Apply the fundamental principles of planning, management, marketing, and advocacy
“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years” -commonly attributed to Bill Gates. This seems true of library planning. While library staff behaviors, collections and services can change this year, the effect of augmenting programs, building a user base and increasing financial support may not be realized for several years. Planning is handling risk and uncertainty with a pre-determined reaction, instead of trying to manage effectively under stress. Those plans, however need to be flexible, incremental and responsive to changes in the environment (Walls, 20011; Evans & Ward, 2007).
Many philosophies of management exist. From the 19th century mechanistic, production-focused Scientific Management Method with its bonus pay incentives, motion studies and specialization, to the post World War II Quality Approach, usually, a combination of old and new theories apply. Newer management concepts such as flat organization and team orientation are evolving. There are as many management styles as principles e.g. kakistocratic, timocratic, servant, transactional, laissez faire. All of which is to say, that I see the manager’s responsibility as decision-making, change management, but also assessment and learning. Use assessment results to seek guidance from mentors and the literature, because both are copious, experienced teachers.
Marketing is communicating the benefit of your products and services to people who may not be aware of them, or may not know the benefits apply to them. Marketing is communicating value. It is psychology. How do you convince users to return often and use more of the materials and services available to them? User’s may not have time to explore new products and services.
Advocacy is paying, or soliciting payment for those products and services by proving value, engendering loyalty, encouraging philanthropy and inspiring enthusiasm. Stakeholders must not just be aware of products and services. Advocacy explains why the results matter: How many users found a job because of broadband upgrades, for example, and how the library enriched the mentally disabled through programming, etcetera.
These principles are important to me and the profession because planning, management, marketing and advocacy, are ingredients for community-wide legacy planning; ensuring public access to information today and into the distant future. I believe many noble-sounding ideas about libraries: They enrich lives, develop civil society, tie our community together. I am morally invested in their continued success. I have seen library districts fail and thrive on the decisions of a small group of managers. The failed libraries are like drops of water whose ripples affect the neighborhood. Apathy is contagious. Similarly, I have witnessed Rangeview library district, Colorado, thrive through exemplary planning, management, marketing and advocacy. This raucous, thriving community center uplifts the whole neighborhood, and that is motivation to embrace even the driest management theories and principles.
My coursework taught me that 90% of librarians are promoted to a managerial position within three years. To this end, library management, assessment, advocacy and marketing have been interwoven into the SJSU MLIS. In LIBR 202, we assessed library websites by testing their syntax and links. My team critiqued their content, organization, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, accessibility and timeliness. The team experience exposed me to many ability levels and specialized expertise. For example, one student had superior vocabulary design abilities and used them to uncover search engine errors. Another classmate was an intern at the Library of Congress and focused heavily on citations and primary sources. Others were less engaged. Kindness towards each other, the library we were assessing, and our schedules prevailed. This was also the case in an introductory course. I was part of a team that created a creative budgeting presentation. The underlying research included a survey of alternative funding sources. The team discussed the impact, legal, procedural and ethical implications of the budgeting endeavors. For example, some libraries are hosting wine tastings and inviting the public to stay overnight. Implementing such creative budgeting ideas would stretch the leadership’s ability to manage risk. The coursework often emphasized two attributes: flexibility and decision-making.
I have enjoyed two formal experiences managing. One was project management, the other; academic library management. I have also led team projects at SJSU. The project management experience was developing properties for my family as the general contractor. I made plans. Decided when to change them, recognized which tasks my skills were adequate for and which required licensed subcontractors. I managed tight budgets and timetables. The projects have been in multiple states with different local ordinances, tax regulations, permit processes and weather patterns. My academic library experience included supervising one federal work study student per semester. I had a limited budget for responding to students’ and professors’ needs, which means I often filled requests by collecting free resources. I partnered with OCLC and Rangeview Library district to provide access to inter-library loan. I located free science image and video libraries. I assessed student and professor needs by survey and discussion. I learned to be patient with corporate bureaucracy, attended a professional conference, was on a two-person re-accreditation compliance team and introduced new services. These were all positive, engaging experiences that will enrich my future management roles.
More generally, I demonstrate managerial readiness in two ways. First, I am keenly aware of the complexity that undergirds management in the library environment. In addition to managing an academic library, I worked as a circulation clerk and shelver in a state university library, and updated legal materials for a set of law firm libraries. This infers that I understand the office politics in a variety of environments, have enjoyed many management styles, and have practical experience. Second, as a more mature MLIS student, I have made mistakes. I know my limitations and feel comfortable seeking help as soon as I notice a deficiency in my skills. This maturity is valuable to innovation as well as maintenance because it means I am always looking for ways to move myself, my work, and colleagues forward.
Evidence 1
I choose Discussion Thread #5 to demonstrate that I am aware of the fundamental principles of planning and management. It is a two-part assignment that represents one week in LIBR 204. Because it is a discussion post, it is written in a casual style. The first discussion prompt described Janusz, a circulation clerk. Janusz was a high school graduate with no management education or experience. He had performed well in his position for fifteen years. Then he applied to the Circulation Manager position. The discussion thread was an exercise in applying management principles to this situation. The collaborative format encouraged rumination, discussion and growth.
At the time of its writing, I leaned toward interviewing Janusz, but now I might be more interested in designing interview questions that reveal the applicants’ aptitude for independent thinking, ability to learn, and attitude towards assessment and change. I assumed that Janusz would, given the opportunity, be very loyal and work hard to fit into his new role. Today I am not as certain. I see more potential outcomes than I did several years ago when I began the MLIS process. I am more aware of my own wishful thinking. Looking at the prompt again, I think measuring applicants’ aptitude for balancing the moving parts required in circulation management would be the first evaluation step regardless of management experience or commensurate education.
