Development of Best Practices for production and
service within the libraries for the blind
Annemieke van de Beek Student number: 0991732 TBW
First tutor: Dr. M.J. Land Second tutor: Dr. G.C. Ruël
Preface
This thesis has been written as a contribution to the Start project (Strategic Integration Research project). The Start project was initiated by the International Federation of Library Associations (the IFLA). The IFLA is an international umbrella organisation for libraries. The IFLA consists of different sections representing different types of libraries, for example Public libraries and University libraries. The Start project is a project of the section for the libraries for the blind The work was coordinated by, the Federatie Nederlandse Blindenbibliotheken (FNB) the library for the blind in the Netherlands, with contributions from participating organisations and overseen by a standing committee consisting of representatives from: TPB (Sweden), NCBI (Ireland) and Deutsche Blinden Bűcherei (Germany). The standing committee guided the project by offering suggestions and advice and acted as a conduit when further information was required.
From June 2005 until January 2006 I have worked on the Start project for FNB. During this period both Maarten Verboom and Sijo Dijkstra were coaching me in the project.
FNB is considered to be the largest organisation in the Netherlands that is concerned with the production of accessible information for people with a visual impairment. Next to FNB there are three other organisations in the Netherlands that are concerned with providing accessible information to people with a visual impairment. The other three organisations are Christelijke Blindebibliotheek (CBB), the Nederlandse Luister-en Braille Bobliotheek (NLBB) and the Le Sage Ten Broek (LSB). FNB and the CBB are the only two organisations that produce the accessible information. The NLBB and the LSB only have a counter function for their clients. The mission of FNB is: ‘Reading-matter and information for people with a visual handicap’. FNB produces study-and schoolbooks, leisure reading books, both fiction and non-fiction, children books, newspapers, magazines and music in both Braille and spoken book formats and enlargements. The full description of FNB can be found in chapter 2.
I would like to thank the following people for coaching me and supporting me during the time I have been working on the Start project and writing this thesis. First my two coaches Mr. Dr. M.J. Land and Mrs. Dr. G.C. Ruël. Many thanks for the patience you have had with me. Second, I would like to thank Jeroen, who supported me during the whole process and of course my parents.
Summary
The assignment for the Start project is initiated by the IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations. The Start project is a Benchmarking research with the purpose to develop best practices for the production and service process within the libraries for the blind. In the production process and service within the libraries for the blind a lot has changed over the past decades. Because of the strong development of the technology, production can be performed a lot faster than before. Also the service has experienced a lot of changes through the development of the technology. Despite the changes, making information accessible for people with a print impairment is still an expensive and time consuming process. This is the reason that the IFLA initiated the project. The IFLA wishes to have a clear view on the possibilities in the production process and service. Secondly the IFLA wishes to receive best practices for the production and service by comparing the different methods used within the libraries for the blind throughout the world.
The research is based on a benchmarking method build around seven steps. These steps are explained and applied in the research. To compare the production processes and service process in the different libraries for the blind an analysing method is used. The method that is used is the Data Envelopment Analysis method, DEA. DEA is a method that may compare the relative productivity of organisations based on multiple inputs and outputs. As the basis for the ultimate data collection a questionnaire is used which is given to the 18 participating libraries in this research. The libraries that participated in this research are members of the IFLA section libraries for the blind and, or of the DAISY consortium. To create the questionnaire three ways of preliminarily investigation are used. First a smaller questionnaire is handed to 5 libraries to learn more about the different production processes and ways to provide service to the clients. The questionnaire was given to libraries for the blind that participated in the Congress for the Libraries for the Blind in Gothenburg. Secondly 2 opposite libraries are compared to each other. FNB, a self producing and lending library and TPB in Sweden, a library that outsources their complete production and lending process to professional organisations. The third preliminarily investigation is that a small group of users of the library for the blind in the Netherlands are interviewed. The first and third method are used as checks to be sure that every aspect of the production process and service is taken into account in the final questionnaire. These comparisons and questionnaires are used to formulate the final questionnaire for the research. The final questionnaire is send to the libraries for the blind that are a member of the IFLA and. Or of the DAISY consortium.
From this comparison and from the theory the inputs and outputs for the DEA analysis are determined. The input for the DEA is the budget of the library for leisure books. The outputs are new (produced) talking book titles, new (produced) Braille titles, reproduced titles, accessibility and delivery speed. After performing the DEA three libraries perform best; the libraries for the blind in Morocco, South-Africa and Ireland. These 3 libraries are the libraries with the lowest budgets. After a closer look at the DEA it can be seen that the budget of these libraries determines the outcome of the DEA. It is also not sure that every library defined budget in the same manner. A new DEA is performed, but than without the 4 libraries with the smallest budgets. To be able to perform the DEA one of the outputs needs to be eliminated. The output that is eliminated is accessibility. Now also three libraries seem to perform best; the libraries for the blind in Sweden, Korea and Finland. This gives a more realistic outcome of the DEA.
From this outcome the best practices are formulated. The best practices are based on the inputs and outputs of the DEA.
During the research more issues that can influence the production and service of the libraries for the blind are found. For these factors recommendations are formulated in the final chapter of this research.
Table of content
TABLE OF CONTENT 5
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 7
CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH 8
2.1 Definition of the problem 8
2.2 Research questions 9
2.3 Scope of the research 10
2.4 Theoretical framework 10
2.4.1 Factors that determine the performance of production and service 10 2.5 Comparison between FNB and TPB 12
2.6 Performance variables 22
2.7 Conceptual model 22
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 24
3.1 Benchmarking 24
3.2 Data Envelopment Analysis 25
3.2.1 Why DEA? 26
3.2.2 Explanation of the Data Envelopment Analysing method. 26
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS 30 4.1 Questionnaire 31 4.2 Quantitative numbers 31 4.2.1 Budget 31 4.2.2 Clients 32 4.2.3 Products 33 4.2.4 Selection procedure 34 4.2.5 Catalogue 34 4.2.6 Production 35
4.2.7 Producing talking books 39
4.2.8 Producing Braille books 41
4.2.9 Ordering books 43
4.3 Qualitative questions 45
4.3.2 Applied changes in the production process or services 46
4.3.3 Suggested improvements 46
CHAPTER 5 THE DEA METHOD 48
5.1 The inputs and outputs of the DEA 48
5.1.1 Possible inputs for the DEA 48
5.1.2 Possible outputs for the DEA 51
5.2. The outcomes of the DEA 52
5.2.1 First analysis 52
5.2.2 Sensitivity analysis 55
CHAPTER 6 BEST PRACTICES 60
6.1 Self-producing organisations versus outsourcing the production, a comparison 60
6.2 Use of standards when producing accessible materials 62
6.2.1 Talking books 62
6.2.2 Braille books 63
6.3 The use of software for producing accessible materials 63
6.4 Using volunteers in the production process 63
6.5 The role of publishers in the production process 64
6.6 Interlibrary loans 65
6.7 Delivery speed and distribution 65
6.8 BUDGET 66
6.9 Service 66
CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSIONS 68
Epilogue 69
LITERATURE 70
Chapter 1 Introduction
Over the past decades most libraries for the blind have significantly changed their way of producing Braille and spoken books. Before the computer was introduced in our society Braille books were created manually. The original book was transcribed into Braille by pushing dots into the Braille paper with a sharp pen. Each copy of an already produced book had to be created by hand again. The production of spoken books has developed from making use of gramophone records to the recording on tapes and cassettes. Creating more copies from the original master was relative easy, although a time consuming process.
