Decomposition of technical efficiency of selected city libraries from the Czech Republic

Abstract

The aim of this article is the determination of the gaps of efficiency of 33 city libraries using decomposition of technical efficiency to pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency. The first model estimates the technical efficiency of city libraries from the perspective of the traditional mix of inputs and outputs that are applied in the DEA models; the inputs are represented by the so-called production and technological resources, and the output is represented by the actual demand given by the number of customers. The second model estimates the technical efficiency of operating conditions of selected city libraries against the actual number of visitors, whilst it is based on the assumption that a city library shall have an appropriate space, optimal access in the form of operating time, and optimal number of places for studying. The results depend on the input or output orientation of models and on the expected returns to scale. As the key gaps of efficiency, the models marked – non-topical and large library collection, number of readers and visitors, and also unutilized spaces of city libraries.