special attention;
meetings with staff and students (see 5.12);
meetings with external stakeholders as identified by the Library Management Committee and the Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic), including partnership Libraries
on the full Review Panel's final day, a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor, President of Academic Council, the Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic), the, the Pro Vice Chancellor (Research), the Pro Vice Chancellor (Resource Management) and the Director of Library Services to discuss the draft recommendations and the thrust of the report.

For the benefit of the members of the Review Panel the Schedule of Activities should clearly identify the role of each person.

5.11 Previous Reviews

Library Services will supply the Review Panel with the report of any previous review together with the subsequent commentaries on that report provided under these guidelines by the Division, Academic Policy Committee, the Research & Development Board and Academic Council. (Should any other relevant external review have occurred since the last review under these guidelines, that report should be drawn to the attention of the Review Panel).

5.12
Students, staff and identified external stakeholders will be given an opportunity to make written submissions to the Review Panel. Representatives from Library Services staff will be invited to meet the Review Panel, together with representatives of external partners as required. An email bomb will be sent requesting feedback two months prior to the review. A notice will be placed in On Campus, Metior, and on the Library web site 2-3 months before the review takes place, inviting submissions.

The Review Process

6.1
Library Services is responsible for conducting the Self-Review and preparing the review documentation.

6.2
The members of the Review Panel will be expected to be available for three days for intensive interviews, discussions and deliberation, and would need to be available to travel between campuses during the three days of interviews.

6.3
The Chair of the Review Panel will be responsible for coordinating the preparation of a report on the conduct of the review, its findings and its conclusions.

6.4
The Chair will be asked to stay an additional day, in order to complete the draft report before leaving Perth. This will include the Review Panel's overall assessment of Library Services, a list of recommendations and the thrust of its argumentation. The draft report will be focussed around the recommendations, which will be numbered consecutively. In drafting the Report, the Chair will take into account that the formal process that flows from the lodging of the Report will focus on the listed recommendations. With this in mind, the Chair will ensure that action which the Review Panel believes should be considered is crystallised in specific recommendations. The draft report will also consider the merits of any recommendations or Action Plans contained in the Self-Review documents from the Unit.

6.5
The report will include an executive summary that includes a full list of the numbered recommendations. The report should be written on the basis that it will become a public document; it is not a confidential report, though in rare cases the Review Panel may attach a confidential appendix or mention additional matters in their meeting with the Vice Chancellor. Most recommendations for change will have to be achieved by redeployment of Library Services existing resources.

6.6
Reports will be submitted to the President of Academic Council, in both electronic and paper form. Within two weeks of receipt of the draft report, the President, Vice Chancellor, Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic), Pro Vice Chancellor (Research), and the Director of Library Services will meet to review the draft report. The draft report will be marked as “CONFIDENTIAL” at this stage. If they discover errors of fact or they believe that the report needs reconsideration, clarification or to address additional matters, the President will advise the Chair of the Review Panel. After consultation with the other Review Panel members, the Chair will submit the final report within two months of the review. The “CONFIDENTIAL” marking will be removed from the document at this stage. The President will distribute copies to the Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), the Pro Vice Chancellor (Resources Management), the Director of Library Services, the Office of Internal Audit, the Office of Policy and Planning and the Office of Records Management and Archives.

Review Outcomes

7.1 Decisions on implementation of the recommendations of the Review Panel will be determined by the following process:

Body/person

Responsibility

Timing

Director of Library Services

Invite comments on the Review Panel’s final report from all staff in Library Services and other stakeholders as identified by the President of Academic Council, the Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic) and the Library Management Committee.

As soon as possible after receipt of the report.

President of Academic Council

Prepare a short summary report on the major findings of the review for inclusion in the minutes of Academic Council and Senate.

As soon as possible after receipt of the report.

Library Management Committee with Director of Library Services

After considering any comments received from staff, determine Library Services response to each of the recommendations. The Library Management Committee with the Director of Library Services will present an Action Plan for each of the recommendations endorsed, along with a report on any changes made due to the self-review process, to be submitted with the response to recommendations.

Within 2 months.

Pro Vice Chancellor (Academic)

Transmit the Library Services response to the President of Academic Council, after consideration by the Library Management Committee. This should include a reference to any difference between that response and the comments submitted by staff in the Unit.

Within 2 months.

Research and Development Board

Consider the recommendations of the Review Panel that are relevant to research and the Library Services Unit’s response to these. Advise Academic Council whether or not each of these recommendations (or a modified version) should be accepted, and a process and timetable for implementation of each recommendation it supports.

Within 4 months.

President of Academic Council
After considering the advice of the Library Management Committee and the Action Plan for recommendations, and advice of the Research and Development Board, provide Academic Council with a consolidated table recommending whether or not each recommendation (or a modified version) should be accepted along with the Review Panel Report, and a process and timetable for implementation of each recommendation supported.
Within 6 months.

Academic Council
Determine what action is to be taken on each recommendation of the Review Panel, and how this is to be implemented.
Within 6 months.

Secretary to Academic Organisational Unit Reviews
Forward to the Director of Library Services (and, as a courtesy, to the members of the Review Panel and those invited to comment on the Review Panel Report) the table recording Council’s decision on the recommendations.
After the Council meeting.

Director of Library Services
Distribute to all members of staff in Library Services, copies of the final Academic Council decision on the recommendations of the review report.
After the Council meeting.

7.2
Responses to the report will be submitted in standard electronic format, taking the form of a table listing each recommendation of the Review Panel in the first column, and the Library Services response in the second. (A template can be obtained from the President’s assistant.) The recommendations of the Research & Development Board and of the President will be reported in columns added to this table. The decision of Council will be recorded on the table against each recommendation.

7.3
Eight months after Council's decision on the review report, and not more than twelve months after the report is published, the Director of Library Services will report to the President of Academic Council and to the Research & Development Board on progress in implementing the decisions of Council on the report. This follow-up report will be reported in an additional column to the table recording the review outcomes. The President or the Board, if of the view that insufficient progress has been made, may recommend appropriate action to the Division or to Academic Council.

7.4
When making submissions during subsequent annual academic planning rounds, Library Services will refer to how any changes proposed relate to the plan for the future set out in its most recent review and the direction for Library Services endorsed by Council in the review.

Contact details

President of Academic Council, Assoc Prof Michael A Borowitzka
Telephone: 08 9360 2333 Email: M.Borowitzka@murdoch.edu.au

Assistant to President of Academic Council, Ms Cheyrlie Doyle

Telephone: 08 9360 6902 Email: mailto:apac@central.murdoch.edu.au

Quality Audit Projects & Administration Officer, Ms Cheryl Jones

Telephone: 08 9360 7377 Email: mailto:cajones@central.murdoch.edu.au

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Responsible Officer n/a

Implementation Officers n/a

Information Contact Officer n/a

RELATED MATERIALS / POLICIES:

REVISION HISTORY:

Approved / Amended / Rescinded Date Committee Resolution Number