PERSPECTIVES ON . . .

The RedesigrVReengineering of an Information Services Division in a Major Health Sciences Institution

Lessons Learned at the University of Maryland at Baltimore

EDITOR

Lois F. Lunin 922 24th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037-2229, and the Department of Radiology, Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York 10021

GUEST EDITOR

Marion J. Ball Vice-President for Information Services, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1502

Introduction and Overview

More than ten years ago, the National Library of Medi- cine (NLM) introduced an initiative known as Integrated Academic Information Management Systems (IAIMS), today renamed Integrated Advanced Management Systems. From the outset, IAIMS was intended

to offer a planning framework, support, and encour- agement to institutions that were ready to undertake an institution-wide plan for the development of integrated information systems. Inherent in such a challenge is acknowledgement that wise management and problems of university-wide intellectual inter- action loom as large as technical and scientific obstacles to achievement of an optimal system. (Lindberg, 1988)

One of the first four IAIMS sites, the University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMAB) reported on its experi- ences in an earlier Perspectives (Lunin & Ball, 1988). This issue is a follow-up of that initiative to show what has been accomplished in the intervening years, how it was done, what modifications needed to be made, and how they were effected, and what could not be accom- plished. Also, like big business, universities (also a big business) need to redesign to meet current and antic- ipated needs. Too often we read of grand information plans, yet rarely do we learn what actually took place. Progress since has been considerable, and these new ar- ticles delineate the next phase in UMAB’s integration strategy.

Today UMAB remains committed to the IAIMS concept and active in the IAIMS Consortium, which annually brings together institutions working toward integration. Since developing its first strategic plan under phase 1 of IAIMS, UMAB has passed through an iterative process, modifying implementation plans in light of technological advances and institutional realities.

From the outset of IAIMS, UMAB focused on the man- agement of change and recognized leadership as critical. As stated in the earlier Perspectives,

. . .it is essential that the underlying concept of an IAIMS be supported by the leadership of the university and/or campus and that IAIMS expresses the information management philosophy of the insti- tutional leadership from the start, and this consensus forms the basis for organizational change.” (Wilson et al., 1988)

0 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Supporting the Concept Administratively and Technologically

Both the Chancellor for the University of Maryland System (UMS), Donald N. Langenberg, and the President at UMAB, Errol L. Reese, have played critical roles in promoting this underlying concept. Chancellor Langenberg created an environment within UMS that is supportive of information technology, in the belief that

Information technology-the set of computer and tele- communications technologies that makes possible com- putation, communication, and the storage and retrieval of information-has changed the conduct of scientific, engineering, and clinical research. (Langenberg, 1989)

On the UMAB campus, President Reese has championed the integration concept, making information technology and health informatics explicit features of the new institutional strategic plan.

Fiber optic cabling, along with improved computing and communications capabilities, provides the infrastructure for the networked environment envisioned in the original plan. Indeed, this network links UMAB with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), even though UMMS retains separate governance, and with the Veterans’ Admin- istration Medical Center and the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions as well.

Installation of the fiber optic backbone was a discrete task, defined under the original plan; in many ways, estab- lishing the physical infrastructure was the easiest aspect of networking the campus. UMAB is still working to deliver the benefits of the network to the campus community, by making access easier and extending the range of services offered. Internet, navigated by the UMAB gopher, draws in more users every week, giving them access to more sophisticated and richer sources of information. Information Services (IS) is intensifying its efforts to work with the schools on integrating informatics into their curricula, and is constantly updating its course offerings to address new technologies and user needs.

Organizational Redesign and Reengineering

To effect the transformation of UMAB’s information environment, however, demands much more than technol- ogy. It requires organizational redesign and reengineering across all sectors, from top to bottom. UMAB leadership has played a key role here. In 1991, President Reese created the position of vice president for Information Services (VPIS) and brought the Health Sciences Library (HSL)

and voice communication together with campus comput- ing and data communications. Since then, management of the new IS division has made iterative attempts at restructuring to provide optimal service to the campus. With change the constant, IS will continue to redesign and reengineer. When the Health Sciences Library/Information Services building now under design opens in 1997, in- tegration of IS will be both a physical and a virtual reality.

The articles in this Perspectives continue the story of UMAB’s integration story, from its evolving vision to spe- cific implementations of that vision. The first two articles paint the vision in broad strokes. Langenberg focuses on strategies for integrating information technology into the universities of tomorrow, while enabling them to fulfill their traditional missions. Ball and Reese describe how the Uni- versity of Maryland at Baltimore has created an Information Services organization embodying the integration concept.

