Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Maryam Parsaeian ¹
• Nosrat Riahi nia ²
• Somaye Sadat Akhshik ³
• Mohammad Hasanzadeh ⁴

¹ PhD student of Kharazmi University, Instructor, Department of Information Science and Knowledge, Taft Payam Nour University, Yazd, Iran

² Full professor, Department of Information and Knowledge Science, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Information and khowledge Science, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

⁴ Associate Professor, Department of Information and Knowledge Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The EFQM Business Excellence Model is a valuable management model that plays a prominent role in the excellence of the quality of services provided by various organizations and institutions. Certainly, utilizing this pattern in academic libraries can enhance the quality and service of academic libraries and ultimately cause the growth and development of scientific and research in universities. The main purpose of the present study is to provide an organizational excellence model appropriate to these types of libraries by identifying and accurately weighing the nine criteria of organizational excellence model with Iranian academic libraries. This research was conducted to answer the following questions: 
1.    What is the weight of the enabling criteria of the EFQM Business Excellence Model in Iranian academic libraries?
2.    What is the weight of the results criteria of the EFQM Business Excellence Model in Iranian academic libraries?
3.    Does the modified EFQM Business Excellence Model fit into the conditions of Iranian academic libraries?
4.    What is the status of enabling and results criteria of the model adapted in Iranian academic libraries?
Methodology: This research was an applied research which used a survey method and a combined approach in gathering data (in two qualitative and quantitative stages) using a Delphi panel and a questionnaire. The research community in the qualitative section included 8 members of Delphi panel. The Results of the two-round Delphi technique was the EFQM questionnaire. Validity or credibility of the questionnaire was confirmed by Delphi technique based on experts' opinions. Also, the Cronbach's alpha for the 9 criteria of the EFQM Business Excellence Model Obtained above. /7. The community of the quantitative part of the research were the managers of Iranian academic libraries. The questionnaire was distributed among 126 of the managers of the academic libraries, in order to comment on the importance of each of the sub criteria in assessing the quality of academic library services in a continuum 1 to 5 points. Finally, 93 questionnaires was collected as the basis for data analyzing. Factor Score Regression with Bootstrap-p method used in AMOS v. 23 to analyze the data.
Findings: The findings showed that the modified EFQM Business Excellence Model in this study is well-suited to the requirements of Iranian academic libraries and can be proposed for all Iranian academic libraries as a qualitative model. All the principles necessary to improve the quality of libraries are proportionate according to the situation and conditions of academic libraries in Iran. Also, according to the findings, the enabling criteria make up a total of 62% of the weight structure of the modified EFQM Business Excellence Model, While 38% of the weight structure of the modified model is assigned to the results criteria. Also, according to the findings, the average status of the enabling and results criteria at 95% confidence level have a significant difference with the average level (3). In other words, the criteria of the EFQM Business Excellence Model are at desirable level and can be used to measure the performance of Iranian academic libraries.
Discussion: The results of the research showed that the modified EFQM Business Excellence Model can be recommended for all academic libraries in Iran as a qualitative model because all the principles necessary for improving the quality of libraries are adapted according to to the status and conditions of the academic libraries in Iran. The results also showed that for quality excellence in academic libraries enabling criteria is more important than the results. Among the enabling criteria, provision of appropriate processes, resources and information services for users can have more value in the quality excellence of academic libraries. Also, among the results criteria, achieving and maintaining excellent results by academic libraries along with their mother organization's strategy is important for managers of these libraries and can be of great importance to the quality excellence of the library services. Finally, the correspondence between the status of enabling measures and results in the modified EFQM Business Excellence Model showed that all the enabling and results criteria are essential for achieving a level of excellence in academic libraries and can be used by managers of Iranian academic libraries. Therefore the modified EFQM Business Excellence model, which is developed by the guidance of the professors and Delphi members comment and is weighted by the managers of Iranian academic libraries, can be considered as a functional and comprehensive model for all types of academic libraries.

Keywords

• EFQM Business Excellence Model
• Weighting System
• academic libraries