It is not that long ago that the provision of books to people with a visual impairment met the description above. However, a lot has changed. Nearly all libraries for the blind are producing Braille books with the use of a computer, based on a scanned copy of the original book, or by making use of digital source files made available by the publishers. Since the compact disk has become a fairly common sound recording medium, people started to use them for the production of spoken books. Compact disks are more user friendly than tapes or cassettes. They suffer less from wear and tear, have a larger storage capacity, provide a much better sound quality and are easy to duplicate in an automated production environment. And still only a few percent of what is available for sighted readers is available for print impaired readers. Also, the way clients of libraries for the blind can have access to the catalogue, how they can browse through the catalogue and order the materials they need has changed under influence of the possibilities of the information technology.
Although a lot has changed over the past period, making information accessible in alternative formats is still a time consuming and expensive process, posing heavily demands on the budget of libraries for the blind. Given the pace of the changes, and differing technical and geographical priorities, there have been few opportunities at an international level to compare these new initiatives and to establish benchmarks for the provision of accessible information. It is therefore that the IFLA Section Libraries for the Blind initiated the Start Project (Strategic Integration Research). The purpose of the Start project is to formulate best practices for the library services and the production process for the libraries for the blind throughout the world.
The Start project is an international benchmark research. This research looks at the production process and the service process within the libraries for the blind throughout the world. The project is funded by the IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. The IFLA is the umbrella organisation for all kind of libraries throughout the world, which is divided into different sections.
In the second chapter the theoretical background for this research is formulated. In this chapter the research questions are also formulated. Next a comparison between 2 libraries is made, TPB in Sweden and FNB in the Netherlands. This is used to construct the conceptual model and to understand more about the production process and service within the libraries for the blind. In the third chapter the methodology used in the research is explained. In chapter 4 the questionnaire and the results to the questionnaire are displayed. Both the quantitative and qualitative results can be read in this chapter. Schemes and diagrams are used to illustrate the results. In chapter 5 the Data Envelopment Analysis is explained and performed. In the final chapter, chapter 6, the best practices are formulated.
Chapter 2 Theoretical background of the research
This chapter is used to discuss the theoretical background of the research. The chapter is build around 7 paragraphs. The first paragraph explains the problem as formulated by the IFLA. The problem was already shortly explained in chapter 1. In the second paragraph the main question and the sub questions for the research are formulated. These sub questions are used as building blocks for the research. Paragraph 3 defines the scope of the research. With this scope in mind the libraries for the blind that are questioned are chosen. In the fourth paragraph the actual theoretical frame is discussed. Which factors can influence the performance of the production process and service according to the theory? The fifth paragraph is a comparison between two libraries, FNB in the Netherlands and the TPB in Sweden. This comparison is firstly made to understand more about the production process of the libraries for the blind and the service they provide in general to their users. And secondly to check if there are more factors that can influence the production process and service of the libraries for the blind throughout the world. In paragraph 6 the performance variables are shortly explained. In the final paragraph the conceptual model is produced. Also the operationalisation of the conceptual model can be found in this paragraph.
2.1 Definition of the problem
First an explanation of the problem, formulated by the IFLA, is given.
Alternative formats to replace books for people with print impairments have changed significantly. Given the pace of this change, and differing technical and geographical priorities, there have been few opportunities at an international level to compare these new initiatives and to establish benchmarks for the provision of accessible information. As a result, organisations are often unaware of best practices in this field and cannot make informed choices about which technologies or practices to adopt in order to efficiently provide their users with information in accessible formats.
This research examines both the library services and the production techniques, which are currently in use by libraries for the blind throughout the world. In this way it is possible to identify examples of best practices and to establish where sufficient similarity exists for future collaborative activities. This benchmarking research will allow comparisons to be made and materials to be created which will form the basis for a comprehensive set of best practice guidelines for the widest distribution.
IFLA Libraries for Blind Section has defined ‘the goal of this research‘ as: Identifying best practice guidelines for the production process and service within the libraries for the blind. The objective is to contribute to the development of the libraries for the blind throughout the world.
2.2 Research questions
The research question is split into 2 questions because the goal of the research is to find best practices for both the production process and the service process. These 2 processes are different from each other, although they are not stand-alone processes and they influence each other.
The research questions of this benchmarking research are:
1. ‘What are the best practices for the production process for the libraries for the blind’? 2. ‘What are the best practices for the service process for the libraries for the blind’? From the above research questions the following sub questions are formulated. These sub questions are used in this research to find the best practices for the production process and service offered to the clients of the libraries for the blind.
The sub questions are;
1. Which factors can influence the production process and service of the libraries for the blind and consequently their performance?
The basis for this question is a literature study. Next to this literature study a case study within 2 different libraries is performed. This case study is performed to test and to come up with complimentary factors that are found with the literature study. This question is elaborated in the remaining text of this chapter. In paragraph 2.7 the conceptual model for the preceding of the research is formulated.
2. With which variables can performance be measured?
The basis for sub question 2 is a literature study for logistic performance. This literature study is complemented with unstructured interviews with clients of the library for the blind in the Netherlands. The result of the interviews is an overview of relevant measures of the service performances.
3. How have the different libraries performed on performance variables and what was the value of the distinguished factors in these libraries?
