Maturity of the book purchasing process in university libraries

Abstract

In organizational management, operational performance and the maturity level of processes should be considered for improving quality and productivity. The present research has the overall objective of analyzing the level of maturity of the purchasing process of bibliographic material, developed in the university libraries of a Federal University. Based on the overall objective, we aim to identify maturity models used in process management in the scientific literature, as well as proposing a way of collecting and treating the perception of maturity of the purchasing process of bibliographic material. To achieve these objectives, we adopted as methodological procedures the bibliographic research in the SciELO, SCOPUS, and DOAJ bases and the case study on the perception of maturity of the purchasing process of books from the university libraries, using the interview and closed questionnaire. The questionnaire was applied to 40 staff members of the system of university libraries. The results indicate that the majority of activities carried out for the purchase of books present levels of maturity above Level 1. This shows that the processes performed in libraries for the purchase of books are defined, planned, and controlled, although there is a considerable number of aspects that can be improved. In terms of relevance for library management, the research intends to provide subsidies for the planning and management of the purchasing process of bibliographic material and the optimization of resources, as well as understanding and assessing the process carried out, identifying its maturity levels.