title: Benchmarking reference services: step by step.
abstract: This article is a companion to an introductory article on benchmarking published in an earlier issue of Medical Reference Services Quarterly. Librarians interested in benchmarking often ask the following questions: How do I determine what to benchmark; how do I form a benchmarking team; how do I identify benchmarking partners; what's the best way to collect and analyze benchmarking information; and what will I do with the data? Careful planning is a critical success factor of any benchmarking project, and these questions must be answered before embarking on a benchmarking study. This article summarizes the steps necessary to conduct benchmarking research. Relevant examples of each benchmarking step are provided.
authors.affiliation: Roberg B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912, USA. hbuchana@mail.mcg.edu
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Buchanan
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Marshall
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D007255:Information Services / Q000592:standards*; D007993:Libraries, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D007999:Library Services / Q000592:standards*; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States