For this third question the basis is the questionnaire that is drawn up with the previous sub questions. The questionnaire is first checked in a smaller composition. It is provided to a few libraries for the blind during a Congress for the libraries for the blind in Sweden. 4. What is the relative performance of the libraries?
This benchmarking method is explained in chapter 4. The answer to this question is found in chapter 5 using the Data Envelopment Analyzing method.
5. What are the best practices for the production and service?
In chapter 6 the outcome of the DEA is connected to the answers to the questions in the questionnaire to formulate the best practices for the production process and service in the libraries for the blind.
2.3 Scope of the research
The scope is limited to leisure reading materials in talking book format and Braille book formats. In this research the leisure reading books represent the fiction, the non-fiction, the children and cookbooks. This appears to be the only category of products that allows for extended cross-library comparison at this time. Besides leisure reading, libraries for the blind can produce also newspapers and magazines, study-and schoolbooks, music and tactile drawings. But because not every library for the blind produces all these products, in this research the choice is made to only look at leisure reading books.
The total production process and service process provided to the clients of the libraries for the blind are evaluated. This is done because that is the assignment of the IFLA.
2.4 Theoretical framework
In this paragraph the theoretical framework for the research is formulated. In the first paragraph the factors that can determine the performance of the production process and service within the libraries for the blind are discussed.
The factors that are found are translated into questions for the questionnaire that is used in this research. The details of this questionnaire are discussed in chapter 4.
In paragraph 2.5 a comparison is made to find out if there are more factors that were not found in paragraph 2.4.1 that also can influence the performance of the libraries for the blind. 2.4.1 Factors that determine the performance of production and service
Before the conceptual model is formulated, performance need to be defined. After performance is defined the factors that can have an influence on the performance of the production process and service within a library for the blind have to be determined. There are both internal and external influences.
Performance can be defined as “how well an organisation is doing”. Key Performance Indicators (KPI) are financial and non-financial metrics used to quantify objectives to reflect strategic performance of an organization. KPIs are typically tied to an organization's strategy. The KPIs differ depending on the nature of the organization and the organization's strategy. They help an organization to measure progress towards their organizational goals.
The performance indicators can be defined as follows;1 • Quality; a company wants to do things right • Speed; a company want to do things fast
• Dependability; a company wants to do things on time
• Flexibility; a company wants to be able to change what they do • Costs; a company wants to do things cheaply
Unfortunately it is not possible to evaluate all of the performance indicators because of the lack of time and information available. In this research there is looked at the performance indicators quality, speed and cost.
To understand which factors can have an influence on the performance of the libraries for the blind there is looked at the internal and external variables of the libraries for the blind. The variables can influence the performance of the libraries because the libraries do not operate in a vacuum. Internal factors are those variables that can be verifiable and controllable by the organization itself. To find out which factors can be set as the internal factors for the libraries for the blind, the transformation process of the library for the blind is taken into account. The process is not discussed in detail in this research but during my internship I learnt all about it. The transformation process is the reason of existence of the library. The transformation process for the libraries for the blind can be described as: “Producing accessible information and giving service for people with a print impairment”. The transformation process determines the choices that the organization has made considering production and service. Having the transformation process of the libraries for the blind in mind the following internal factors are formulated.
Internal factors are:
- “Efficient Production”;
• Steps taken in the production process
• Time of the steps taken in the production process - Production capacity;
• Limitations in the production capacity • Production time
• Number of studio’s • Number of narrators
• Volunteer or professional narrators, this determines the time the narrators are available to the library
• Number of printers and cassette recorders to record and copy - The budget that is made available for production and service;
- Service level:
• Availability of the books
• Delivery time of the requested book
• Formats the books are delivered to the libraries for the blind • Composition of the catalogue
• Formats of the catalogue • Existence of a helpdesk • Ways to contact the library • Ways to order the books
• Room of placing request for titles by the clients
To find the external factors for this research the transformation process as formulated above is also taken into account. The external influences also determine the primary process and the choices that have been made. Next to the transformation process the external environment is taken into consideration.
External influences are originated from the environment. The environment is equal to the macro-environment, which can be described by different variables which are described below2.
- Economical variables; the general economic situation, international, national and regional
- Technological and scientifical variables; the technological situation in a country - Social cultural variables; the social norms in a country
- Political and legal variables; the laws in a country - International dimension
Looking at these five variables the following external factors which influence the processes are identified:
- Economical variables; how and what are the possibilities for a library to be financed - The technological and scientifical variables; how far is the technological development
in the country which can represent the technological development of the library
- Social cultural variables; in some libraries it is an unwritten rule that you have to work with volunteers instead of paid employees because this is a general accepted rule in a country
- Social cultural variables; The demand for books in special reading format from the clients. This demand can be influenced by the factors in the external environment, what is a norm in a country for
- Political and legal variables; the copyright laws in the different countries. Certain laws can limit the production or service processes
- Political and legal variables; demands of the government about production numbers and formats
- Political and legal variables; cooperation with publishers - International dimension; cooperation with other libraries
2.5 Comparison between FNB and TPB
This paragraph is used to learn more about the production process and service within the libraries for the blind. The second reason why this paragraph is used, is to see if there are more factors that could have an influence on the production process and service process within the libraries for the blind which were not found in the previous paragraph.
A comparison is made between two libraries. For this comparison the library for the blind in the Netherlands, FNB, and the library for the blind in Sweden, the TPB, were selected. The choice for these two libraries is made because they are advanced in their technological development and they have different roles in the production and service processes. FNB produces and lends out most of the products themselves and TPB out sources the production and lending of their complete production.
The factors which are already found in the previous paragraph are also used in the comparison between FNB and TPB to see if there are differences between the libraries. Also to understand the production process and the service better of the libraries for the blind this comparison can
be used. At the end of this paragraph a list of similarities and differences is given. With these similarities and differences in mind the questionnaire is developed in chapter 4.
