Quality management theory and practice: some observations of practices in Australian academic libraries
| Pages | 349-356 |
| Published date | 01 October 2000 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435120010338784 |
| Date | 01 October 2000 |
| Author | Lawrence W.H. Tam |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Quality management
theory and practice:
some observations of
practices in Australian
academic libraries
Lawrence W.H. Tam
Introduction
In Australia, performance indicators (Linke et
al., 1991) for higher education have been
given a good deal of attention since the 1980s
with a view to determining the efficiency and
public accountability of universities. In 1992
the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. J.
Baldwin, established the Committee of
Quality Assurance in Higher Education
(CQAHE) on the recommendation of the
Higher Education Council (HEC) Report
``Higher education achieving quality''. The
HEC report established clearly the
importance of libraries in the teaching
infrastructure, as indicated by the following
statements:
Libraries are among the major factors affecting
the quality of higher education, ... much of the
actual teaching-learning process is mediated by
administrative staff ± for example, library
services, ... and computing facilities ± thus
providing a direct link between the educational
process and the work of administrators. Students
judge the quality of their education, at least in
part, according to how well this work facilitates
the teaching they receive and their learning
experience (Australia ... 1992).
Libraries, therefore, have become a significant
topic for the CQAHE. In his ministerial
statement on the Committee for Quality
Assurance in Higher Education in November
1992 the Hon. P.J. Baldwin noted that
``Institutions have the major responsibility for
ensuring that the teaching process, their
research efforts and their graduates are of high
quality''; that ``Quality outcomes in
universities are a function not only of the level
of resources available, but also of the way
resources are used'', and that ``Self-
assessment will be the cornerstone of an
audit process to be implemented by the
Committee for Quality Assurance in Higher
Education''. He also stressed that ``It is
important to note that the audit process will
emphasise the importance of universities not
only having good quality assurance policies,
but also ones that are implemented and
efficacious''.
Thus it is obvious that quality management
is a necessity in the field of higher education
in Australia. Australian universities in
response, and in particular to bid for extra
funding, submitted portfolios promoting
themselves as providers of high quality
education services. The universities will be
reviewed partly on the basis of the
submissions. Alongside this and the audit
The author
Lawrence W.H. Tam is Deputy Librarian, University of
Hong Kong, Hong Kong, PRC.
Keywords
University libraries, Quality management, Australia
Abstract
An outline of the theory and elements of quality
management employing Deming's method is used to
compare practices in several academic libraries in
Australia. Discussion is based on personal observation of
theory and practice.
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349
Library Management
Volume 21 .Number 7 .2000 .pp. 349±356
#MCB University Press .ISSN 0143-5124
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