The second discussion prompt addresses readings about flat versus hierarchical management organization. What I value most about this selection is the emphasis on creating a structure where employees can shrink or expand according to their ability. The discussion demonstrates that I have experience interacting with ideas about planning and managing teams. The discussion post shows understanding of labels versus roles. It echoes my MLIS training to prefer teams.
The process of creating the discussion posts began by viewing professor Boyd’s lectures. Then I read texts and articles including case studies. The discussion thread post was the beginning of this unit’s class conversation, which was how we interacted with ideas and challenged each other. The professor would respond to the posts and synthesize our arguments at week’s end. This particular post is representative of the weekly reflections I prepared for the course: Library Professions. Each management topic was meticulously supported with introductory materials and absorbed through interactions like this discussion post and the conversations that followed.
Evidence 2
I selected United Nations University Collection - Organizational Analysis - Part 2 to demonstrate experience evaluating marketing, advocacy and applying principles of management. The analysis is a team project for LIBR 204. The assignment focused on measuring a library’s stated goals and values against actual performance. Preparation for the assessment began with research followed by team meetings to delegate responsibility. At first, we used a flat, consensus-dependent organizational format. Mid semester, however, two teammates disappeared due to unrelated school withdrawals. My role became more managerial as I absorbed the relinquished responsibilities. I researched sections and wrote content. I planned the project’s structure and adapted to change. My teammates edited, organized the timeline and researched sections.
The analysis involved several group discussions on the Blackboard Collaborate platform. Our teammate in Tokyo used Skype on a cell phone to give the us a tour of the United Nations University Collection (UNUC) facility. After familiarizing ourselves with the UNUC formation, place in the community, collection and policies, we met to plan how to assess the library. This required research into library assessment and a follow-up discussion because none in the team had prior experience assessing a library. The coursework introduced methods of assessment, but we sought case studies to bolster our frame of reference. Then, we volunteered to elaborate on the sections that most intrigued us. To maintain a schedule, the time-keeper checked in with every teammate on alternating days. She also scheduled meetings to accommodate five time zones and many work schedules. To communicate the analysis, I built a website with Google Drive. I used an e-mail thread and discussions on Google Hangout to incorporate my classmates’ preferences. As sections became due, teammates pasted their content directly into the web pages. One of our teammate’s sole job was to edit the sections to match our writing styles and tone. She formatted the entire assessment into a cohesive document.
As I reflect on the assignment, the comprehensive nature of our preparation stands out. After reading the case studies, texts and research, the assessment came together smoothly. We found numerous opportunities for the United Nations University Collection to improve in the areas of advocacy, access and marketing. The prominent skill I developed was forming step by step action plans for achieving the goals along with contingency plans in case of underachievement towards those goals. I learned to imagine a path from the current state to the desired outcome as individual footfalls; each footfall having a specific purpose and consequence.
I have learned to learn. I am open to imagining potential futures and processes of arriving at something new. I know how to synthesize advice from many sources and incorporate new information. For example, if, like Janusz, I were to manage the circulation department without prior experience, I would first learn the mechanics of the position: Software, current procedures and compliance regulations. Then I would assess the department through the user’s and circulation clerk’s perspectives. According to the results, I would compartmentalize the results into small, manageable pieces that can be delegated, addressed creatively and assessed with clearly defined outcomes. Last, I would consult mentors and management literature for additional guidance. Because I would be new, I would solicit feedback from all levels of staff.
If I were to manage youth services in a public library, the process would be similar; assess the current situation, learn from the existing staff, and plan for short and long-term success by using mentors and texts to consider a broad range of options and approaches. I would reach out to colleagues at other branches to introduce myself and discuss any prominent problems I should prepare for and look for opportunities to pool resources for programs and services. Then, I would begin a patient regime of assessment to discover user needs. Next, I would create step by step action plans to address the findings. Those steps would be malleable to users’ changing preferences and the library district’s values and budget.
In any instance, I have learned to be flexible and responsive to change; to pay attention to emerging trends, feedback and professional literature. The principles of management are helpful for breaking out of one line of thinking into another. They are like checklists that ensure comprehensive attention to primary and tangential responsibilities. I think my most valuable management skills are soft: caring about the people and work, responsibility, practicality, and above all, I am keenly aware of my ignorance, which leads to my openness to improvement.
References
Evans E., Layzell Ward, P. (2007). Management basics for information professionals. Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. New York, NY.
Evidence 1
Discussion Thread #5 for LIBR 204
Stueart and Moran (2007) open their chapter on strategic planning with an anecdote about a Janusz-like librarian who, presumably, rose to a management position only to find that he was not meeting the university president’s management expectations. Through the president’s narrative, they cite the strategic plan’s role in informing faculty of products and services, using it as a tool for plotting direction and note its value as an accountability measure. Then, just as Janusz would, the library director seeks out literature and samples of strategic plans in an effort to discover the voids in his knowledge. If he is clever, he will meet the president’s expectations and lead his library through a well-planned visioning process. If not, then the (possibly hypothetical) library director will show that he has risen to his level of incompetence. Would Janusz, given the opportunity, fail his library by dismissing basic management practices as fads?