FNB in the Netherlands
2.5.1 General information
FNB is the central organisation in the Netherlands for the production and delivery of accessible information for people with a print handicap. FNB Netherlands is a state subsidised organisation located in Grave (main office), Amsterdam, Rijswijk, Utrecht, Arnhem, Eindhoven and Tilburg. Besides FNB there is a second organisation that produces accessible information for people with a print handicap in the Netherlands, the CBB. The CBB produces, next to their own products, which are mainly Christian books, also 500 titles per year for FNB. Both FNB and the CBB have a front-desk function for the users of accessible information. In the Netherlands there are two other organisations that have a front desk function, the NLBB and the LSB. Users can contact one of the four organisations and order the books they want to borrow. FNB sends the users the books. Sending of the books from a library to the user and vice versa, both talking and Braille books, is exempt from postage. 2.5.2 Clients
Talking and Braille books may be borrowed by the visually impaired and other print handicapped persons in the Netherlands. When a person would like to be registered as a client of FNB they have to show a medical certificate.
FNB has approximately 21,500 clients for leisure reading materials, 15,500 clients for spoken newspapers, 5,000 clients for study materials and 2,000 clients for Anderslezen.nl. Anderslezen.nl is an accessible web portal where clients can download newspapers, magazines and books. Of course there is overlap between these groups, clients can use leisure books as well as newspapers.
Persons with a print disability possessing the right to borrow talking books are: • the visually impaired
• the physically impaired
• people with reading and writing disabilities • people with aphasia
• people with developmental disabilities • the chronically ill and convalescent 2.5.3 Staff
FNB clients are catered by around 242 employees. FNB has a Full-time equivalent of 195. There are also over 900 volunteers working throughout the Netherlands. Volunteers work as narrators and others visit the clients when help is needed with the use of the Digital Accessible Information System, DAISY players.
2.5.4 Products
FNB Product Range:
- Braille format; both leisure reading materials, sheet music and school & study books: This output ranges from Braille translations of fiction books to text book translations for students and professionals
- Talking materials; both leisure reading materials, newspapers, magazines, sheet music and school & study books: FNB is a member of the DAISY Consortium and as a result creates DAISY books
- E-text; both leisure reading materials, newspapers, magazines, school & study books which are delivered by the web portal Anderslezen.nl
- Tactile Drawings: the drawings are made accessible by using relief - Enlargements: all books and sheet music can be enlarged
Users of talking books are entitled to keep the book for 3 months. After these 3 months the client must send the disk back to FNB. Readers of Braille books do not have to send the books back. The talking book is used only ones, but because of the copyright laws in the Netherlands, the talking book must be returned to FNB.
In the Netherlands all the books that are already in the catalogue are printed or burned on demand from a digital format.The digital files of all the books are stored on a server.
2.5.5 Costs of lending a book
A person who wants to use the products of FNB has to pay a fee. For lending talking books and Braille books a person older than 18 has to pay €25 per year. For persons younger than 18 lending is free.
2.5.6 Selection procedure for leisure books
The selection of the books that will be produced is carried out by FNB, together with the 3 other organisations in The Netherlands. There are 4 selection criteria:
- Book reviews
- The requests of clients
- Keeping in mind the build-up of the catalogue - General information from the Dutch public libraries 2.5.7 Catalogue
The catalogue of FNB contains approximately 60,000 titles and they are all digital. The catalogue can be consulted in many different ways. Through the web portal Anderslezen.nl, the clients can receive a catalogue in Braille or in print, they can also receive the catalogue by email and they can use the telephone to receive information about the catalogue of FNB. FNB clients can order their books on-line or call 1 of the 4 organisations.
A client can choose 1 of the 2 order methods FNB offers. First they can order every book by themselves whenever they want a book. Secondly they can use the automated order system. The clients give a wish list of titles to FNB and whenever they return a book to FNB they automatically receive a new title.
2.5.8 Production
Leisure reading talking books are produced in studio’s in different locations. The services are demand-based and when a particular book is not available in Braille or spoken format, arrangements can be made to add the title to the collection. Unfortunately not every request can be produced because of production capacity.
The output achievements for general literature of the previous year are shown below: • Production of 1,800 new titles of talking books (1,300 by FNB; 500 by CBB) • Copy and distribution of 1,000,000 talking books
• Production of 450 new Braille titles
• Copy and distribution of 9,000 Braille books
The produced titles are all stored on a server at FNB in Grave and can be copied from this server.
Strategies for enhancing access to information for the print disabled have increasingly focused on web-based information delivery and FNB web portal increasingly provides the main point of access to information. This is one of the many ways FNB has been involved in researching technology.
2.5.9 Producing talking books
The Talking books for general literature are produced in Rijswijk. FNB produces approximately 1,300 new leisure reading audio titles each year. The CBB (Christian Library for the Blind) produces 500 new audio titles each year for the audio collection which is being held by FNB. The total annual production number for audio books is 1,800 titles. The copying and distribution of the audio titles is done by FNB in Grave. The first step in the production process for talking books is the selection of the titles. After the titles are selected, the right voice needs to be found for narrating the book. Once a narrator is selected the narrator takes the book home to prepare the recording session. In the mean time an employee of FNB creates the structure (NCC of the DAISY book) which is needed before the recordings can start. The narrator reads the text into the structure in the studio. Some narrators record themselves and others need support from a technician. When the whole book is narrated and recorded the digital file is send to Grave and there it is stored on the server. Every time FNB receives a request for an existing book a DAISY disk is burnt and send to the client. Clients can also maintain a list of preferences so that automatic lending can be established.
The production process of talking books takes approximately 3 months. Popular books can be produced in 1 month.
2.5.10 Producing Braille books
The Braille books for leisure reading are also produced in Rijswijk. FNB produces 450 new Braille titles each year. The copying of Braille books is also carried out in Rijswijk. In 2005 FNB copied 9,000 Braille books. After the selection for the collection of Braille books, the books are taken in production. The printed book is bought for approximately €20 in a shop or directly from the publisher. The pages are separated from the cover to facilitate the scanning procedure. The pages are scanned. This takes around 3 to 4 minutes per book. After the scanning process is finished the scanned document is read by OCR-software. This step in the production process takes approximately 3 to 4 hours before the text is converted in a format that can be edited for further use. After this step is finished employees as well as volunteers check the document for mistakes. The mistakes are corrected in a Word document. The corrected document is subsequently converted into XML with use of an in-house developed software program called DTBooktoBraille. XML (DAISY3/NISO) is used by FNB as the single source format for multiple outputs. From the XML file the Braille version can be printed, but also the accessible e-text version can be generated. The XML file is stored on the server and every time a request for a title is received by FNB, the book will be printed and sent on demand. FNB prints on two sides of the paper. FNB uses a single issue model, in this the client is allowed to keep the Braille book. A Braille book may consist of several volumes. A volume exists of a maximum of 80 Braille pages. One ink print page is the same as three Braille pages3. This means that an ink print book of 250 pages will exists of 750 Braille pages.
