Stakeholder Co-creation in Academic Library Knowledge-Service Model Development: A Multi-stage Qualitative Case Study in China

Abstract

Academic libraries increasingly combine learning support, research assistance, and specialized information services, but the route from user demand to a workable service model is seldom documented. This article revisits the development of the knowledge-service model at the Library of North China University of Science and Technology (NCUST) to examine that route. The underlying doctoral study assembled evidence in five stages: an internal diagnosis, comparison with three provincial university libraries, a first round of stakeholder interviews, revision and a second interview round, and final version comparison. Seventeen purposively selected participants - six librarians, four faculty members, and seven students - took part. Rather than re-code the original interview transcripts, the present analysis follows documented changes across model versions and compares how stakeholder groups assessed value and feasibility. The first interview round did more than alter service labels: it led to the addition of an operating-process module and a supporting-elements module. Resource sharing was moved from the service list to the enabling layer, reading promotion was added to learning support, and capacity constraints changed how scientific novelty-search and research-topic tracking were positioned for implementation. These changes support a constrained co-creation account in which needs are expressed and negotiated, translated into professional terms, screened against organizational capacity, and then configured and revalidated. The findings show that stakeholder participation can shape model architecture, while staffing, qualifications, resources, platforms, and institutional priorities set practical limits. The study concerns model development rather than post-implementation effectiveness.