According to Stueart and Moran (2007), strategic planning is an interlocking chain of causes. Thinking leads to assessing which leads to planning and acting. The authors address each step; assess the environment. What PEST and SWOT forces shape it? Identify the values that form the mission that drives the overarching vision for the organization. Then use the results to plan a way towards the imagined future within the identified constraints. Could Janusz understand strategic planning? Probably.
Earning a MLIS does not a librarian make. Granted, Janusz’s job processing books has nothing to do with strategic planning or being a librarian. He has not been given the opportunity to manage, make decisions or plan. He can think about planning but may not do it. Yet, I agree with him, and would not begrudge a lifer a professional librarian position if he interviewed well by communicating creative, yet actionable solutions to management problems. Life experience is valuable. Just because a person has not had the opportunity to perform certain duties does not mean he cannot do them and vice versa: I have seen well-credentialed managers fail.
If our discussion threads may be colored by our experiences let me add that, fifteen years ago I worked with an elderly, non-English-speaking Chinese woman, a male refugee from Sierra Leone, several literally starving students—one of which was a sheep herder and the other; a homeless former foster child, as library technicians at a state university library. Adversity creates competence. Period. The problem-solving skills of this subset of coworkers cannot be taught. My coworkers met with war lords, Communist soldiers, eviction notices and nearly met death through abuse and starvation. I don’t know Janusz, but if he escaped adversity, his capacity to adapt, quickly build skills and be successful as a librarian may easily exceed that of MLIS holders with strategic planning practice or knowledge.
Section 2
Is a team just a condensed hierarchy imitating existing bureaucracy or is it meant to be a consensus-based, flat project management group?
First, the pre-1990s departmental separations Martin describes in her article, Team Effectiveness and Members as Leaders (2006) were artificial to begin with. We should recognize that circumscribing people into departmental boxes was never going to be as efficient as letting them flourish. Joanne Euster’s “group empowerment” (Martin, p.123) is the natural state of managing; hierarchical management, a temporary anomaly of male domination leftover from industrialization, didn’t allow true cost efficiency because it didn’t allow people to expand or contract into their natural frame of ability. Some people are very interested and capable while others shrink from adventure, work and effort. Team organization allows innate differences while preserving the value of each member, so beginning from an industrialization-era position by assuming hierarchy, is not conducive to making sense in the information age where job duties are thoughts that expand into computer science, consumer psychology, education (building the cognitive capacity of users), and beyond.
I apologize for belaboring the point, but, turn your attention to J.R. Hackman’s Framework (Martin, pp 126-127) of five recommendations and notice that it is a framework for reenacting the hierarchy within the team by “delineating authority” (pp 127-128 & 134), determining structure and boundaries. Hackman and his associate, R.E. Walton freely dismiss arguments over terms such as group, team, and committee as irrelevant, and I would agree that labeling is less important than underlying meaning which seems to lean towards rebuilding the hierarchy within the team. Stepping away from dominance towards group functionality requires more than a turnabout in vocabulary, but a rejection of follower behavior. Hackman’s Barriers to Effective Teams (Martin, p. 137) illustrates the follower-behavior: “Lack of belief in shared leadership, concern for relationship building, lack of decision-making…” The three-library sample set referenced by Hackman’s study certainly could use some group empowerment.
Budd opens his management chapter by addressing this very thorn by offering efficiency, rationality and control as era-appropriate reasons for hierarchical bureaucracy (2013, p. 104). He goes on to wonder if departmental members purposefully perpetuate isolated, secretive departments “as members of a priesthood” (p.104). His full description of sharp departmental demarcations coincides with Hackman’s Barriers to Teams findings, Martin’s literature review, Easter’s group empowerment and my call for stronger, less sheep-like co-workers.
According to Martin’s literature review (2006), the research supports the use of teams. Eileen Applebaum and Rosemary Batt found that teams produce less defects per unit despite reduced cycle time. Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie Mcgee concluded that team outputs are superior to that of the most intelligent employee, more efficient and improve staff satisfaction (Martin, 2006). Teams have higher outputs than individuals. They pool resources, experience and talent (Martin). This assessment resonates with my experiences with teams, but the readings don’t neatly solve a problem I have encountered: What to do with outliers?
Say one cog in the team wheel is a creative doer and wants to early-adopt innovation X, but the rest of the team wants to be cautious until the new innovation is commonplace, irrelevant or superseded by the next idea. Some cogs just jamb against change. Fortunately, librarians are not expected to be trend setting innovators, so the rise in team-based organization that stifles the proactive doers is less problematic than in profit-centered companies. Some of you may argue that, in fact, team organization fosters creativity. I grant that it may, especially if the group develops a statement of commitment to experimentation. The point is that teams can bring the whole organization to a center, pacifying outliers, blunting the shiny energetic doers through consensus and caution. The nature of a team is unity. And that unity can come at a price.
Budd, J.M. (2012). The changing academic library: Operations, culture, environment. Association of College and Research Libraries. Chicago, IL.
Martin, E.R. (2006). Team effectiveness in academic medical libraries: A multiple case study. Journal of the Medical Library Association 94, 3. 271-278.
Stueart, R. D., Moran, B. B., (2007). Strategic planning: Thinking and doing. Library and Information Center Management, 7th ed. Westport, CT.
Evidence 2
United Nations University Collection - Organizational Analysis - Part 2
Strategic Goals
Strategic goals describe the accomplishments needed to realize an overarching strategy (Evans and Alire 2013 p. 95). The United Nations University Collection (UNUC) strategy is to use technology to make resources accessible for agents of global change (Ly, Marlonsson, Reese, Treat, Wilson, 2014). This approach to disseminating the UNU Collection to potential users is based on the premise that any person with an internet-enabled device can use the research. The alternative, printed research, is expensive, slow, and cannot travel freely to the target market.