2.5.11 Laws
In the Netherlands there is a law concerning the production of accessible information for people with a print impairment. The law implies that the production of accessible information for people with a print impairment is allowed when needed. FNB has to pay a reimbursement to the publishers of the talking books produced.
Next to the law for producing accessible information for people with a print impairment there is also a world wide law that says that the postal service for sending Braille and spoken books between libraries for the blind and their clients is exempt from postage.
2.5.12 Interlibrary loans
FNB has no interlibrary loans for general literature. One of the reasons why FNB has no interlibrary loans for talking books is that FNB produces only DAISY books and the clients read their books with a DAISY player and only have a DAISY player. For Braille books the reason can be found in the facts that Braille is different for every country. They buy some titles from other libraries for the blind in other countries but they do not exchange leisure reading books.
The Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille in Sweden
2.5.13 General information
The Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille (TPB) is the national centre for the production and the inter-library lending of talking books and is situated in Stockholm. TPB is a governmental organization that, in collaboration with local libraries, provides people with print handicaps access to printed materials. The mission of TPB is to produce and lend talking books and books in Braille format. TPB also provides advice and information on matters concerning talking books and Braille. TPB is entirely funded by the government.
Talking books are exempt from postage when sent to and from libraries. Most borrowers prefer to visit the local library to borrow their books. People who are unable to go to the local library themselves can have their talking books sent to their home free of charge.
2.5.14 Clients
Talking books may be borrowed by the visually impaired and other print handicapped persons in Sweden from municipal and school libraries. Swedish citizens and people living in Sweden with print handicaps have the right to borrow DAISY-books from their local library. No medical certificate is required. The library orders complementary titles from TPB. Talking books are located in the web-based catalogue called the TPB-katalogen. In addition to the stock at the local library print impaired people may borrow any talking or Braille book from the county library, and from TPB through the interlibrary service system.
Persons with a print disability possessing the right to borrow talking books: • the visually impaired
• the physically impaired
• people with reading and writing disabilities • people with aphasia
• people with developmental disabilities • the hard of hearing (for auditory training) • the chronically ill and convalescent
Public libraries in the municipalities are run by local authorities and funded with local taxes. The county libraries give advice, co-ordinate interlibrary loans and library development. They are funded by the county council as well as through government grants. Local libraries have their own stocks of talking books and county libraries have a comparatively large talking book selection.
2.5.15 Staff
2.5.16 Products
TPB Product Range
- Braille format; both leisure reading materials and school & study books: This output ranges from Braille translations of fiction books to text book translations for students and professionals.
- Talking materials; both leisure reading materials and school & study books: TPB is a member of the DAISY Consortium and as a result creates DAISY books.
- E-text books; contain digitally stored text, which can be read in various ways, e.g. with speech synthesizers, screen magnification, or a Braille panel. The electronic text is delivered to the client on diskettes or cd-rom.
- Tactile picture books; Tactile pictures are made in different materials to make it easier for readers to recognize pictures through touch.
Users of talking and Braille books are entitled to keep the book for 2 months. The books are lent out books in both digital and analogue format. Only 25% of their catalogue is already transformed to digital format.
2.5.17 Costs of lending a book
People can borrow the talking and Braille books from their local library. Lending of the books is free. As mentioned in 2.5.14 the local libraries are supported by local taxes.
2.5.18 Selection procedure for leisure books
At the weekly book selection meeting, librarians at TPB select all books to be produced as talking books or Braille books. Books requested by readers have priority. The public libraries give the titles of the popular books and TPB decides about the rest of the titles. The popular books are stored at the public libraries and the total collection is stored at TPB. The book selection meeting also decides which titles to buy from other producers, as well as commercial audio books. TPB outsources the production of approximately 1,000 titles to other producers, including audio books in foreign languages. TPB stock includes books in almost 50 different languages. TPB may commission a book in a foreign language if it has not already been produced abroad. Guidelines for book selection are established by the Library Board.
2.5.19 Catalogue
The catalogue of TPB contains 73,400 book titles of which are 61,400 are audio books and 12,000 Braille books. Only 25% of the collection is converted to digital format. The other 75% is in analogue format. As a result of this partly digitalisation TPB needs large storage rooms. The TPB-katalogen provides information on each Braille book regarding author, title, number of volumes and pages, a short presentation of the content and also other details about the book. For talking books, the TPB-katalogen contains information on each book regarding author, title, narrator, duration, short presentation of the content of the book, and other details about the recording.
All Swedish public libraries and school libraries may borrow talking books directly from TPB. The normal lending time is 2 months.
Individuals and libraries can look for and loan a Braille book from TPB by using the TPB-katalogen. The loan can be renewed when it has expired. Libraries can reserve a book from TPB by using the TPB Katalogen database
The expiry date is printed on the address-form, both in print and in Braille. In renewing the loan, author, title, and expiry date should be stated. It is also possible to renew a deposit collection.
2.5.20 Production
All new titles at TPB are being produced as DAISY digital talking books. TPB produces more than 3,000 talking books each year for it’s lending library. TPB publishes approximately 400 titles in Braille annually and stocks approximately 12,000 titles (2004) for lending purposes. The complete Braille production is outsourced.
Libraries may buy individual titles of all TPB-production. Talking books can only be produced by organizations granted permission by the Swedish Government.
TPB has no in-house production but outsources the entire talking book production to professional studios. TPB controls how the book is to be recorded via guidelines regarding narration and structure. All narrators are certified by TPB and the book is recorded in mono.
2.5.21 Producing talking books
TPB has no inbound production. All audio books are produced by commercial organizations. TPB has fixed agreements with the production organisations about the volumes, lead time and prices. TPB chooses together with the public libraries the titles that need to be produced. A part of the requested titles are purchased or exchanged. Approximately 400 commercial titles are bought or exchanged every year. The 5 production centres work only with professional freelance readers. The benefit of working with professionals is that they work longer hours and they need less technical support. Some freelancers have a studio at home and they narrate the books at home. Most books take 6-8 months to produce. A special permit, issued by the Government, is needed to produce talking books.
