Music Library Association

Career Resources

 

LIBRARY REORGANIZATION

 

  • Euster, Joanne R., Judith Paquette, Judy Kaufman, and George Soete. “Reorganizing for a Changing Information World.” Library Administration and Management 11, no. 2 (Spring 1997): 103-14.

    Presents a series of 4 articles about an organizational review and design project at the libraries of California University at Irvine, which led to a major reorganization and the implementation of a team based organization. The articles are as follows: Phase one: initiation by the university librarian, by Joanne R. Euster; Phase two: organizational review and design, by Judith Paquette; Phase three: librarywide implementation and evaluation, by Judy Kaufman; and Developing 'teamliness': an unexpected experiment with resident consultancy, by George Soete. (Library & Information Science Abstracts)

  • Harris, Roma M. and Victoria Marshall. “Reorganizing Canadian Libraries: A Giant Step Back From the Front.” Library Trends 46, no. 3 (Winter 1998): 564-80.

    Article included in a special issue devoted to the theme: professionals, paraprofessionals, and nonprofessionals: the academic's viewpoint. The question of 'who does what?' in libraries has been exacerbated in recent years by significant restructuring initiatives, driven by ongoing budgetary pressures and constant technological change. Reports results of a study, involving interviews with directors of academic libraries and public libraries, in Canada, followed by a questionnaire survey mailed to librarians working in academic and public library systems across Canada. Librarians were asked to describe the nature of organizational change in their workplaces and how new technologies affect or fit into the pattern of restructuring. The project builds on the findings of an earlier study of retrenchment in Canadian academic libraries during the 1970s and 1980s. (Library & Information Science Abstracts)

  • Hawthorne, Pat. “Redesigning Library Human Resources: Integrating Human Resources Management and Organizational Development.” Library Trends 53, no. 1 (Summer 2004): 172-86.

    The human resources (HR) function within organizations has expanded beyond administrative and operational roles to include more strategic responsibilities. This change is requiring HR practitioners to take on new types of responsibilities in the area of organizational development--responsibilities that include redesigning jobs and work, developing performance management systems, managing change, and designing and restructuring organizations. Four strategies for integrating human resources management (HRM) and organizational development (OD)--job analysis, work redesign, team-building, and change management--are presented in this article along with recommendations on how to integrate HRM and OD to enhance the performance and capacity of the organization and its workforce. (Library Literature)

  • Higa, Mori Lou, Brian Bunnett, and Bill Maina. “Redesigning a Library's Organizational Structure.” College & Research Libraries 66, no. 1 (January 2005): 41-58.

    The evolution from print to electronic resources and services continues to pose significant challenges for academic libraries. This article presents a systematic, evidence-based approach to guide this transition, which resulted in an exhaustive reorganization of library staffing and services. The approach begins with the necessity of accumulating and then evaluating data on staff workloads and responsibilities. At the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Library, this evaluation revealed that a preponderant amount of time was still spent on print-related activities that were no longer considered to be library priorities. The corrective actions taken to remedy this misalignment are then discussed. (Library Literature)

  • Holt, G. “A Way to the Future: Reorganizing Library Work.” Bottom Line 15, no. 1 (2002): 29-32.

    Focuses on the multiplicity of tasks which make up the workload of the professional librarian, the changes which have resulted from the use of the computer and the consequent need to assess professional work and alter structures to make optimal use of skilled staff in delivering new and old services. Draws on personal experience of such reorganization to suggest strategies for directors, covering: consolidation of staff into larger units; standardizing the reporting process; reducing time in meetings; using work teams; specifying time to be spent on tasks; more training; and using support staff. (Library & Information Science Abstracts)

  • Mozenter, Frada, Bridgette T. Sanders, and Carol Bellamy. The Journal of Academic Librarianship 29, no. 6 (November 2003): 399-404.

    The writers discuss the cross-training of public service staff members at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's J. Murrey Atkins Library. They discuss reorganization of services at the library, preparation for training paraprofessionals in an electronic environment, and development of a cross-training program. The writers present the results of the training, outline future plans, and offer advice on implementing such a training program. (Library Literature)

  • Schwarz, Charles, ed. Organizational Development in the Wake of Technological Change. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 1997 (ACRL Publications In Librarianship no. 49).

    This work is a collection of 19 essays and case studies about the impact of technology on the organizational structure of academic libraries. The editor's thesis is that organizational development in academic libraries has lagged behind technological change, and he contends that prolonged failure to reconceptualize and restructure academic library services will lead to organizational decay. To address this problem, the editor assembled contributions that discuss a wide range of issues ranging from restructuring independent library units to enhancing the academy's contribution to society at large. (book review)