Making the Library More

A high performing team = A high performing Library

Chandra McKenzieRochester Institute of Technology

Visions of Change: Academic Libraries in TransitionFriday January 26, 2007

Photo: Jen Freer

RIT Libraries – Our Culture

• We’re accustomed to change

• We prefer innovation• Early adaptors of new

technology• Please big emphasis on

accessible services• Responsiveness is

important to us• Strive to provide quality

resources• Effective staff recruitment

is a staff-wide activity & a priority

• We do active user Assessment

Photos: Jen Freer

The Melbert B. Cary Graphic Arts CollectionPress Room & Reading Room (below)

RIT Libraries – Our Mission

As an active partner in quality education, focusing on curricular support and enrichment of the academic experience, RIT Libraries will offer quality services to meet our community's needs by:

• Providing current technologies to access onsite collections and global

networks.

• Delivering innovative instruction and responsive help services.

• Maintaining a welcoming environment that is comfortable,

secure and accessible for our community.

A interactive instruction session conducted in sign language.

Factors Influencing Change

• Align w/ RIT’s new Strategic Direction

• Emerging need for more graduate services and assisting faculty scholarship

• Make better use of our facility

• Make Better use of our Staffing Resources

• Improve partnering

• Emphasis on marketing the library

And…

Photo: Jen Freer

The new RIT Museum (space under construction)(Opens March 2007

The old imposing Reference Desk(Now called The Re:Search Zone

Circulation Reference

ILL

Technology

Acquisitions/Serials

Administration

E-resources

Marketing

Archives

Cary

Director

Reorganization was necessary

Cataloging

• Conducted Critical Review of RIT’s new Strategic Plan

• Introduced Library Staff discussions about the “future”

• Created Graduate Libraries Team (6mth review)

• Reviewed our Existing Services

Step 1: Strategic Planning Preliminary Groundwork –May ‘04

The Library (left) building is at the center of the academic side of campus

Our Existing Services

Hardware Support Java Wally’s

Instruction sessionsInfo Delivery

MetadataSerialsExhibits

Print HoldingsCourseware Support

CNYFacility Mgmt

Building SecurityAcquisitions

Curriculum SupportNetwork support/liaison

Web DevelopmentSystems security

User EducationE-Resources

Access to TechnologyCirculation Cary LibraryStaff Training

TelecomIM

WirelessDigital Media

OPACCataloging

Practical InfoSpecial CollectionsLab Maintenance

Open HouseRIT ArchivesInfo Literacy

Photo: Jen Freer

Freshman w/ face painted during the Library’s annual Fall open house

• Set big focus ideas

• Established 4 library teamseach w/ 2 person Co Leads

• Established one Library Transition Team - 3 staff persons

Step 2: Strategic Planning Process Began - June 2004

Support for Graduate Research

Support for UndergradEducation

Support for Faculty Scholarship

Culture & Information Services

Working goes better w/ food

• Conducted Team Leaders Training (group dynamics & leadership)

• Hosted ‘New Information Horizon’ workshops for staff

• Gathered and analyzed internal data

• Reviewed library and RIT

benchmark information

• Conducted hundreds of campus interviews

Step 3: Strategic Planning Teamwork – July to Sept 2004

Spreading the Library ‘word’ around campus

Photo: Jen Freer

Define Transformed Library Services

GOOD• Assesses student learning outcomes• Transforms organizational systems (what we count,

reward, allocate, provide, how we are structured and who we serve).

• Technology infrastructure supports the delivery of digital content

• Redirects dollars to future priorities• Allows access to be self determining• Makes revolutionary changes• Buys materials just in time• Acknowledges that digital is not just another format

BETTER• Streamlines existing process, outsource what can

be, stop doing what can be.• Consolidates units, reallocates staff• Joins campus curricular design and delivery

conversations• Integrates services across campus• Works to create repositories and libraries of record• Reduces cost for processing collections• Educates staff about change, trends and new

directions• Communicates vision of the future • Allow staff input into developing response to

change.

