Future Quest: Creating a Vision for Academic Libraries

Presented at ALA Annual Conference

Anaheim 2012

LLAMA LOMS PELS

Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA), Library Organization and Management Section (LOMS), Planning and Evaluating Library Services (PELS)

Join LLAMA, then get involved

Participate in free webinars and other great programming

Take advantage of unique networking opportunities

You don’t need to be a dean or director to join

What is PELS?

Cesar Caballero, University Librarian/Dean, California State University, San Bernardino, CA

Dr. Richard Moniz, Director of Library Services, Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, NC

Joe Eshleman, Instruction/Reference Librarian, Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, NC

Janet Bishop, Coordinator, Archives and Special Collections Associate Professor Colorado State University Libraries Fort Collins, CO

Kari Lucas, Head, Access Services, University of California San Diego Libraries, San Diego, CA

Presenters

Committee Meetings

Exploration/Discussion of the Literature

Creating the Survey

“Next Step” Discussion Today with Library Leaders (ALA)

Continuing the Discussion (ALA Connect)

About our Survey

Sample of 49 respondents

75% with 11 years or more of experience (42% with 20+ years)

46% from libraries with more than a $5,000,000 budget

47% consider their library medium in size

71% consider 50% or more of their job administrative

SurveyDemographics

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Social Media

Offering E-books

Mobile Apps

Discovery Tools

Outsourcing

Lending E-Readers

Self-Service Checkout

Which of the following services are you currently using in your library? You may choose more than

one.

Is your library providing enough e-book content?

Is your e-book content accessible via mobile devices?

Do you use a discovery tool that limits for e-books?

e-books

Librarians need to learn to use it effectively in the marketing and

delivery of library content.

Social media communications should be reviewed and edited just like print

media.

Social Media

How would you rate the following planning elements (or topics) for use in planning services in academic

libraries in the next 3-5 years?

VeryImportant

2009 – UNCC hired an anthropologist to conduct ethnographic studies

Structured and open-ended interviewsOpen forums

Usability testing of the web sitePrint and virtual easels

Complete redesign of the library and web site based on a wide

variety of data

Understanding and

Responding to User’s needs

Quick survey of University of North Carolina at Greensboro MLIS

faculty on top 4 skills

Interpersonal skills

Teaching skills

Entrepreneurial with new technology

Problem solving abilities (especially with regard to information)

Skills needed by future librarians

staff 5users 5

people 4

14

budget (s) 11economic 5

money 4costs 4

shrinking 4

28

need(s)  14resources 10

services 9value 6

39

changing 6challenge 4

10

46 Responses – term frequency

What would you define as the single greatest challenge to academic libraries (especially as it

relates to leadership and management)?

“strategic planning/identifying emerging needs so that we can be proactive not reactive”

“having an organization that aligns with the university’s mission and assessment data/information that demonstrates that connection”

“I think the growing gap in age between middle and senior administrators and newer or younger individuals to the profession is something to consider… while we have also as a profession hosted various leadership sessions, very few have the true skills needed to tackle our libraries of the future”

“Being flexible and responsive enough to navigate a rapidly changing world. We all need to get comfortable being uncomfortable as a colleague likes to say. It's crucial not only that we meet user needs, but that we be perceived as doing so in a way that is useful, current, and relevant to our users, as well as appreciated by our funders. We have to be willing to let go of ALL of our assumptions and investigate what is really happening and then respond to it in a timely fashion.”

Inventive solutions by libraries that deal with budget crunches:

collaborative storage networks

open-access content

look for other sources of revenue such as library grants

beef up longstanding partnerships with other libraries

determine which scholarly journals and other materials are truly “must-keep” items

Solutions-budgets

7 Imperatives for Library Leadership

1. Rethink the operating model

2. Understand and respond to user needs

3. Embrace the concept of continuous innovation

4. Forge a digital identity

5. Connect with stakeholders in ways that pure internet companies cannot

6. Expand the metrics

7. Be courageous

Solutions-leadership

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Combined service points

Current data (real time decision making) andpatron-driven acquisitions

Library organization and culture

Assessment

Innovation and risk taking

Alignment with institutional mission

Which of these academic library service topics would you say is the single most important moving

forward?

Examples of how we assess services and activities:

Quantitative AssessmentLibQUAL

Qualitative Assessment“Market Research”-Focus Groups

Advisory BoardsAnthropological Studies on Information-Seeking Behavior

LITERATURE REVIEW:

The Importance of Assessment of

Library Services and Activities

Although “Alignment with Institutional Mission” was the top ranked topic among respondents, a review of the current

literature revealed that “Assessment” was the most discussed of the top three topics:

•“Institutional Mission” -1 hit•“Strategic Planning” AND “Academic Libraries” -46 hits

•“Change Management” -7 hits•“Innovation” AND “Academic Libraries” -20 hits •“Risk-Taking AND Academic Libraries” -0 hits

•“Assessment” AND “Academic Libraries”- 322 hits

Why is Assessment so

important?