2.5.22 Producing Braille books
TPB publishes approximately 400 titles in Braille annually and stocks approximately 12,000 titles (2004) for lending purposes. The complete production of Braille is outsourced. Most Braille borrowers have direct contact with TPB and many titles are produced on request. Braille books are normally produced in non-contracted Braille. TPB also provides picture books interleaved with Braille and tactile picture books. These are produced as Braille books including the printed book as a supplement, or as tactile picture books.
All Braille books are catalogued and can be located in the TPB-katalogen, the public web-based catalogue. Average production time is estimated at 12 weeks, but it is possible to produce a book in 4 weeks, if necessary. As TPB has no in-house production facilities all books are produced by printing houses using contracted Braille.
In general, Braille books are produced only as a single copy, though if a title becomes popular new copies are produced. Braille is produced according to the rules and recommendations laid down by the Swedish Braille Authority. The book collection reflects to a large extent the requests of readers. Approximately 40% of an annual production of 350-400 titles are made on demand. Remaining acquisitions consist mostly of recent fiction for adults and juveniles, though non-fiction is also produced. At the weekly book selection meeting, TPB librarians choose which books are to be produced in Braille. Guidelines for the book selection are established by the Library Board
2.5.23 Laws
The Swedish library service for print impaired people is supported by the following legislation: The Swedish Constitution, and the Copyright Law:
• The Swedish Constitution (section 2) states that all citizens are guaranteed freedom of information and freedom of speech. This implies that print impaired citizens have the right to written information through whichever medium they can access.
• Swedish Copyright Law, changed in 2005, permits libraries and organisations officially authorized by the government, to produce published books as phonograms for lending to print impaired people. This can be done without the permission of authors or publishers.
Anyone is entitled to produce Braille copies of published books.
2.5.24 Interlibrary loans
TPB administers interlibrary loans for Braille titles, both within Sweden and from abroad. Braille books from other countries may be produced in the contracted Braille of that country, which could make reading difficult to an unaccustomed reader.
People living abroad may borrow Braille books from TPB following the same criteria as in Sweden.
2.5.25 A comparison
Looking at this information of the 2 libraries the following similarities and differences are found. From this comparison together with the theory from paragraph 2.4 the factors that can influence the performance of the production process and service of the libraries for the blind are found in paragraph 2.7.
The main differences are:
• TPB has no in-house production facilities: all books are produced by other organizations or companies. FNB produces most of its books itself
• In Sweden talking books can be borrowed from the local libraries. TPB provides the libraries with talking books. Only people unable to go to the local library themselves may have their talking books sent to their home. In the Netherlands all clients borrow their books directly from FNB but also in the public libraries a small part of the talking books can be borrowed
• All the talking books in the FNB collection are DAISY books; only 25% of the collection of TPB consists of DAISY books, the other 75% are of analogue format
• Because only 25% of the collection of TPB is in digital format, TPB needs a much larger storage room than FNB. FNB has their total collection in digital format and stores the total collection on a server. TPB needs storage rooms in the literally sense of the word. They have all there titles stored on cassettes
• TPB works only with professional narrators; FNB works with both professionals and volunteers
• In the Netherlands libraries for the blind have to pay a reimbursement to the publishers of the talking books produced. In Sweden this is not the case
• FNB has more then twice as much employees as TPB
• Lending a book for print impaired people in Sweden is free and in the Netherlands people who would like to borrow a book need to pay a fee
• The production of talking books takes approximately 6-8 months at TPB and at FNB 3 months
There are also similarities:
• TPB and FNB produce the same leisure book formats, both Braille and DAISY talking books
• Both libraries deliver, directly or indirectly, to the same target group: people with a print impairment
• TPB and FNB are both state subsidized organizations
The differences and similarities between the two libraries can have an influence on the different inputs and outputs of their production and service process and consequently on their efficiency. For instance:
• The fact that TPB does not produce and lends out itself could be the reason for the fact that TPB has less then half of the staff that FNB has
• Because FNB lends out directly to its clients, the service it provides has to be more extensive. In Sweden the service is in a large part provided by the public libraries. This could mean a reduction of costs
• Because the complete talking book collection of FNB consists of DAISY books FNB has no storage rooms except an audio server. TPB needs storage rooms because a big part of its collection consists of cassettes
• One would think that working with professional narrators (as TPB does) instead of volunteers (like FNB) is more expensive. However, the benefit of working with professionals is that they work longer hours and they need less technical support. More research needs to be done to find out what the actual costs really are
• The agreements with publishers in Sweden seems to be more favorable then in the Netherlands
• Both libraries are state subsidized organizations. Are there other ways to finance a library for the blind and what are the consequences of another way of financing
2.6 Performance variables
In this paragraph the performance variables that are used in the analysis in chapter 5 are shortly explained. The detailed explanation is given in chapter 5.
Performance can be defined as “how well an organization is doing”. To be able to measure the performance of the libraries in this research performance variables are formulated. Which performance variables are used is determined in chapter 5. In paragraph 2.4.1 is already said that the performance variables are specific for every company. Because the purpose of this research is to formulate best practices for the production process and service the performance variables must represent these two processes. The questionnaire, the theory used in this research, the interviews with users and the comparison between FNB and TPB are all used to find the performance variables for the research.
To find the final best practices the libraries for the blind are tested against the performance variables. These variables determine how well a library for the blind performs. The performance variables are listed in the figure of the conceptual model in the next paragraph.
2.7 Conceptual model
In this paragraph the conceptual model is developed using the outcomes from the previous paragraphs. In the paragraphs 2.4 and 2.5 the internal and external factors that can have influence on the performance of the libraries for the blind are listed. Not every factor can be taken into consideration in this research. The reasons for this are both time restrictions and the fact that not all the libraries have a clear view of their financial and administrative situation. Because of these limitations in the research, the internal and external factors that can be measured are listed in the final conceptual model on the following page.
To find out which of the external and internal factors really influence the production process and the service and in the end the performance of the different libraries for the blind a questionnaire is set up. The questionnaire can be found in the appendix of this research report. An explanation of how the questionnaire is finally formulated can be found in chapter 4. In chapter 3 the analysing method that is used in this research is explained in general and in chapter 5 the specific explanation for this research is discussed. In chapter 5 also the way the internal and external factors are measured is explained.
