Measuring the quality, value and impact of academic libraries: the role of external standards

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role and relevance of external standards in demonstrating the value and impact of academic library services to their stakeholders.

Two UK standards, Charter Mark and Customer Service Excellence, are evaluated via an exploratory case study, employing multiple data collection techniques. Methods and results of phases 1‐2 of a three phase research project are outlined.

Despite some limitations, standards may assist the manager in demonstrating the value, impact and quality of academic libraries in a recessional environment. Active engagement and partnership with customers is imperative if academic libraries are to be viewed as vital to their parent organisations and thus survive.

This paper provides a systematic evaluation of the role of external accreditation standards in measuring academic library service value and impact.