How Libraries Make Tough Choices in Difficult Times: Purposeful Abandonment
http://www.woodheadpublishing.com/en/book.aspx?bookID=2758&ChandosTitle=1
David Stern
Associate Dean for Public Services
311 Milner Library
Campus Box 8900
Illinois State University
Normal, IL 61790
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Table of Case Studies
Chapter 1: Overview of the Scenario
Why Undertake a Review?
Forces (internal and external)
Managing Expectations, not Operations
Reporting to Multiple Masters: Finding a Balance of Service Quality and Efficiencies
Involvement and Understandings Across the Organization
The Four Ds: Do, Delegate, Delay, Drop
Project Management – The Process leads to success and creates a learning organization
Decision-making skills and implications
CHAPTER 2: Preparing for Analysis
Understanding the Mission and Objectives of Your Organization
Case Study 1: Mission vs Vision
Case Study 2: Share and Assimilate Mission/Objectives in relation to resources
Decide on Transitional or Transformative Change
Case Study 3: Binding Program Plan Creation
Communicate Your Clear Intentions
Managing Operations or Managing Expectations
Case Study 4: Feedback methods important in leading to enhancements and testimonials
CHAPTER 3: A Few Important Analysis Techniques
Beyond Re-engineering
Case Study 5: E-book explorations lead to new processes and policies
Project Management
Service Quality Improvement analyses
SQI Basics
Identifying and Understanding the Underlying Issues
Interest Based Problem Solving
Case Study 6: Union/Administrative grievances – IBPS leads to better communication and flexibility
Reviewing your actual resources (staff, facilities, operations, materials)
Case Study 7: Creating a budget aligned to functions rather than personnel
Feedback and Managing Expectations
Case Study 8: Altering resources and expectations as outside factors change
CHAPTER 4: Statistics and Data Gathering
Evidence-based collection and analysis of appropriate data
Case Study 9: Evidence-based decision making: Journal profile modification
CHAPTER 5: Environmental Scans and the Power of Best Practices
Identifying best practices and performing SQI analyses
Case Study 10: Best Practices for Analytics and Web Interfaces
CHAPTER 6: Management
Internal Power
Shared Governance
Case Study 11: Shared governance
Feedback from informed stakeholders - and managing expectations
Decision-making skills and implications
THE MOST IMPORT D: DO
Be a leader … develop a Vision … and share and involve others in refining and designing a higher performing organization.
Start-Up Scenarios to Ponder: Exercises to begin active learning.
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Introduction
The intention of this book is to serve two distinct populations of library staff. The first group of readers are those unfamiliar with basic management techniques in libraries, be they staff members or new administrators. For this group the book provides some considerations and techniques that have been developed through years of management training and sometimes painful experience. My hope is to offer guidance to both those being supervised and beginning supervisors. This information may also be helpful for newly appointed middle managers moving into more administrative positions.
The second group of targeted readers are experienced managers. My hope is to help busy managers perhaps discover some new tools and remember considerations that they may not always keep in mind as they work through their daily business. Perhaps browsing this book will remind them to see the larger aspects and incorporate particular elements of continual service reviews that are important to employ in order to develop and maintain a high performing organization.
This type of overview is offered as a practical guide for managers operating under difficult financial pressures. It concentrates on selected methods to identify priorities and to revise operations. The goal is to demonstrate sensitivity to user needs and to demonstrate the value of creativity and participatory decision making in allocating limited resources. No attempt is made to mention all, or even a full range, of the management tools and techniques that exist. To obtain a more complete coverage of the much larger suite of management techniques I would suggest reading management texts designed for librarians. I have included just a few relevant example materials within the book as Suggested Readings. By no means do these few suggestions provide an adequate overview of the best materials to be reviewed. For serious reading on the topics mentioned in this book there are many journal articles, business case studies, and books about general management techniques. There are also entire sets of published materials about specific tools and techniques for the various aspects of communication, planning, project management, assessment, and personnel concerns that are discussed in this book. Plan to make professional development a career project, and continue to seek out new tools and techniques through the literature, professional development training, and through mentoring relationships.
We all dream of having a seat at the Round Table in Camelot, or at least of listening to the conversations like a fly on the wall. Everyone wants to be in the know, if not directly involved, in important decisions that have an impact on their life. Most people do not want to sit in meetings that provide meaningless outcomes in relation to their own personal interests. Concerns arise when people are not certain of what is being discussed and how these decisions might impact them directly. There will be fewer requests to sit at the big table if your organization has transparent meetings and adequate employee involvement in day-to-day decisions. If systems are developed that generate trust and respect there will be far fewer conflicts and barriers to progress. The goal of good management is to increase participation in decision-making whenever and wherever it is advantageous so there are few surprises and excellent group dynamics. The camaraderie that develops will allow you to work together in difficult times to accomplish more than the bare minimum by consistently concentrating your efforts and resources on clearly defined and understood user-oriented priorities. This book contains suggestions that might help to create such pleasant and productive work environments. It also reminds managers to focus on outreach to users and stakeholders to obtain essential feedback as well as support and advocacy.
Case examples are included throughout the text to serve as demonstrations of these tools and techniques in practical situations. These examples describe how shared analysis and deeply considered service modifications have occurred and have resulted in improved services and demonstrated effective management and leadership.
I hope this book serves you well as a learning and stimulation tool, and as a reference tool, as you embark upon a successful and satisfying career as a fully engaged participant within a high performing organization.