External factors:
Budget Copyright laws Organisation financed
Demands of the government regarding production and service Performance
Cooperation with other libraries Number of produces talking books
Cooperation with publishers Number of produced Braille books
Production process / Delivery speed
Service Titles reproduced
Internal factors: Ways to order books
Type of clients Ways to consult the catalogue
Number of clients
Selection procedure of new titles Internal and external production Production capacity
Relation between narrators and technicians
Chapter 3 Methodology
In this chapter the methodology for the research is discussed. The assignment from the IFLA is to formulate best practices for production and service within the libraries for the blind using the benchmarking method. To be able to use the benchmarking method, in this chapter benchmarking is explained. This can be read in the first paragraph. In the second paragraph the analyzing method of the results of the questionnaire is discussed. The method that is used is the Data Envelopment Analysis.
3.1 Benchmarking
The assignment of this study is to formulate best practices for the production process and service within libraries for the blind using the benchmarking method. This paragraph explains what benchmarking is and which steps should be taken in the benchmark research. This is included in order to keep a clear view on the research. Not every step of the benchmarking method is performed in this research because of the limitations of time.
Benchmarking can be defined as4:
- Measuring your performance against that of the best-in-class companies; - Determining how the best in class achieve those performance levels;
- And using the information as the basis for your own company’s targets, strategies and implementations.
In this benchmark research the production processes and the service processes of the libraries for the blind throughout the world are evaluated. To determine if the production process is performing well the costs and output of the production processes are examined. To determine the service process the service performance is measured. Therefore, a close look at the quality of the service process is needed.
Ideally benchmarking is not a once-off process. Benchmarking is a continuing process that asks for the collection of the facts, the determination of the purpose and analyses. In the following a theory of benchmarking is chosen to find out what benchmarking is and in what way it can be used. First the 7 steps of benchmarking according to Richard Y. Chang are discussed. After this general explanation the 7 steps are discussed for this research.
The 7-steps model of benchmarking5:
1. Determine what to benchmark -> What is benchmarked and with what purpose? Who should be involved? What does the working process look like? What is the size? Where are the boundaries? Out of which tasks does the process consists? Register the process in a model.
2. Determine what to measure -> Research the model. Determine the measure points. Work out if the measure points fit the purpose.
3. Determine to whom you want to compare yourself -> carry out a general research. Choose the type of benchmarking.
4. Collect data -> collecting data with a questionnaire or a visit on the job.
4 Rob van der Wal Benchmarking Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam; 1994
5. Analyse the data and determine the gap between performance of the reference organisation and the performances of the companies in the benchmark.
6. Determine performance purposes and develop an action plan. 7. Keep following the process -> make a habit of benchmarking. Explanation of the 7 steps model of benchmarking for this research:
1. In this research the production process and service of the libraries for the blind in the world are benchmarked. The focus is limited to production and service of leisure reading materials in audio and Braille format. The organisations that are benchmarked are libraries for the blind that are members of IFLA Libraries for the Blind Section and/or the DAISY Consortium. All these libraries received the survey and 18 of them responded and are included in chapter 4. From these 18 libraries 17 libraries are taken into account in the Data Envelopment Analysis, because they filled in all the questions.
2. All the different assets of the production process and service of general literature are measured. To find out what these different assets are, a comparison has been made between two libraries for the blind. This comparison has been made in paragraph 2.5. Also an interview is held among some users of the products of FNB.
3. The libraries are compared to each other. In the benchmark research the production process and service of the libraries are compared. Both the costs and service are central points. In the first place the research is done to formulate general best practices for the libraries for the blind. Secondly there is a need for a database consisting of all the possible methods used in libraries for the blind in the production process and service.
4. For the collection of data, a questionnaire is used. Besides the questionnaire the annual reports of the libraries for the blind are used to gather information.
5. The received data of the questionnaire are analysed. Data Envelopment Analysis (explained in the next paragraph) is used for the qualitative analysis.
6. The best practice guidelines are formulated and put on the Start website. Libraries can check the website and decide if and how they want to introduce any changes.
7. Benchmarking is an ongoing process. However, within the time frame of this study there are no opportunities to repeat the benchmarking. The results of this study therefore can be seen as handles that can be used by the libraries for further research. In chapter 2 the definition of the problem and the conceptual model are explained. This chapter covers the steps 1 and 2 of the benchmark step model. Step 3 and 5 are discussed in chapter 4 and 5. In chapter 4 the above step 4 is explained. Step 6 of the benchmarking process can be found in chapter 6. Unfortunately this benchmark study is a one time research so step 7 of the above 7 steps is not done.
3.2 Data Envelopment Analysis
This paragraph explains the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method that is used to analyse the answers of the questionnaire. In the first subparagraph is explained why the DEA method is chosen in this research as the analyzing method. In the second subparagraph the DEA method is generally explained. In the third and final subparagraph the way the DEA method is used in this research is explained.
3.2.1 Why DEA?
The assignment for this research is to determine best practices using the benchmarking method. In paragraph 3.1 the benchmarking method is explained. Step 5 of the benchmarking process is analysing the data that have been collected in step 4.
To analyse the date in this research the Data Envelopment Analysing method is used to compare the performance of the participating libraries for the blind. The Data Envelopment Analysing method is a linear programming technique for measuring the relative efficiency of facilities. DEA is a performance evaluation method for multi-site services. In this research the performance of the libraries for the blind needs to be determined and the libraries for the blind can be seen as the different sites. DEA is in this research used to determine the performance of the production process and service of the libraries for the blind. The results of the analysis are used to formulate the best practices. The assignment is looking at the production process and service within the libraries for the blind. Unfortunately it was not possible to look at the production process and service in detail. The reason this was not possible was the time restriction and the fact that not every library had the information about their production process and service accurately and detailed.
The DEA method in this research is used to compare the participating libraries. The libraries are compared to each other given certain inputs and outputs of the DEA method. The reason why one library has a higher score than the other library is not the outcome of the DEA method. After looking at the results of the DEA and looking at the answers given to the questions a possible explanation for a higher score on the performance can be found. This explanation can be found in chapter 5.
3.2.2 Explanation of the Data Envelopment Analysing method.
DEA is a method to make a comparative analysis between different units. In this research the units are the libraries for the blind that are participating in the research. The libraries that are cooperating in this research are members of the IFLA and or the DAISY consortium and produce their products themselves or they outsource a part or their complete production. Most libraries lend their products directly to the users but there are also libraries that lend their products out to the end users using the public libraries. From the 17 libraries that included in this research there is one library (TPB) that does not produce the leisure reading books herself, but outsources the production of talking books and Braille books to commercial producers. The books from the TPB are lend out through the public libraries in Sweden. DEA is a method that compares the unit based on a ratio of weighted output to weighted inputs optimal, where weights will be determined separately for each unit.
