Page 242 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2015 Vol. 41

Extended English abstracts of articles published in the Chinese Edition of Journal of Library Science in China 2015 Vol.41 241

its mission. Improving service effectiveness is a new requirement for the public cultural service
system which includes the public library. The foundation of the public library in China is relatively
weak. Simply relying on investment from the public finance cannot support the universal and
equal service. The public library has to pay attention to enhancing its own professional abilities.
Therefore, improving service effectiveness plays a significant role in establishing the public library
service system, and realizing the universal and equal service.
Public library service effectiveness involves many factors, including theory and practice,
hardware and software, as well as input and output, etc. This not only makes the evaluation of
service effectiveness difficult, but also makes how to improve the service effectiveness a tough
topic. Based on the status quo of the public library service effectiveness, this paper examines
deficiencies, including the problems reflected by indicators, practice and academic research.
By analyzing objective and subjective factors, this paper tries to find ways to improve service
effectiveness.
The influencing factors are divided into four categories which will be analyzed respectively.
The first is legal environment, which is the precondition for developing service capacities of
the public library. Legal duties of the government and the public library are defined explicitly in
good legal environment. The public library’s establishment, service system, organization and the
investment of all sorts are provided with legal basis. Correspondingly, the legal duties of providing
services, improving service efficiency and guaranteeing service quality are clarified. Therefore, the
primary task is to promulgate the Public Library Law in order to improve the legal environment in
China.
The second is the service system, which is the carrier of the universal and equal service.
Establishing the service system is the way to improve service capacities and service benefits, as
well as an important goal to promote service effectiveness. The main and branch library system is
the most economical and efficient service system. Following the objective laws and realizing the
layout of the main and branch library system can improve the service effectiveness of the public
library to a great extent and achieve the universal and equal service.
The third is professional planning. Professional planning is a requirement for the public library
and should be embodied in establishment, construction, purpose, scheming, services, activities,
management, etc. By means of professional planning, resources of various kinds can be integrated
to improve service capacities and encourage the access to the library. The improvement of service
quality and benefits can also be guaranteed.
The fourth is management level. Management is a decision-making process of integrating,
organizing and optimizing various resources, and on how to providing all kinds of services in
order to fulfill missions of the public library. Scientific management mechanism and good quality
management can integrate all kinds of resources and make service abilities compatible with service
benefits which promote service effectiveness into the optimal level.
Making use of service effectiveness instead of service benefits as the method of evaluation