Evaluating the intellectual assets in the Scholarship and Collections directorate at the British Library

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the intellectual assets within the Scholarship and Collections directorate at the British Library.

Design/methodology/approach

A phenomenographic approach is used gathering data via 25 in depth interviews with directorate staff and stakeholders complemented by document analysis.

Findings

The findings identified issues specific to British Library such as the need for more clearly definitions of key business areas, and untapped resources within the directorate.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited to a single directorate within the British Library. From the findings a balanced scorecard was developed for the directorate adaptable for all departments within the directorate. The model could be adapted for other organisations.

Practical implications

The study illustrates the value of adaptable scorecards allowing individual key performance indicators (KPIs) to be tailored to suit each department’s needs and ensure equal representation. Using the model would allow for internal benchmarking to take place.

Originality/value

This research presents a scorecard model that allows intellectual assets to be considered alongside traditional performance indicators and acknowledge the value of intellectual assets within the organisation.

Citation

Schofield, A.E., Sen, B.A. and Vasconcelos, A.C. (2015), "Evaluating the intellectual assets in the Scholarship and Collections directorate at the British Library", Library Management, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 215-222. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-10-2014-0121