The four remaining articles provide detail in four key areas. To clarify user perceptions and needs for information services, Harris describes the methodology and findings of a campus survey. In looking at resources, Petroski explains how IS reengineered to advance the integration concept while addressing budgetary crises. In the area of organizational development, Sappington summarizes formal training experiences designed to foster communications and problem solving among different cultures. Finally, Weise and Tooey report how the new Health Sciences Library/IS building now being planned is strengthening and will stand as a physical manifestation of the integrated information services concept.

We are committed to the vision of a transformed uni- versity which will empower and enrich the society it serves. In the pages that follow, we and our contributors describe the steps we have taken in the long journey toward the future.

MARION J. BALL JUDITH V. DOUGLAS

References

Langenberg, D. N. (1989). Information technology and the conduct of research: The user’s view. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Lindberg, D.A. B. (1988). Part I: The IAIMS initiatives of NLM institutional planning for advanced information services. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 39, 105- 106.

Lunin, L. F., & Ball, M. J. (1988). Perspectives on integrated academic information management systems (IAIMS). Journal of theAmerican Society for Information Science, 39, 102- 120.

Wilson, M. P., McCarter, Jr., R. J., McKay, A.B., & Estime, R. (1988). The management of change: Lessons learned from the IAIMS experience. Journal of the American Society for Information Sciences, 39, 113 - 117.

About the Authors

Marion J. Ball is the Vice President of Information Services at the University of Maryland at Baltimore, where she also holds academic appointments in the schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and Graduate Studies. Presi- dent of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) and a fellow of the American College of Medical In- formatics (ACMI), Dr. Ball publishes and consults widely. She received her EdD in Continuing Medical Education from Temple University.

Judith V. Douglas is Director of Planning and Outreach in the Office of the Vice President for Information Services at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She holds a Master’s of Health Science in Health Planning and Administration from The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.

Donald E. Harris served in several administrative po- sitions at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. He now holds a faculty appointment at Messiah College and engages in a national consulting practice. Dr. Harris received his PhD from Claremont Graduate School where he studied economics and information systems. His dissertation in- cluded the first national study on the use of computer-based financial modeling software by chief financial officers in higher education.

Donald N. Langenberg is the Chancellor of the Univer- sity of Maryland System, which include 11 campuses and three research and service components. He has also served as Chancellor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and as Deputy and Acting Director for the National Science Foundation. A prolific author, Dr. Langenberg currently serves on a number of boards, including those for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a PhD in Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and has been granted honorary degrees by the University of Pennsylvania.

S. Paul Petroski is the Director of Financial and Admin- istrative Services for Information Services at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. He recently assumed the respon- sibility for the business aspect of communications as the Director of Voice Communications. Mr. Petroski earned an MBA in Computer and Information Science at Temple University.

Errol L. Reese stepped down as President of the Univer- sity of Maryland at Baltimore effective December 31, 1993. Now on sabbatical, Dr. Reese will return to the faculty of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, where he served as Dean for 16 years before becoming President. A fellow in the American College of Dentistry and the International College of Dentists, he received his DDS degree from the West Virginia University School of Dentistry.

Thomas E. Sappington is a Senior Partner with Triangle Associates. Based in North Carolina, Triangle con- sulted with the University of Maryland at Baltimore on strategic planning and leadership issues. Within Information Services, Dr. Sappington provided group facilitation ser-

vices in support of organizational change and total quality. Degree in Library Science from the University of Pitts- Degree in Library Science from the University of Pitts- He holds a PhD in Human and Organizational Systems from burgh. burgh. the Fielding Institute. Frieda 0. Weise is Assistant Vice President for Infor- Frieda 0. Weise is Assistant Vice President for Infor-

Mary Joan (M. J.) Tooey is Director of Information mation Services and Health Sciences Library Director at mation Services and Health Sciences Library Director at and Instructional Services at the Health Sciences Library. the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She also serves the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She also serves Currently Project Manager for the new Health Sciences as Director of the Region 2 Medical Library of the National as Director of the Region 2 Medical Library of the National Library/Information Sciences building, she earlier served Library of Medicine. Active in the Medical Library Asso- Library of Medicine. Active in the Medical Library Asso- as a delegate to the White House Conference on Li- ciation, she holds a Master’s in Library Science from the ciation, she holds a Master’s in Library Science from the braries and Information Services II. She holds a Master’s University of Michigan. University of Michigan.

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