The strategic goals support this strategy by emphasizing increased accessibility. We suggest increasing access to the physical location, the digital portal, and improving access for the disabled. The digital and disabled access problems can be addressed with minimal design and metadata adjustments. The remaining suggestions stem from the group’s experience with the United Nations University Collection and the team’s 2014 SWOT analysis which revealed service, resource and administrative opportunities for improvement. The service, resource and administrative goals are intimately linked to the overarching strategy of disseminating research digitally. For example, the suggestion to broaden funding sources, increase visibility and add participatory elements, are foundational requirements for the well-being of the organization.
Goal 1: Increase access to the UNU Library, and subsequently the collection
Objective 1.1: Expand operating hours to increase traffic to the library
Action Plan: The library is currently only open from 10:00 to 17:30 Monday to Friday. The library will increase operating hours to include five hours on Saturdays. This will increase access for those in the academic community who have other obligations during regular business hours. Signage will be posted in the library to update patrons to the new hours of business. If after six months, patronage has not increased, then regular Monday to Friday business hours will resume.
Assessment: As stated above, this plan will be reviewed and evaluated six months after inception. To be able to report the statistics needed for this objective, the library will require all patrons to sign in and out of the library. At the end of the six months, visit numbers from Saturday will be compared against visit numbers throughout the week. If the number of patrons utilizing the library on Saturday is less than 15% of total weekly patron visits, the Saturday hours will be eliminated.
Objective 1.2: Allow the general public greater access to the library
Action Plan: The current plan allows only for members of the UNU community and students with reference letters from their respective university to access the library. While the UNU Collection is available online for use by the general public, the University needs to increase access to the actual library in order to gather more support for both the research held there and the researchers whose material is housed. In conjunction with additional Saturday hours, the library will be open to the general public for four hours on both Tuesday and Thursday and during open hours on Saturday. To oversee patrons who are not affiliated with the University, patrons will be required to register for access in person and check in and out during public visiting times. No material belonging to the library will leave with patrons who are visiting members of the public. Library staff will evaluate this increase at three, six and nine months following implementation. If at three months the public is not making use of the library, a marketing plan will be launched to ensure that the additional hours and availability are public knowledge. If, after nine months the library is still not being utilized, the library will instead offer open access to the public by appointment only (reference letter not required).
Assessment: Each member of the public will be issued a library card and required to check in and out of the library. This data will be pulled and examined after a period of nine months. If the total number of public patrons visiting the library does not make up at least 20% of total library patron usage for the time periods they are allowed, then the plan will be disabled and library access will only be granted to the public by appointment.
Objective 1.3: Increase website traffic
Action Plan: Lack of website traffic not only hurts the library, but also the researchers who are published there. A committee will be appointed to begin marketing efforts for the library and the Collection specifically. Marketing efforts will include placing print advertisements in premier research journals and on premier research institution websites. The target users for this campaign are researchers who do not already know of the holdings in the UNU Collection.
Assessment: An Alexa test will be used to determine if website traffic and ranking numbers have increased. It is assumed that climbing in the ranks will take significant time. An Alexa test will be performed once per quarter to evaluate progress. If website traffic is not growing by 10% at each evaluation an outside specialist in the field of website analytics and marketing will be sought.
Objective 1.4: Offer language options on the UNU Collection website
Action Plan: The website currently operates in English only. Given the nature of the research housed on the Collection website, this language barrier severely limits the use of the Collection. An advisory committee shall be formed to begin the process of offering translation software for those requiring it. The timeline for the addition of translation software is one year. In the meantime, a welcome banner that displays a tagline for the Collection in a variety of languages shall be added to the website within the month. In addition to this welcome banner, a news brief describing the implementation of translation software will be added to the homepage to inform patrons of the new additions coming to the website.
Assessment: Work on this objective will begin immediately, target completion of the entire project is slated for Fall 2015. Statistics will be pulled to evaluate usage increases from this advancement to the Collection and its technology. Library and Collection staff members will report on additional inquiries to either location regarding the language increases. Use a user survey and annual Alexa test results to estimate how much traffic came from disabled and disadvantaged users.
Objective 1.5: Adjust the website’s design, content and metadata for disabled and disadvantaged users
Action Plan: Fifty-four million non-institutionalized Americans are disabled (United States Department of Labor, 2014). The World Health Organization estimates that globally, over a billion people are disabled, which leads to poorer health, fewer opportunities and increased obstacles (W.H.O., 2014). A website whose goal is to reach a global audience must take measures to acknowledge this cohort. Information must be convenient, easy to see, hear and comprehend. First, test the website using EvalAccess; an HTML mark-up analyzer that locates errors (Bakar, 2013). Use this reading-level analyzer from East End Literacy: www.eastendliteracy.on.ca/clearlanguageanddesign/readingeffectivenesstool (Links to external site), and test the accessibility of images at: http://colororacle.org (Links to external site).
Use the results to adjust the website’s design. Second, encourage the researchers to provide a ninth grade reading level summary of their articles. Then, control the search vocabulary to provide results for a wider range of users: Include colloquial terms in the retrieval process. Last, place a multi-lingual text-reading application next to the easy-reader summary to address low-vision and cognitively impaired users. Cognitively disadvantaged and disabled users will be able to understand content previously hidden by elitism, industry jargon and social exclusion.