ECONOMIC CLIMATE 2008-2012

ALIGNMENT WITH INSTITUTIONAL MISSION

ASSESSMENT INNOVATION & RISK TAKING

facilitates

necessitates

“[T]he current economic crisis is accelerating trends that would have emerged more slowly. It is compelling a rapid rethinking of

how we do business in research libraries and, more fundamentally, what a research library is going to be.”

Charles Lowry, “Year 2 of the ‘Great Recession’: Surviving the Present by Building the Future”, 2011

“[T]he current economic crisis is accelerating trends that would have emerged more slowly. It is compelling a rapid rethinking of

how we do business in research libraries and, more fundamentally, what a research library is going to be.”

Charles Lowry, “Year 2 of the ‘Great Recession’: Surviving the Present by Building the Future”, 2011

Value that is not valued is not valuable. In the marketplace the value of a consumer good (such as a car or a toaster) is determined entirely by the consumer…

As Librarians, we pride ourselves on operating outside of the commercial marketplace. However, whether we like it or not, we are working in an information environment, the dynamics of which are very much like those of a free market, except that the currency

spent by our “customers” is not money, but time and attention. We procure for our patrons products (books, articles, etc.) and offer services (bibliographic instruction, one-on-one research guidance, etc.) that we believe are valuable, and our patrons choose

whether or not to invest time in our offerings based on the value they expect to gain from doing so.

Rick Anderson, “The Crisis in Research Librarianship”, 2011

The necessity of

•INNOVATION•RISK-TAKING•REFOCUSING•REINVENTION

SERVICES

• Patron-driven models (e.g. acquisitions)• Shared services (e.g. “strategic collaboration”)

• Outsourcing• Technology-based innovations

• Game-Based Learning in Information Literacy Instruction (e.g. examples used in Horizon Report)

• Web 2.0 Strategies• Mobile Apps

• Added Services• GIS initiatives

• Computer/Tech Support• Digitization/Audio/Large-Scale Printing

Three major areas

FUNDING/FUNDRAISING

(Revenue beyond legislative funding, tax-supported base, and existing endowments)

• Grants• Donor Cultivation• For-profit models

MARKETING/ OUTREACH

• Branding• “Profile-raising”

Table Discussions

What top issue or issues need to be addressed and where do we start?

Have we missed something else that could override all these issues?

How do we prepare for the future?

Wrap-Up

Final thoughts

Join us through ALA Connect to continue the discussion!

References2010 Top Ten Trends in Academic Libraries: ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee. (June

2010). C&RL News, 71(6), 286-292.

Anderson, C. L. (2011). Moving the library agenda forward: Librarians collaborating with the chief library

administrator to cultivate campus constituencies. Journal of Library Administration, 51, 179-188.

Anderson, R. (2011). The crisis in research librarianship. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 37(4),

289-290.

Bailey, E. (2010). Educating future academic librarians: An analysis of courses in academic librarianship.

Journal of Education for Library and Information Science 51(1), 30-42.

Bryant, A. (March 12, 2011). Google’s quest to build a better boss. New York Times.

Chesnut, M. T. (2011). Recession-friendly library market research: Service learning with benefits. Journal

of Library Innovation, 2(1), 61-71.

Corwin, S. , Hartley, E. & Hawks, H. (2009). The library rebooted. Strategy + Business, 54, 1-12.

Halber, M. (2010). The information commons: A platform for innovation. Journal of Library

Administration, 50, 67-74.

Henry, C. (2011). (2011). E-Content [All things digital]: National scale solutions. Educause Review 46(1).

Howard, J. (2009). Libraries Innovate to counter cuts. Chronicle Of Higher Education, 56(14), A1-A9.

James-Gilboe L. (2010). Raising the library profile to fight budget challenges. The Serials Librarian, 59,

360-369.

References (continued)

Johnson, L., Adams, S. & Cummins, M. (2012). The NMC Horizon Report: 2012 Higher Education Edition.

Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

Lowry, C. B. (2011). Year 2 of the ‘Great Recession’: Surviving the present by building the future. Journal

of Library Administration, 51, 37-55.

Murray, A. (2011). Maximizing an economic recession through strategic organizational repositioning. The

Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances, 24(1), 13-23.

Petrowski, M. J. & Deiss, K. (2009). ACRL 2009 Strategic Thinking Guide for Academic Librarians in the

New Economy. Retrieved from

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/future/acrlguide09.pdf

Smale, M. A. (2011). Learning thorough quests and contests: Games in information literacy instruction.

Journal of Library Innovation, 2(2)36-55.

Staley, D., & Malenfant, K. (2010). Futures Thinking for Academic Librarians: Higher Education in 2025.

Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/value/futures2025.pdf

Wu, S. K., & Lanclos, D. (2011). Re-imagining the users’ experience: An ethnographic approach to web

usability and space design. Reference Services Review 39(3), 369-389.