University Libraries In Taiwan Research Articles

DeaR-Shiny: An Interactive Web App for Data Envelopment Analysis

In this paper, we describe an interactive web application (deaR-shiny) to measure efficiency and productivity using data envelopment analysis (DEA). deaR-shiny aims to fill the gap that currently exists in the availability of online DEA software offering practitioners and researchers free access to a very wide variety of DEA models (both conventional and fuzzy models). We illustrate how to use the web app by replicating the main results obtained by Carlucci, Cirà and Coccorese in 2018, who investigate the efficiency and economic sustainability of Italian regional airport by using two conventional DEA models, and the results given by Kao and Liu in their papers published in 2000 and 2003, who calculate the efficiency scores of university libraries in Taiwan by using a fuzzy DEA model because they treat missing data as fuzzy numbers.

Linking the benchmarking tool to a knowledge-based system for performance improvement

In this work, a knowledge-based system for the benchmarking of public university libraries was developed in order to provide more useful information for decision-making and process benchmarking. This knowledge-based system converts numerical data into information that can be used to evaluate relative efficiency of public university libraries in Taiwan. We propose an integrated framework for the benchmarking wheel and knowledge-based system, including a database management subsystem, model base subsystem, knowledge acquisition subsystem, and dialogue subsystem. In the model-base, we use the DEA models, including the CCR and BCC models, in order to shed new light on the operational efficiency of public libraries in Taiwan. Finally, we provide strategies for improving inefficient public university libraries.

An evaluation of book availability in Taiwan university libraries: A resource sharing perspective

An evaluation of book availability in Taiwan university libraries: A resource sharing perspective

An evaluation of book availability in Taiwan university libraries: A resource sharing perspective

This study is intended to answer the following questions: Have university libraries in Taiwan acquired books recommended by selection aids? Can university library collections in Taiwan sufficiently fill users' requests? Do libraries of different collection sizes process users' requests in an unbiased and efficient manner? This study employed interviews and document delivery tests. Librarians from 15 university libraries were interviewed to investigate their thoughts on ILL services. Samples from Choice and Bowker's Global Books in Print were searched for through the online catalogs of 148 university libraries. This study concludes that resource sharing will not operate in an equitable way if most user requests are only directed towards a small percentage of Taiwan's university libraries. Without an adequate quantity of volumes in the library collections of any region or country, resource sharing cannot be realized.

Fuzzy efficiency measures in fuzzy DEA/AR with application to university libraries

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) allows individual decision-making unit (DMU) to select the weights that are most favorable to them in calculating the ratio of the aggregated output to the aggregated input. The concept of the assurance region (AR) is restricting the ratio of any two weights to some range to avoid the evaluated DMUs from ignoring or relying too much on any criterion in evaluation. In this paper we develop a fuzzy DEA/AR method that is able to calculate the fuzzy efficiency score when the input and output data are represented as convex fuzzy numbers. Based on Zadeh’s extension principle, a pair of two-level mathematical programs is formulated to calculate the lower and upper bounds of the fuzzy efficiency score. We transform this pair of two-level mathematical programs into a pair of conventional DEA/AR method to derive the bounds of the efficiency. The dual models of the fuzzy DEA/AR for efficiency improvement are also considered. To illustrate how the proposed method is applied, the measurement of the efficiency of the university libraries in Taiwan with fuzzy observations is exemplified.

Evaluation of the university libraries in Taiwan: total measure versus ratio measure

This paper discusses the evaluation of university libraries from two standpoints, namely, total measure and ratio measure, and the 24 university libraries in Taiwan are adopted for empirical study. The total measure is based on the services and total resources, including collections, personnel, expenditures, and buildings that a university library is providing for its patrons. The total amount of these five factors weighted by their importance is calculated for each library for comparison. It is a measure of the size of a library in an aggregated sense. The ratio measure, which takes into account the clients sharing the resources and services, measures the extent that a library satisfies the standards. In both cases, the data envelopment analysis methodology is utilized. To prevent the ignorance of some factors in calculating the index for comparison, the assurance region concept is applied. Good libraries should have high indices in both measures. The empirical results show that only the libraries of National Taiwan University, National Cheng Kung University, National Cheng Chi University, and National Chung Cheng University provide sufficient resources and services for their clients.

The performance indicators of university e‐library in Taiwan

This paper establishes an appropriate model of university electronic library performance indicators to evaluate the electronic libraries in Taiwan. Resources referred to in the process of establishing an initial model of performance indicators include the performance indicators for electronic libraries found in the EQUINOX system; the balanced scorecard concept, designed and implemented in Germany to evaluate the performance of the three largest university and research libraries; and the approach outlined in the ALA's standard for college libraries. Moreover, the Delphi method, the persistent mailing of questionnaires and interviewing of specialists, was applied to obtain the various opinions of library specialists, head librarians at university libraries, and other staff members working in university electronic libraries in Taiwan. Through this process a practical model of electronic library performance indicators, was established appropriate to the needs of Taiwan which will be acceptable to the majority of Taiwan's university libraries.