Assessment: Improved EvalAccess, literacy level and vision scores will signal success for design and metadata factors. A focus group of disabled and disadvantaged users will be employed before and after changes to assess this action item’s efficacy. The focus group should consist of people with a variety of disabilities and a wide range of cognitive impairment as well as an economically disadvantaged sample set. The focus groups will evaluate the website’s ease of use with a survey based on the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, Section 508.
Goal 2: Build a stronger reputation for the United Nations University, as a separate entity from the United Nations
Objective 2.1: Secure additional funding sources
Action Plan: Currently the UNU is privately funded by two major donors, were there unforeseen changes in the existing situation, funding would be severely disabled. Increasing relationships between the research and actual product material would provide revenue for the UNU and credibility for the research. This goal will expand funding by partnering with entrepreneurs who can create products or services to address the research findings.
Assessment: At least one additional financial backer is expected in the two-year period following the implementation of these goals. Additional financial support is to be gained from the services or production of goods manufactured to support the research. Funding and budgets will be evaluated quarterly. Monetary increases will be used for the next year to fund the additional marketing needed to make this Strategic Plan successful.
Objective 2.2: Increase support from the Tokyo academic community
Action Plan: Previous reports have made claims that the Tokyo academic community feels segregated from the UNU academic community. To remedy this and gain future researchers for the UNU Library and Collection, the UNU will host a series of scholarly talks and receptions to which the Tokyo academic community will be invited. In an effort to draw attention to the research available in the Library and the Collection, at least two of the speakers each year will be scholars who have research held in the Library and/or Collection. These events will happen quarterly.
Assessment: The academic community will be surveyed quarterly to determine if efforts are being received well. Survey participants will be entered into a lottery that awards funding or materials to further their research. In addition, all survey participants will receive open access to the library and Collection (within normal operating hours).
Objective 2.3: Promote the idea of Global Guardianship
Action Plan: The UNU Library and Collection will continue to harness information from researchers, books, journals, and conference briefs and house it digitally in the United Nations University Collection. The research will be free to any who wish to access it. To further promote the idea of Global Guardianship the Library and Collection will select one piece of research from each of the five areas of study of the United Nations University and promote this work on the website homepage for one month. In addition to being promoted, a discussion forum will be included for each article for those interested in the research to share thoughts and feedback on the piece. Each month the five articles will change.
Assessment: Discussion forums will be monitored and discussions will be expanded and/or initiated by staff of the library and/or Collection. Social media campaigns will assist in the marketing of these discussions. The end goal would be further research produced for the library and Collection, in addition to new research ideas produced from the discussions.
Objective 2.4: Gain a perceptible degree of autonomy from the parent institution
Action Plan: The United Nations University as the research wing of the United Nations frequently falls under the same scrutiny as the United Nations (the parent institution); any misuse of funding or perceived injustices committed by the United Nations directly reflects the reputation of the University. To increase autonomy from the UN, the UNU will issue a series of press releases detailing the globally beneficial works of the UNU and the research it supports. In addition, the UNU will make their budget reports available to the public.
Assessment: At the end of one calendar year a survey will be conducted to determine the general public’s opinion of the United Nations, the United Nations University and the Library/Collection. This data will be used to continue the work on this objective. Any critical problems reported will be addressed immediately.
Goal 3: Maintain and expand the United Nation University’s (including the Library and Collection) reputation as a premier research organization.
Objective 3.1: Direct more researchers to the UNU Collection
Action Plan: Following the plan to implement a social media campaign to bring new users to the the UNU Library and Collection, the UNU Library and Collection will begin to promote the research available through social media. In addition to social media marketing, the research will be promoted through conventional methods such as research journals articles, press releases and print advertisements and at conferences for organizations related to the field of research mentioned and/or relating to the field of librarianship through the means of conference sponsoring, advertisements and promotional materials as the budget allows.
Assessment: The social media campaign and marketing plan will be addressed monthly during regularly held staff meetings. Questions, concerns and problems will be addressed at that time. Any special events that require marketing will be discussed and placed on the calendar for inclusion on social media. The budget for promotional materials will be evaluated quarterly, or more often if it is deemed necessary.
Objective 3.2: Form new relationships with universities to develop future scholars
Action Plan: There are currently thirteen “associated institutions” affiliated with the UNU. This goal aims at expanding that number to include other organizations in regions where they are not currently present including the United States and Canada. A committee chaired by the Vector shall be appointed to research institutions suitable for affiliation with the UNU, they will select five institutions that will be given the opportunity to present materials to the committee. From those the committee will choose two to add to the UNU list of associated institutions bringing the number to fifteen.
Assessment: The committee will meet monthly to discuss progress on this objective. The first meeting will include a planning session in which a checklist will be created to evaluate potential associated institutions. Evaluation will be performed following the addition of the fourteenth institution. Any improvements needed for the program will be included at this point. A final evaluation will be conducted at the completion of the project.
Objective 3.3: Increase visibility by connecting to the research targets and potential contributors
Action Plan: One major benefit of the UNU is the ability to publish research papers without having to use a publishing company. To keep the research and the UNU Collection current, a steady stream of new research needs to be received each year. A report on the benefits of publishing with the UNU shall be prepared and sent to all past and current contributors. This report will include information on how to submit research and also include information for referring new researchers.
Assessment: Research evaluation methods already in place will be used for this process. An increase in research is targeted for 4% per year. Numbers of research added will be tallied and divided into the five areas of research. If any field of research falls below the 4% mark individually, a marketing plan will be implemented to increase research for that field.