BEST• Work environment allows staff to be flexible and

responsive - serving the mission.• Continually assesses our contribution to learning

and other institutional outcomes.• Partners with others• Provides physical and virtual spaces to access

information• Serves as a change agent due to connections,

values and cooperative ventures.• Provides community spaces for inquiry-based

learning and out of classroom activities• Includes creation and design of products by

students• Develops robust collaborative frameworks for

management, access and preservation of information resources in all formats

• Manages broad range of materials, traditional and nontraditional

• Is Active and influential… helps bring about change…

Brewer, Joseph M, et al.. “ARL Bimonthly Report 234”. Libraries Dealing with the Future Now. June 2004. University of Arizona Library. <http://www.arl.org/newsltr/234/dealing.html>

Digital Assets• Facilitate the creation and presentation of new digital information including: Creation and design of products by liaisons, students and faculty.

• Organize and maintain traditional and non traditional materials (e-resources, preprints, instructional objects and datasets…) continue the shift to digital from paper

• Use new technologies to allow users to create personal profiles, annotations, contribute comments and store results

• Use D-space to house learning objects and valuable institutional data

•Explore new digital services

Service Points• Provide excellence in information and customer services just enough, just in time and just for me

• Implement less costly alternatives to staffing service points and outsource work that can be

• Cross-utilize service point staffing w/ processing services

• Use virtual ref and digital assets to answer questions about campus service not just library service

• Spend less on adding to print collections/continue shift to digital from paper

• Create student leadership opportunities, internship positions, and effectively manage, utilize all student employees.

• Provide opportunities for employee post graduate connections.

Education Service• primary responsibility as knowledge manager

• familiarize students with the scope and breadth of discourse within their discipline.

• provide educational assistance to students with recognizing and developing good writing skills

• synthesize information or create new information

• developing information fluency skills, particularly proficiency assessing one’s information needs

• competency locating and retrieving information and efficiency evaluating retrieved information.

Technology Services• Provide network and system security

• Create enterprise wide knowledge management systems

• Compare, purchase and install new technology

• Implement new technologies to allow users to select and search across systems

• Partner w/ other campus agencies to achieve collective university goals

• Explore new networks and services that support user needs and primarily invest in access systems

• Build partnerships to offer open access to material through campus networks, federated networks and institutional repositories

Culture and community• Create and maintain community spaces for collaboration and inquiry- based learning as well as out of class activities

• Provide historical, practical and Cultural information programming of appeal to RIT Community.

•Maintain, acquire and promote unique special collections. Include creation and design of products by students

• Outreach to faculty regarding scholarly communication issues

•Create a Faculty Commons w/in the facility that connects the Colleges and provides scholarship support

•Outreach to Student Government, WITR, TV, Reporter and ESPN2, 140 Clubs, 24 Teams, 28 Greeks

RIT Culture and Information Services

Support for Graduate Research

Support for Undergraduate Education

Support for Faculty Scholarship

Merge, Realign & Refocus

Step 4: Strategic Planning Definition – Oct 2004

• Clarify and maintain our vision: With a staff committed to

excellence, RIT Libraries will beessential to our community by

being the first place to go whenRIT needs to know.

• Restate our process

• Prepare Recommendationsfor change

• Presentation of Ideas

• Select proposed initiatives

RIT Library Staff member reading to children from RIT’s daycare center, “Margaret’s House” – one of many annual public events.

