Improving the Efficiency of University Libraries in Malaysia Using Zero-Sum Gains Dea Model

Abstract

Measuring the efficiency and optimizing available resources are vital for library management. This research empirically examines the measurement of efficiency of 10 public university libraries in Malaysia and provides an opportunity for inefficient libraries to improve their efficiency by proposing the appropriate number of resources. Data encompassing the number of staff, materials availability, and material circulation were gathered between 2016 and 2019. This study implements the zero-sum gains data envelopment analysis (ZSG-DEA) model to improve the efficiency. The findings show that in the early stage, five libraries were efficient in 2016 and 2018 while six libraries were efficient in 2017 and 2019. Comparable efficiency scores between conventional DEA and ZSG-DEA can be seen as all the inefficient libraries manage to attain better efficiency scores. Overall, all inefficient libraries can increase their efficiency rates. Despite the scores still not achieving the highest rate of efficiency, this study may assist librarians on managing library operations efficiently.