Goal 4: Maximize the value of the United Nations University Collection
Objective 4.1: Expand marketing efforts
Action Plan: The marketing plan of the United Nations University needs to be expanded to include a social media campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the UNU and the Collection. A committee will be formed and a part-time staff member in charge solely of social media accounts including a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter account will be hired. This person will specifically market the Library and Collection to increase interest and draw patrons to use the UNU resources.
Assessment: The additional staff member will be evaluated monthly to determine progress. An average growth of 10% across the spectrum of social media is expected each quarter. At the end of the first year, progress will be evaluated and if need and budget allows the position on staff will move from part-time to full-time.
Objective 4.2: Partner with other institutions of higher learning to promote cross sharing of references.
Action Plan: A committee shall be formed to create a proposal for institutions of higher learning to promote the research available in the library and Collection and to promote the cross sharing of information. Cross sharing references will pull more researchers to the work, thus creating more traffic to both the UNU Library and increase the citing of UNU works by scholars.
Assessment: Data will be maintained on the traffic to the UNU Collection website. Additional data will be pulled from the number of research citations that include reference to UNU researchers/research held in the UNU Collection. Reference citation increases will benefit the scholar responsible for the writing, and the Library/Collection housing the material.
Objective 4.3: Increase the collection by incorporating research from similar institutions
Action Plan: The Library and Collection will implement a campaign to crowdsource research information from the online community who are active with the UNU Library and Collection. Given the nature of this strategic plan, the crowdsourcing will begin six months after the initiation of the marketing program. The goal will be to include those that have begun to reach out to the UNU Library and Collection through social media.
Assessment: Library staff will evaluate the amount of requests received for the new research. The research added will undergo the same scrutiny as the research produced under the watchful eye of the UNU. New research will be coded to distinguish it from research produced at the UNU.
Given that UNU Collection's holdings have increased every five years by an average of 132% and factoring in the expansion of digital content, along with the implementation of our team's goals and strategies, we project that by 2019 the library holdings will reach
2700 items, and by 2024; more than 4000. The most pressing threat to this projection is the limited number of funding sources. If any single benefactor decided to withdraw support, the result could be catastrophic. This analysis found that access, visibility and consortia are not comparable to other organizations of its size; all of which plays a role in threatening the healthy growth, continuation and wide-spread utilization of the collection. Our strategic goals seek to fortify the UNU Collection by diversifying funding, improving public relations, increasing consortia, and generally improving access to the collection. If our suggestions yielded modest results, the UNU Collection could expand the value of its holdings to the public, which would safeguard it against an unforeseeable financial and political future that could end the mission.
References
Bakar, A. (2012). Myths and realities of digital reference services: Perspectives of
libraries from developing countries. Library Management, 33(3), 136-141. doi:10.1108/01435121211217018
Evans, G.E., & Alire, C.A. (2013). Management basics for information professionals (3rd ed.). New York: Neal-Schuman.
Ly, H., Marlonsson, S., Reese, L., Treat, A., Wilson, S., (2014). Organizational Analysis of the United Nations University Collections Part One: Mission, Vision & Value Statements, Environmental Scan, and SWOT Analysis. Retrieved from http://www.weebly.com/weebly/main.php
World Health Organization, (2014). World report on disability. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/en/
Annotated Bibliography
Argetsinger, W. (2014). Behind the Scenes: Improving online access to UNU
research. Retrieved from
http://unu.edu/publications/articles/improving-online-access-to-unu-research.html
Though perhaps only intended for a select group of United Nations University students and faculty, the article documents an internal project carried out by UNU staff to assess the collection from the user’s perspective. It goes on to describe the current process of unifying and broadening access to the collection via centralization and digitization. This was the first, and one of the most significant, articles our team found pertaining to UNU’s
library collection. It provided a look into the recent history and current goings on of the library. Published on the UNU website in early 2014, it is timely and authoritative.Having worked at UNU from 2009 to 2013 as program associate and project manager,the author would seem quite qualified to offer critique and recommendation on the subject. What may be lacking in the article is failure to recognize or address the relative obscurity of the library itself.
Bakar, A. (2012). Myths and realities of digital reference services: Perspectives of
libraries from developing countries. Library Management, 33(3), 136-141.
doi:10.1108/01435121211217018
From a paper originally presented at the Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries conference, this article details an accessibility study of public and private university websites by using freely available software to check HTML mark-up on a site for errors and also for measuring website traffic. The study looked at 20 universities, 10 public and 10 private, all located in Malaysia. The results indicate that large public universities have better accessibility and visibility than do private universities. The author(a professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia) hypothesizes that increasing access helps communicate the institutions’ merits to a wider audience. From this example, our team recognized that the success of an organization’s metadata model and flow structure could be measured. We then used Bakar’s method to understand how the UNU Collection could increase its accessibility.
Barrett, B. F.D., Grover, V. I., Janowski, T., Van Lavieren, H., Ojo, A., &
Schmidt, P. (2009). Challenges in adoption and use of OpenCourseWare: Experience of the United Nations University. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-learning, 24(1), 31-38. doi:10.1080/02680510802627803
This was one of three articles we used to look at libraries’ decisions to digitize their collections and move towards greater emphasis in online services. Barrett joined the UNU in 1996 and is now an academic program officer and head of communications.The article reports on the UNU’s establishment of programs to increase capacity using OpenCourseWare (OCW) to support broader research, training and institutional capacity development goals. It was particularly useful given that the article was published almost six ago, so that we can compare the original goals and attempts to meet them, with the current status.Berkeley Electronic Press (2014). The Bepress Mission: The story of bepress. Retrieved from http://www.bepress.com/aboutbepress.html
Of the three case studies we looked at of libraries digitizing their collections, one was
Eastern Illinois University’s success in using Berkley Digital Publishing (now called
bepress). Founded in 1999 by UC Berkeley Professors Robert Cooter, Aaron Edlin, and Ben Hermalin, Bepress provides academia with platforms to showcase their work. In 2004 bepress launched its Digital Commons institutional repository software, which is now used by more than 300 public and academic libraries, including San Jose State University.
