Introduction to Service Level Definition Templates

The M25 Quality Working Group has developed a template for use in developing Service Level Definitions. A set of examples has been completed to show how the template can be used in certain service areas – it is anticipated that libraries will use the template either as an internal document for library use only or as an external document to express service levels to stakeholders. The content is onlygiven to show how the template might be filled in and should not be read as indicating recommended service levels!

Presentations from the User Surveys Workshop

26 November 2004, Clore Management Centre
Workshop Presentations

The Quality Working Group, in connection with CPD25 ran a User Surveys Workshop on 26th November 2004 at the Clore Management Centre, Birkbeck, University of London.

Please follow the links below to view the event presentation slides.

Setting the Context - Chris West, University of Wales, Swansea
In House Surveys - Kate Sloss, LSE
Libra - Elizabeth Clear, UCL
LibQUAL - Peter Godwin, LSBU

2004 Survey of Quality Practices

At the beginning of 2004, the M25 Consortium's newly established Quality Working Group met for its first meeting. It soon became clear from our discussions that no one had a concise view of the extent of quality practices and that while we all believed quality to be an important activity, we were often doing it in quite different ways.

Consequently, a survey of activities seemed the logical thing to do and we set about devising a survey. We were greatly helped by the ability to use the survey format adopted by CPD25 in the previous year and hence the survey was put together fairly quickly.

The survey was launched in April 2004 and 26 responses were received. Knowing how often people are asked to complete surveys, our thanks to those library staff who took the time to answer our questions; it is very much appreciated. We feel we have gained considerable insight into the range and extent of quality activities across the Consortium and it has given us some ideas for future activities.

The initial results of the 2004 Survey of quality practices in M25 Consortium libraries are detailed below. Please note that the document includes the raw survey data and that a more detailed report will be available in due course. It is the group's intention to undertake another survey in 2006/7.

Mystery shopping project

Report for M25 Working Group on Quality, 2004
Mystery shopping project

At the University of Westminster the library service runs an annual user survey, usually in the Spring term. In the 2003 survey there were no specific questions about library staff, yet several user comments about library staff in one of our four libraries were worryingly negative.