[Publib] Outsourcing library management / Sage Pubs free thru Oct 31

[Cab Vinton]

Don't think this article has come up on Publib, though LSSI certainly
has. Comes from a journal most librarians probably don't regularly
scan, so I thought it worth sharing.

Full-text is available via Sage Journals, http://online.sagepub.com/,
which is now offering free full-text access thru October 31.

Cheers,

Cab Vinton, Director
Sanbornton Public Library
Sanbornton, NH


The Outsourcing of Public Library Management: An Analysis of the
Application of New Public Management Theories From the Principal-Agent
Perspective / Robert C. Ward
Administration & Society; Jan2007, Vol. 38 Issue 6, p627-648, 22p

Advocates of new public management (NPM) claim that private service
delivery promotes efficiency, effectiveness, and cost savings in
government. Critics of NPM cite numerous examples of failed attempts
to apply NPM. This article examines multiple case studies to determine
the strengths and weaknesses of NPM when applied to the outsourcing of
public library management. Particular attention focuses on several
predicted NPM outcomes including accountability, cost savings, and
citizen use/satisfaction. The findings from the cases show that NPM
claims related to returning government to its proper principal-agent
focus, and thus achieving gains in efficiency and citizen
use/satisfaction, are questionable.