Collection Development Statement
Quality and Manufacturing Management
Principal Selector
Diane Zabel
Benzak Business Librarian
309 Paterno Library
Secondary Selectors
Gary White
Head, Schreyer Business Library
309 Paterno Library
Daniel Hickey
Business/IST Librarian
309 Paterno Library
Kevin Harwell
Business Librarian
309 Paterno Library
Fund
MGMTORG (a fund that also supports two other programs: 1) Management and, 2) Supply Chain and Information Systems)
General Statement
Quality and Manufacturing Management (QMM) “integrates engineering and business to create manufacturing leaders.” It prepares manufacturing managers “who can communicate effectively, understand both management and engineering issues, and are up-to-date with lean and six sigma methods.” (Smeal Web Site: http://www.smeal.psu.edu/qmm) Six sigma is a process that was introduced by Motorola in the mid 1980s to improve manufacturing processes and eliminate defects in manufactured goods. Since then, this quality improvement method has been widely adopted by many companies, in both manufacturing and service sectors of the economy.
Program Information
Collections in this area support Penn State’s unique two-semester master’s level program in Quality and Manufacturing Management. Students completing the program are awarded the Master of Manufacturing Management degree. This degree is conferred by both the Smeal College of Business and the College of Engineering. Smeal MBAstudents may also pursue a concentration in QMM. The QMM curriculum has four broad components: “Manufacturing Engineering, Manufacturing Management, Quality and Lean Management, and Leadership and Communication.” (Smeal Web Site: http://www.smeal.psu.edu/qmm/curric) In addition, these fundamentals are reinforced by a variety of learning activities: industrial projects, product development exercises, plant visits, and laboratory exercises.
Faculty from both Smeal College and the College of Engineering serve as instructors in the program. Most of the participating Smeal faculty members have academic homes in Supply Chain and Information Systems. Enrollment in the program is limited to 45 students.
Areas of Focus/Strengths
Collection strengths include quality management, lean manufacturing, six sigma, manufacturing supply chains, product development, and business planning. Students in this major also make heavy use of electronic resources relating to company information, industry analysis, and marketing data.
Description of Materials Covered
Quality and Manufacturing Management collections consists of resources relating to a variety of subjects: quality management; statistical process control; manufacturing processes; lean manufacturing, six sigma; product design; manufacturing supply chains; marketing channels; and business planning. Types of materials collected include scholarly monographs, practitioner oriented publications, trade journals, and scholarly journals. Special effort is made to acquire literature produced by specialized publishers in this area and professional associations (there are specific associations related to quality management, best manufacturing practices, and lean enterprise). Textbooks and conference proceedings are collected selectively. Collections also include career-related materials and audio visual materials.
Overlap with Other Collections
Due to its interdisciplinary nature, there is considerable overlap with other collection areas, including, but not limited to the following:
• Accounting
• Finance
• Geography
• Information Sciences and Technology
• Management
• Management Information Systems
• Marketing
• Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Operations Research
• Statistics
Subject & Language Modifiers
Emphasis is placed on English language materials. No region or country is excluded. However, emphasis is placed on contemporary issues in manufacturing management.
Exclusions
Quality and manufacturing management collections generally exclude dissertations and theses (except for those written by individuals who join the Penn State faculty in this school), working papers, and case studies.
Special Considerations
Since this is a joint program that integrates management and engineering, the QMM selector must work collaboratively with the Engineering selector to develop collections.
Future Directions
New or expanding areas of interest include the following: sustainable operations; lean manufacturing; six sigma; and manufacturing supply chains.
May 2009
