sharing library services - p griffiths

8/8/2019 Sharing Library Services - P Griffiths

1/35

Sharing servicesor shared services?

Knowledge, information and library services and theTransformational Government agenda

Peter Griffiths

Sharing library services focusing on the customer


2/35

Outline

Transformational Government

Shared services

Principles and landscape

Outsourcing, joint libraries Examples of shared KIRM services

Sharing services

Principles, case studies and good practice

Sharing, shared or - ? future models for KIRM

Lessons and conclusions for the profession


3/35

Transformational Government

Technologyleadership for thetransformation ofgovernment services

Efficiency Efficient corporate services

release resources for thefront line

Effectiveness Effective delivery of

technology for government


4/35

Opportunities from TG

The specific opportunities lie

in improving transactional services (eg. tax andbenefits),

in helping front linepublic servants to be moreeffective (eg. doctors, nurses, police and teachers),

in supporting effectivepolicy outcomes (eg. in joined-up, multi-agency approaches to offendermanagement and domestic violence),

in reforming the corporate services and infrastructurewhich government uses behind the scenes, and

in taking swifter advantage of the latest technologiesdeveloped for the wider market.

Transactional Government, 2006, paragraph 7


5/35

Achieving the TG vision

Achieving the vision will require three keytransformations:

Services enabled by IT must be designed around thecitizen or business

Government must move to a shared services culture in the front-office, in the back-office, in informationand in infrastructure and release efficiencies bystandardisation, simplification and sharing.

There must be broadening and deepening of

governmentsprofessionalism in terms of theplanning, delivery, management, skills andgovernance of IT enabled change.

Transformational Government, 2006, paragraph 21


6/35

What are shared services?

CIO Council definition

What do we mean by shared services?

Deploying shared services involves separating thetransactional operations of a business or function intoa self contained unit which is reorganised to delivermore effective service at lower cost. Savings madethrough sharing can then be passed to front lineservices to improve public services.

http://www.cio.gov.uk/shared_services/faqs.asp#2


7/35

Shared servicesnew models for local government libraries

a collaborative approach to service delivery in whicha number of local authority library functions areconcentrated into a discrete, semi-autonomous businessthat has a management structure, staff and otherresources designed to add value to the participatingauthorities and their stakeholders, be this in terms ofcost reductions or efficiency gains, and/or improvedservice delivery. It will also involve either geographic orvirtual co-location, through maximising the use of ICTinvestment.

New ways of working and new models of provision within the publiclibrary servicea working paper. CLG/PwC, 2007


8/35

Shared services or sharing services?

Its important to distinguish shared servicesfrom sharing services

Shared service models can include

Integration of front- or back-office processes acrosstwo or more authorities

Integration of end to end delivery of individual ormultiple functions across two or more authorities

Creation of a separate organisation that deliversindividual or multiple functions across two or moreauthorities

See on


9/35

Three models of shared service

New ways of working and newmodels of provision within thepublic library service a

working paper. CLG/PwC,2007


10/35

So much for the theory

What happens in practice?


11/35

Sharing services

Long-standing in principle and practice Subscription agents (1793 or earlier)

Joint Libraries

A library operated for a single location by two ormore independent authorities

Upper Norwood (1900)

Cardiganshire Joint Library (1947)

LC catalogue cards (1902-1997)

Joint Use Libraries


12/35

Upper Norwood Joint Library

Opened in 1900

Unique organisation

Jointly owned andfunded by twoLondon boroughs(Croydon andLambeth)

Does not belong tothe library service ofeither authority


13/35

Joint use libraries

A joint use library is one in which two ormore distinct sets of users are served inthe same premises, the governance of

which is co-operatively arranged betweentwo or more separate authorities State Library of New South Wales. Guidelines forjoint-use libraries, 1983

Available at

www.sl.nsw.gov.au/pls/policies/jointuse.cfm

Institute of Classical Studies Library Joint Library ofthe Hellenic and Roman Societies (1953)
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/pls/policies/jointuse.cfmhttp://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/pls/policies/jointuse.cfmhttp://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/pls/policies/jointuse.cfm