Berkeley Electronic Press (2014). The Bepress Mission: The story of bepress.
Retrieved from http://www.bepress.com/aboutbepress.html
Of the three case studies we looked at of libraries digitizing their collections, one was
Eastern Illinois University’s success in using Berkley Digital Publishing (now called
bepress). Founded in 1999 by UC Berkeley Professors Robert Cooter, Aaron Edlin, and Ben Hermalin, Bepress provides academia with platforms to showcase their work. In 2004 bepress launched its Digital Commons institutional repository software, which is now used by more than 300 public and academic libraries, including San Jose State University.
Brull,S., (1992, August 5). UN University in Tokyo is Accused of Studying Mainly Itself. The New York Times, pp.
This article appeared in the New York Times: The audience was its readership. Brull gathered strategic planning information from the UNU financial reports, Japanese government reports, articles and first-person accounts. He combined his research into an explanation of the conditions that led to the UN University’s funding crisis. Brull’s tone was explanatory. He was neither defending nor condemning the UNU. His argument was that some of the allegations of financial mismanagement have a basis in truth, but the funding situation is complex because of the history of the organization. Our team used the information to understand the distant past and maturing (1992) funding structure that led to allegations of mismanagement. We used it to support our assertion that the funding structure was both a strength and weakness. The value of the article was not in its authority, but its first-person perspectives on the funding structure and how that has affected opinions on financial management. The quotes from educators, scholars and government officials helped form our understanding of the issues surrounding our target organization in a way that our scholarly sources did not.
Bruns, T., Knight-Davis, S., Corrigan, E., & Brantley, S. (2014). It Takes a Library: Growing a Robust Institutional Repository in Two Years. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 21(3/4), 244-262.
The authors published this peer-reviewed article in College and Undergraduate Libraries. The article appeared in a special issue on scholarly communication. The educational tone was intended for academic librarians. Bruns, Knight-Davis, Corrigan and Brantley researched Eastern Illinois Universities’ process for moving a collection from a physical to digital format and updating/ consolidating disparate collections by interviewing key actors and reviewing documents. They found that careful planning and interdisciplinary participation fostered success. Creative budgeting, like reallocating human resources, allowed for the flexibility necessary to staff and fund the project. The authors concluded that the project’s goal of increasing accessibility was exceeded. An interesting flaw in the paper is that it claims that it took two years to create the digital archive, but simultaneously describes the ten-year process. Our team over looked this time-frame issue because it was not relevant to our purpose. We used the article to learn about how organizations expand access. Various combinations of search terms related to improving collection access yielded this article.
Cervone, H. (2013). Selected practices and tools for better accessibility in digital library projects. OCLC Systems & Services, 29(3), 130-133.
This article appeared in the academic journal: Systems and Services. It explains to an audience of information professionals, why accessibility should be addressed. Cervone vigorously advocated for accessibility improvements. He posits that disabilities are wide-spread and provides a list of common disabilities with corresponding solutions. Most of the solutions are inexpensive web-design changes that make information easier to see, hear and process. He suggests materials and training for librarians. The team used this information to improve our knowledge of accessibility issues.
Chowdhury, G.G. (2010). Introduction to modern information retrieval. New York. Neal-Schuman Publishers. 3rd ed.
Chowdhury seeks to educate information professionals about underlying principles of organizing information. The tone in his book is urgently educational, as he imparts decades of research to his readers. Our team used Chowdhury’s chapter on metadata to inform our section on improving browser access. Small changes in metadata can affect whether a browser can find information or not. Although our team only referenced metadata and controlled vocabulary, this text was used to improve our frame of reference about the underlying mechanics of organizing information for universal retrieval. It put the other accessibility issues into context by providing a base structure for understanding the mechanics of sharing information.
Federal Communications Commission. (2014). Guide: Children’s internet protection act. Retrieved from http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act
The Children’s Internet Protection Act is provided on the Federal Communications Commission webpage, the audience is intended for schools and libraries. The Children’s Internet Protection Act is an article we used to exhibit the forms of protection used in the libraries digitization. According the FCC library is required to abide by the requirements of the Federal Communications Commission. This article explains the purpose of the Children’s Internet Protection and requirements. Congress enacted CIPA in 2000 in order to protect children from inappropriate contents available on the Internet. In 2011 CIPA rules were updated to accommodate the change in Internet usage. For our group the importance of this article serves as foundational literature as to what is limited and prohibited in libraries that abide by CIPA.
Gilbert, A., Cox, J. (Editors). (1975). Exploring the Potential of the United Nations University. Academy of World Studies, S. A., & Association for World Education, H. Y. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/?id=ED114336 (Links to an external site.)
