Library and Systems Staff:
From a Rocky to a Rock Solid Relationship
Taming the Hydra:
Finding the Best Configuration for Library
and Computing Services at Your Institution
Carl Bengston
Dean of library Services
CSU Stanislaus
IN
HIS overview, Carl Bengston discussed whether to merge operations, the practical
aspects to consider in mergers, and what impact these mergers would have
on librarians. He followed this with an historical overview. Mergers, which
began in the seventies and were widespread by the eighties, were spurred
by the growing ability to use technology to improve delivery of library
and information systems, the Internet, OPACs, high-speed lines, and the
technology which infused classroom teaching.The
factors which led to the success of mergers included contribution to instituted
goals, history of interdepartmental collaboration, climate of readiness
in both library and computing organizations, strong faculty support, and
a perceived value in having one voice address information and technology
issues.The
practical benefits were a greater flexibility to deploy human and/or financial
resources, greater cooperation and collaboration among staff, and improved
compensation equity and staff morale.Challenges
which need to be overcome are an indifference or lack of support among administrators,
inadequate strategic planning, unclear or ambiguous goals and objectives,
unrealistic expectations, and too narrow a vision of the role of the chief
information office. In addition, the existence of different organizational
cultures poses problems. Differences in equality in staff status and compensation
need to be resolved.In
"taming the hydra," it is critical to have the strategic planning focus
on collaboration. It is necessary to be creative in defining work groups,
to eliminate operational overlap where possible, to develop a plan for continuous
training and improvement, and to take advantage of all electronic communication
channels. In conclusion, groups must value each others' differences, and
the strategic planning process needs to identify the reason for the merger.Follow-up
questions were moderated by Vicki Bloom, UC Riverside, Rivera Library.
Martha Smith
Libraries of The Claremont Colleges
Dorothy F. Potter
Pasadena City College
Annual
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