Process mining applied on library information systems: a case study

Abstract

Process mining techniques have already been studied in a wide range of sectors, revealing useful information on the processes. In this study, a five-step methodology is applied to an integrated library system (ILS) for the first time. Given two event logs from two different organizations the ILS, a process mining tool is used for process discovery and data analysis. The findings reveal that although both of the organizations were using the same system, there were differences in the activities, sequences, and approaches followed by each one in daily tasks. The results of this kind of analysis can be used to highlight best practices and improve processes. In addition process model comparisons can then be made across various systems and organizations. Highlights • For the first time process mining techniques are applied in the Library sector. • Two data samples were provided from the same Integrated Library System used across two different organisations. • Different process models were extracted from the process mining techniques applied on the two samples. • The extracted process models revealed valuable information on the execution of core processes in the libraries. • The comparison of the models can lead to process improvement in the organisations.