A GERMAN PROJECT, SPONSORED BY THE German Research Council, uses the Balanc
ed Scorecard as a concept for an integrated quality management system. Perf
ormance indicators across four equally significant perspectives-users, fina
nces, internal processes, and potentials (innovation)-are combined to produ
ce a "balanced" evaluation of the library. The project is a joint effort of
the University and Regional Library Munster with the Bavarian State Librar
y Munich and the State and University Library Bremen. The three libraries a
re among the largest in Germany, each with special activities and operating
conditions. Thus the project takes a broad view of management issues in ac
ademic libraries. Work started in June 1999 and will be finished in autumn
2001. The results will be published in a handbook including software that w
ill enable academic libraries to establish an integrated controlling system
and to collect and evaluate performance as well as cost data for managemen
t decisions.