Editors Alfred Gilbert and Jim Cox presented this speech/ paper at the World Citizens Assembly. Our team used this paper in order to understand the original goals of the UNU. The audience is intended for all people and specifically identifies United Nations International University. This paper examines the United Nation International University in its early stages of development. Gilbert and Cox explained in their speech the purpose of the UNU and how the University can expand globally in the realm of education, and individuals becoming involved in the United Nations University. The speech was published in 1975 two years after the establishment of the United Nations University. Using this paper was beneficial for our team because we were able to understand the significance of the University and the original ideals, goals, and purpose of the UNU. The speech places emphasis on the path of the University and how it will approach issues on a global scale. Gilbert and Cox present a point of view that is centrally based on the perception of the potential of the UNU. The editors suggest that the UN needs to expand its members, as quoted from the speech “think in terms of being members of an interdependent world instead on independent nations” (Gilbert, Cox, p. 19).
Hudson, L. (2002). A new age of accessibility. Library Journal, 19-21
Author Laura Hudson journal article explains how libraries can make websites available to all individuals. Hudson’s article is directed to information professionals who are responsible for making websites. Hudson’s text was vital in our team reference to digitalization and accessibility for the disabled. The tone of the article exhibits the passion Hudson displays for designing websites that are efficient for individuals with disabilities and creating websites, which abide by Section 508. There are different forms of disabilities addressed such as blindness or low vision, hearing, mobility, cognitive, and seizure disorders. Section 508 is pivotal in the creation of websites, which are capable of accommodating all users. In order to modify the currently non-user friendly sites, Hudson indicates webmasters need to create adjustments to their sites in small increments over a period of time. We used this article in order to grasp an understanding as to how organizations can improve digital access to websites. Hudson proposes a time frame that implements change in the web page in less than a year. The article is valuable for information professionals redesigning their webpage. Our team discovered that Hudson’s conclusion contradicts the initial arguments. Originally Hudson discussed Section 508 guidelines and federal standards, yet concludes that Section 508 may not apply to the states and is conflicting in interpretation.
Laursen, D., Christiansen, K., & Olsen, L. (2012). Management of Metadata for Digital Heritage Collections. Microform & Digitization Review, 41(3/4), 151-158.
This article is available in the periodical Microform & Digitization Review. The tone of the article is intended for librarians learning how to manage the flow of metadata for digital collections. Author Laursen serves as a senior researcher at a University, and Christiansen is an electrical engineer as well as studies information retrieval. Laursen, Christiansen, and Olsen provide insight of the proper flow of metadata for digital heritage collections. This article was important for our team in analyzing the correlation between well-organized metadata and its contribution to the greater accessibility in the digital library. Authors Laursen, Christiansen, & Olsen reassert the traditional metadata did not approach from just a digital collection, but card cataloging and the Dewey decimal classification system are forms of managing information. This information is effective is for our team understanding metadata, but for all information professionals who need assistance in creating metadata that allows them to access more information.
Newland, K. (1987). The United Nations University: A New Kind of University.
The Washington Quarterly, 10(3), 215-224.
This article provided The Washington Quarterly in 1987 audience was the general public. Newland currently serves as member of the Migration Policy Institute. The article places emphasis on how imperative was the creation of the UNU and its capabilities. Newland’s article was important for our group in understanding the exchange the University host amongst member regardless of the headquarters being located in Tokyo. The usage of third-person in this article relinquishes any type of bias or fallacies if it were written in first-person. Newland articulates to the readers of how the UNU is different in comparison to other institution and universities because the ideal of advancing knowledge through “universal human programs.” Understanding how the UNU is able to network amongst its members in various geographical locations was essential, so that our team was able to understand the organization.
United Nations University Collections. (n.d.). United Nations University Collections.
Retrieved from https://collections.unu.edu
The webpage for the United Nations University Collections is intended for those interested in accessing UNU Collections for research on information pertaining to world crisis and policy. The online repository for the university currently holds 1,811 records with plans to continue adding materials. Searches can be made by year, author, institute, or UNU Themes under topics titles including global change and sustainable development, peace security and human rights, science technology innovation and society, human and socio-economic development. There is also a section to search under tags of recently added and recently popular, which documents how many times they’ve been downloaded in the past week. The various search options show different ways UNU Collections can be accessed, and interpreted for further research.
United Nations University Press. (2013). UNU Press.
Retrieved from http://unu.edu/publications/unu-pres
The United Nations University Press closed January 2014 but is active through this website for researchers interested in retrieving the volumes of an extensive collection of university publications. While the webpage announced the closure of the publishing division and notification they’ve ceased collecting future manuscripts and will no longer provide reprints from past volumes, the site gives insight into the development of UNU Collections and past volumes will be available online for free via UNU Collections, and covered under Creative Commons License. The brief description informs that UNU will be working on making all volumes accessible through UNU Collections through the year 2015.
United States Department of Labor. (2014). Disability Resources: Americans with disabilities act. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/disability/ada.htm
The Disability Resources: Under the Americans with Disabilities act, this site was created and helps give definition to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which bans discrimination in employment, transportation, communications, and government activities. It is a site for individuals or organizations serving the public to ensure that they practicing proper inclusivity for those with disabilities. While the law does not specifically state what is disability, it does list characteristics of how someone qualifies as disabled. The webpage is a reference on how UNU Collections can be all-inclusive.
World Wide Web Consortium. (2014). Web content accessibility guidelines: Overview.
Retrieved from http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines: This overview from the Web Accessibility Initiative addresses standards to make web content accessible to individuals, organizations, and international governments for people with disabilities. The site also aims to attract professionals, from web content developers to web tool developers, to help increase and evaluate web accessibility and protocol. Through simple and lacking new graphic design standards for mass readership, the site enables accessibility to web sources, including the UNU Collections, as new resources for people with disabilities, policy makers, and on-site managers.
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