A mathematical programming approach to fuzzy efficiency ranking

Data envelopment analysis is a widely applied approach for measuring the relative efficiencies of a set of decision-making units (DMUs) which use multiple inputs to produce multiple outputs. When some observations are fuzzy, the efficiencies become fuzzy as well. This paper devises a method to rank the fuzzy efficiency scores without knowing the exact form of the membership functions. The idea is to apply the maximizing set–minimizing set method, which is normally applied when membership functions are known. Via a skillful modeling technique, the requirement of the membership functions is avoided. The efficiency rankings are consequently determined by solving a pair of nonlinear programs for each DMU. To illustrate how the proposed method is applied, the ranking of the 24 university libraries in Taiwan with fuzzy observations is exemplified.

Ranking University Libraries with A Posteriori Weights

In aggregating the wide range of resources and services provided by the university libraries to produce a single composite index for comparison, two types of weights representing the relative importance of the criteria have been discussed in the literature. One is a priori weights assigned by the experts in a subjective manner before the scores for the criteria are measured. The other is a posteriori weights determined objectively from the scores measured for the criteria. Taking into account the opinion of experts, this paper proposes an a posteriori approach based on the concept of least squares to compare university libraries. Since the characteristics of the libraries as revealed by their performance scores on each criterion have been considered in calculating the composite indices for comparison, the results are more representative and are thus more acceptable to the libraries being compared. To illustrate this approach, university libraries in Taiwan are ranked using the proposed approach. The composite indices calculated from this approach are greater and more concentrated than those calculated from the a priori approach. Psychologically, this is very attractive to the libraries being ranked, although most libraries have similar ranks determined from these two approaches.

Empirical Standards for University Libraries in Taiwan

The library science community has long been discussing the important issue of university library standards. Differences in education systems, economic development and culture make a unified set of standards for all countries impractical. This paper proposes a methodology for establishing standards based on existing libraries. A regression analysis is conducted to find the relationship between each of the three major resources of the library – collections, personnel and buildings – and the university size in terms of the number of students and faculty. The standards are derived from the regression lines. The data of the twenty-four university libraries in Taiwan reveal that the power function has the best explanatory power for all the three resources. The exponents of the power function are 0.8349, 0.5756, and 0.8703 for collections, personnel and buildings, respectively. All these values are smaller than 1, a sign of decreasing returns. Compared to the standards of the Association of College and Research Libraries, this set of standards is lower in collections and personnel, but similar in buildings. Since the education system, economic development, culture and other factors of a country are taken into account implicitly, empirical standards are more realistic and are achievable by the university libraries. The methodology developed in this study can be applied to establish standards for the university libraries of other countries.

Data envelopment analysis with missing data: an application to University libraries in Taiwan

In measuring the relative efficiencies of a set of decision making units (DMUs) via data envelopment analysis (DEA), detailed inputs and outputs are usually involved. However, there are cases where some DMUs are unable to provide all the necessary data. This paper adopts the concept of a membership function used in fuzzy set theory for representing imprecise data. The smallest possible, most possible, and largest possible values of the missing data are derived from the observed data to construct a triangular membership function. With the membership function, a fuzzy DEA model can be utilized to calculate the efficiency scores. Since the efficiency scores are fuzzy numbers, they are more informative than crisp efficiency scores calculated by assuming crisp values for the missing data. As an illustration, the efficiency scores of the 24 University libraries in Taiwan, with three missing values, are calculated to show the extent that the actual amount of resources and services provided by each University is away from the technically efficient amount of resources and services. This methodology can also be applied to calculate the relative efficiencies of the DMUs with imprecise linguistic data.

Data Envelopment Analysis with Missing Data: An Application to University Libraries in Taiwan

Data Envelopment Analysis with Missing Data: An Application to University Libraries in Taiwan

Comparing University Libraries of Different University Size

The primary objective of comparing libraries is to make the top management of the libraries aware that the libraries are not functioning as expected and hence their request for funds and resources to improve performance should be supported. Since larger universities require larger libraries to satisfy higher demand, we concentrate on the comparison of university libraries of different university size in terms of the number of faculty and students. While it is different from the conventional constant ratio method, this approach allows for non-proportionality between the library size and the university size. In other words, the library size need not increase at the same pace as the university. To compare the twenty-four university libraries in Taiwan, we developed a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model based on the concept of Pareto optimality to calculate a score for each library as the basis for comparison. Thus this study by taking into account the size of the university and non-proportionality yields a more informative and meaningful result than previous studies because very small or very large libraries do not have a disproportionate impact.

Ranking University Libraries: The Taiwan Case

The present study develops a quantitative model for ranking university libraries. The ranking is based on five criteria: collections, personnel, expenditures, buildings, and services, derived from a thorough discussion by the directors of eleven university libraries in Taiwan. Resources and services are of major concern. The relative importance of each criterion is represented by a weight summarised from the assessment by the directors of the university libraries in Taiwan. In the comparison, observations from all criteria are collected and multiplied by the associated weights to produce a composite index. The index serves as a base for ranking the university libraries. In order to illustrate the method applied, the twenty-four university libraries in Taiwan are compared with real data. A robustness analysis shows that this method is very reliable in producing a ranking system for university libraries. Since the comparison is quantitative and represented by explicit numbers, directions and extent for making improvement is manifested.

ASPAC Conference on Library Science and University Libraries in Taiwan

ASPAC Conference on Library Science and University Libraries in Taiwan