Publication Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

1-2018

Abstract

The Singapore Management University (SMU) Libraries’ have used the LEAN and Six Sigma methodologies in recent years to plan and push for continuous process improvement in their operations. In one assessment project, the Gemba-Kaizen principle from LEAN was adapted and applied to an initiative centered on assessing the library’s Lifestyle print collection. This strategy became a prime agent for change, which resulted in some marked improvements in collection management activities within the SMU Libraries. This case study at SMU Libraries will describe key principles of Gemba- Kaizen and how it was found to be a sustainable tool to drive continuous assessment of the print collection, where visual management is mostly used to observe and determine problems at the source of the value stream. As an assessment tool, Gemba is one of the “low-hanging fruit,” which is within reach, quick to plan for and to implement. It is a course of action that can be undertaken quickly and easily, as part of a wider range of changes or solutions to a problem. This study will also show that a simple, basic assessment tool like the Gemba can have impact and add value to services, while remaining painless to plan, execute, and implement.

Discipline

Collection Development and Management | Information Literacy

Publication

Association of College and Research Libraries,

Volume

1

Editor

Marwin Britto; Kirsten Kinsley

First Page

100

Last Page

113

ISBN

9780838989456

Edition

Academic libraries and the academy: Strategies and approaches to demonstrate your value, impact, and return on investment

Publisher

Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association

City or Country

Chicago, Illinois

Embargo Period

1-3-2019

Additional URL

https://worldcat.org/isbn/9780838989456

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