To be able to use the DEA there is a restriction. The restriction is that the number of outputs (N) and inputs (M) are related to each other by K ≥ 2(N+M). K is the number of sites and in this research the number of libraries. In this research there are 5 outputs and 1 input (as will be explained in chapter 5), 17 ≥ 2(5+1). This means that it is allowed to use the DEA method.
DEA has many advantages compared to other analysing methods. The advantages are listed below.
• Ability to compare multiple inputs and output variables
• Data reduction: DEA output reduces multiple performance measures to a single number
• Objectivity/fairness: The weighting of performance measures is carried out by a known algorithm
• Personalisation: The weighting of performance measures reacts to the individual unit; that weights are different from unit to unit depending upon their special characteristics. Weights are chosen by DEA for each unit that will make that unit look the best
Rather than comparing units to negotiated goals, DEA compares units to the actual results achieved and resources used by other units. This aspect gives DEA the following advantages over goal-based methods:
• Environmental change response; if the economy, or any other important uncontrollable factor, unexpectedly goes up or down, goal-based measures must be readjusted, and readjusting someone out of their annual bonus is rather umpopular. Because DEA only takes into consideration actual results, factors affecting everyone will not affect results6.
• DEA doesn’t reward “sand-bagging”, nor does DEA punish superior performers: Again, because one is compared to peers rather than a personal history, stellar management is not penalized for results that are great, but not as great as last year7. Especially the first advantage is important for this research. Because the performance of one library does not depend on 1 single factor it is an advantage that with the DEA method multiple inputs and outputs can be measured.
But there are also some limitations to the DEA method. These limitations are listed below. • DEA looks at inputs and outputs but not at the process between them
• Sensitivity; it compares a unit (library) with only the extremes • Only a comparison between units; but all may work inefficiently
• For every service unit a separate Linear Programming-model most be solved • DEA is not suited to all multi-site firms
Although the need for some kind of performance measure may seem obvious, the best type of system to implement depends on the goal. A common goal of a performance measurement system is evaluation. Another use of performance evaluation systems is simply classification. The goal in this research is to develop best practices for the Libraries of the blind. The best practices can be developed by first finding out which are the different production methods techniques used among the Libraries for the blind around the world. Comparing the libraries to each other using the DEA method classifies the libraries. The answer why one library has a better performance then another library is not the outcome of the analysis. With the classification in mind, this research looks at a reason for the different performances of the libraries by hand.
6 Richard Metters, Kathryn King-Metters, Madeleine Pullman Successful Service Operations Management. Thomson South Wetsern 2003. 7 Richard Metters, Kathryn King-Metters, Madeleine Pullman Successful Service Operations Management. Thomson South Wetsern 2003.
It is best suited to firms with results that are not easily combined and units that provide similar services and have similar competitive goals. Because every library has the same goal, producing accessible information and serving people with a visual impairment, the DEA is a suitable tool to measure performance in the Start research.
DEA combines numerous relevant results obtained (called “outputs” by DEA professionals) and the resources used to create those results (referred to as “inputs”) into a single number that represents the productivity (referred to as “efficiency”) of using resources to create results. The inputs and outputs for this research are found in chapter 5.
The basic thought that DEA is trying to project is:
resources results e Performanc = Or in DEA speak: inputs outputs Efficiency=
This means that the efficiency or performance is determined by the relation between the outputs and inputs of the DEA model.
A DEA report will show a single number ranging from 0 to 1 that rates the performance or efficiency. An efficiency rating of 1 means that the unit, the library, rated is fully efficient, the best among the group at what it does.
For each unit that is being measured, a DEA program finds weightings for results and resources used to solve the following general problem:
Maximize:
Results * a weighting for each result for a specific unit (library) Provided that: 1 * * ≤ weighting resources weighting results
for all units in the system, and resources * weighting = 1 for the specific unit being rated.
The weighting for each result is found by solving an LP model with weights as decision variables. The objective function then gives the performance of the considered unit (library).
In the next chapter the results of the questionnaire are explained. First the quantitative results and second the qualitative results are discussed. The purpose of the chapter is to give an enumeration of the results of the filled in questionnaires.
Chapter 4 Results
Step 4 in the Benchmarking method is collecting data for the analysis. In this chapter the method that is used to collect the data is explained. Also in this chapter the results to the questionnaire are presented. In the following figure the participating countries and the names of the interviewed libraries are shown. In this part of the research the Deutsche Zentralbucherei für Blinde, Leipzig in Germany is taken into account if they provided information to the question discussed. Unfortunately the library was not able to give the answers to the questions that represent the variables for the DEA method, so the library could not be taken in to account in the DEA.
Country Name Netherlands FNB
Great-Britain 1 National Library for the Blind, NLB
New Zealand Royal New Zealand foundation of the blind Great-Britain 2 Royal National Institute of the Blind
Germany 1 Central Library for the Blind, Hamburg
Morocco Alaouite Organization for the Protection of the Blind in Morocco, OAPAM Germany 2 Deutsche Zentralbucherei für Blinde, Leipzig
Great-Britain 3 Calibre Cassette Library
Sweden The Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille, TPB Finland Finnish Library for the Visually Impaired, CELIA
Canada CNIB Library
South Africa The South African Library for the Blind Korea Korean Braille Library
Norway Norwegian Library of talking books and Braille Belgium Vlaamse luister en braille bibliotheek
USA Library of Congress
Spain Organizacion Nacional de Ciegos Espana, ONCE Ireland National Council for the Blind of Ireland
Figure 2 List of participating countries with the names of the libraries.
Before the results are represented, the questionnaire that is used for this research is discussed in paragraph 4.1. After the questionnaire is discussed the quantitative numbers are displayed and discussed in the second paragraph. The second paragraph contains 9 subparagraphs. The third paragraph displays the qualitative results to the questions of the final questionnaire. Most libraries found it difficult to answer all the questions because they did not have a clear view on their financial situation. Also the administration of other facts was not always as clear as they should be. For example some libraries did not know how many clients they served. This chapter is only used to sum up the answers to the questionnaire. No conclusions are drawn. In chapter 6 the information of this chapter is used to formulate the best practices.
