Key Performance Indicators
To understand the EBSM Tools and the methodology in some detail, it is important to understand what EBSM aims to measure.
EBSM is based around six Key Performance Indicators for library collection performance which address the key demands of collection provision that customers expect when visiting a library. The KPIs span Fiction and Non-Fiction, with the Overstocked and Understocked Subject Areas catering solely for Non-Fiction.
The EBSM KPIs are as follows:
| EBSM KPI | KPI Rational |
|---|---|
| Grubby Items | Patrons should not be expected to borrow items which are physically unattractive. This is a major cause of patron dissatisfaction. |
| Dead Items | Patrons should not be expected to wade through hundreds of dormant items in the search for useful or desirable choices. This is a major cause of patron dissatisfaction. |
| Popular Author Provision | Users have an expectation of finding a good selection of items by preferred authors or on popular subjects on shelves at all times. Lack of such provision is a major cause of customer desertion. |
| Popular Subject Provision | A good range of material in the most popular subjects areas at a branch is a key borrower requirement. |
| Overstocked Subject Areas | Large quantities of unused and unwanted Non-Fiction items in any subject area, is counter productive to patron satisfaction and convenience. It is also a sign of wasteful provision in the past, based on assumptions about demand rather than analytical evidence. |
| Understocked Subject Areas | Supply should always try to match demand in Non-Fiction subject provision. Failure to provide for this is a major cause of customer desertion. |
EBSM Tools are ultimately aimed at improving library collection performance against each of these KPIs.
While other collection related metrics are important , their relative importance to a Library can be very subjective. EBSM KPIs are not subjective – they universally describe what a patron expects from a high performing library when it comes to collection supply. They are also simple to understand, relatively straightforward to measure, and taken as a whole, enable a methodology that is targeted, relevant and practical.