Photo: Jen Freer

Step 5: Strategic Planning Closure: Nov - Dec 2004

• Solicit Campus Feedback

• Critique our Process• Finalize Goals• Prioritize Initiatives • Celebrate our process• Reorganization

Campus Blog – one of the ways we solicited feedback

To Realize the Vision - New Goals

Transform the library to become the Center For RITCulture and Information Services

Enhance Information Access

Improve Library Service

The Re:Search Zone

Photos: Jen Freer

Points of Service

Circulation

Publishing & Scholarship Support

Inter-Library Loan

New Organization

Instruction & Education Research AssistanceInstruction/PedagogyCollection DevelopmentReference Services

Digital AssetsCataloging/Metadata

Acquisitions & SerialsE - Resource Mgmt Satellite Libraries Web Development

Cultural Collections

Cary Collection

RIT Archives

CGAP/University Press

Special Collections

RIT Museum

Administrative Operations Finance Events

Marketing

Directo

r

Library Technology Services Network

Facilities mgmt HardwareSoftware

CNY support

January 2005 – Implement New

• Goals• Organization• Management team• Library Initiatives• Job descriptions • HR review of all

jobs• Suspend staff

appraisals for 18mths

Photos: Jen Freer

Lectures, Events, Book Talks and Studying in the Idea Factory.

Accomplishments 05/06Publishing and Scholarship Support Center

RIT Digital Media Library (institutional repository)

RIT Gallery of History and ArtRIT Museum – Opens 3/07

Alexander P. Lawson Center (university press) – Opens 5/07

Open Book@ RIT- first online university publishing community

the Lulu/RIT Alliance

Scholarship at RIT newsletter

Created Global Resource Area (news) and Business and Entrepreneurial Resource

Area

Expanded Library Hours to 3am

Campus delivery serviceThe Publishing and Scholarship Support Center

Photos: Jen Freer

Provided technology & training support as Connect NY consortia expanded from 5 to 14 libraries.

Cataloged the Gravure Satellite Library Collection

ILL/Document Delivery services expanded & Turnaround aver. 3days

Integrated Library resources w/ Courseware

Tools Technologist position created

Electronic Resource Management implemented

Millennium Acquisitions implemented

OCLC Connexion Client migration

Metalib 3.0 - an extensive upgrade

Started send/receive fax service

Enhanced loan periods for Grads

Accomplishments 05/06

Photo: Jen Freer

The Library’s Java Wally’s cafe

Expanded library events schedule and introduced the RIT Faculty Scholars series

Borrowing for RIT family members and RIT’s senior living community

Customized (U. of Minn) design for The Assignment Calculator and The Dissertation calculator

Info Services: Book Crossing station, VIA lab printing, online study room booking, Blogging, converted virtual reference to IM and expanded

Internally:Organization Climate Survey conducted 9/06

2 retirements, 5 voluntary terminations & added 2 newly funded positions

Implemented the four FISH Principles:1. Choose Your Attitude, 2. Be Present3. Engage Your Customers

and…

Accomplishments 05/06

Our ACRL 2006 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award

…PLAY!Photos: Jen Freer

Still Work To Do…• Develop special orientation and instruction services for Graduate Students and Assistants.

• Partner to digitize RIT 1,000 Archival video collection (and add to the institutional repository)

• Advocate for financial support to subsidize free copying and printing in the library

• Advocate for financial support to build a high density storage facility on campus

• Advocate for donor support to enhance collections, furniture and facilities - website created

• Expand support for creation of more campus open access journals – one done

• Renovate 14 Group Study rooms and create more special purpose collaboration spaces

• Establish Expert Applied Research Services for Faculty and Grads

• Install new signage system – building wide

• Implement a Comprehensive Customer Service Plan

• Implement a Content Management System

• Customize Web Services Based on User Status

• Create a digital Campus Mentoring Website

• Create a digital campus Tutoring Partners Website…

• Explore external circulation of all library print periodicals

AND

• Position the library to address the sweeping impact of mass book digitization on acquisitions, circulation and

retention.

RIT mascot, Ritchie spreads the library word!Photo: Jen Freer

Chandra V. McKenzieAssistant Provost and Director, RIT Libraries

Rochester Institute of Technologycvmwml@rit..edu

585-475-2566