14/35

Sharing information services in central government

Joint libraries FCOand OverseasDevelopment(ODM/ODA)

Sharing libraries Moorfoot, Sheffield

Stockwell deep tubeshelter store

Shared records stores Often historical origins

DHSS -> DH, DSS,DWP

Moorfoot Library, Sheffield

Stockwell deep level tube shelter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Belsize_Park_deep_level_shelter_3.jpg


15/35

Outsourcingearly initiatives

US 1983 federal circular No early candidates

UK 1990s approach to the issues

Market testing (in central government)

Department of Health

Department of the Environment

Compulsory competitive tendering (localauthority libraries)

Brent (In-house provider)

Hounslow (Trust)


16/35

Outsourcing in the UK

Some commercial examples BP e.g. to Kodak in Hemel Hempstead, to Britannia

Data Management in Aberdeen and Stockley Park (c.1995)

outsourced structured information, retained unstructuredinformation storage and exploitation inhouse

Other companies decided against outsourcing reasons include corporate view of information as an integral

corporate asset, sensitivity, retaining character of currentservice


17/35

Shared servicesa French perspective

LAlcazar, Marseille Originally a caf-

concert then a music-hall

Reopened in 2004 as alibrary

BMVR BibliothqueMunicipale Vocation

Rgionale (12+ inFrance)


18/35

Characteristics of BMVRs

Large, central libraries in major cities Architecturally striking and advanced Use modern library technology as well as

modern library IT systems Automated loans and returns, automated storage and

shelving systems for archive, etc

Provide shared services to smaller libraries in

the region Regional library catalogues, regional heritage

collections, etc Ensuring that funding for BMVRs does not penalise

smaller municipal libraries


19/35

Washington Research Libraries Consortium

Eight university librariesin DC area

Consortium establishedin 1987

sharing librarycollections and IT toenhance resourcesavailable to students andfaculty

ALADIN librarysystem

electronic resources

offsite storage


20/35

PwC study for CLG

New ways of working and new models of provisionwithin the public library servicea workingpaper. CLG/PwC, 2007

Use of technology to improve stock procurement

cataloguing

delivering core services subscriptions, direct delivery An example SELMS

South Eastern Library Management System

6 local authorities working with a service provider


21/35

SELMS benefits to the customer

Library membership of all partner authorities with oneticket.

Access to catalogues of all partners.

Access to catalogue with enhanced content and new

functions for users. Improved communications with users through SMS, email

etc.

Ability to directly request items across authority boundaries.boundaries.

Harmonisation (as far as possible) of library service policies.

Ability to borrow and return at any library in theconsortium.

Quoted from SELMS presentation slideshow


22/35

Other new(ish) models

Better Stock, Better Libraries PwC project for MLA, Phase 2 final report, 2006

Libraries to act as specifiers of requirements andoutcomes, not as procurement or processing experts

Improving customer service through shared service,e.g. ethnic minority language stock

Proposes regional hubs with national back-up

National Library Board of Singapore National Library also responsible for public and

government libraries


23/35

Libraries as shared services

Analysis by AtosOrigin Suggests that many routine,

high volume transactionalservices are a good fit toshared services

Complex transactions aretypical of professionalservices

They may rely on sharedservices to deliver outcomes

but are themselves notideally suited to delivery byshared services

Library enquiry andresearch services are strongcandidates for this group

Centres ofExpertise

ClassicShared

Services

Grey ZoneBusinessUnit Analysis

Adds value by

High technical skill Efficient processing

EnterpriseGeneric

BusinessUnit

Specific


24/35


Centres ofExpertise

ClassicShared

Services


Adds value by


EnterpriseGeneric

Business

UnitSpecific

High volumeRepetitive activityEasy to measure

Customer requirementsremain consistent

Skill set is transaction-focused

Activity defined byreference to external

standardsSpecialist skills

Customers include topmanagement

Locallydriven

based onlocal needs

Locallydriven

based onlocal needs


25/35

High volumeRepetitive activityEasy to measure

Customer requirementsremain consistent

Skill set is transaction-focused


Centres ofExpertise

ClassicShared

Services


Adds value by


EnterpriseGeneric

Business

UnitSpecific

Activity defined byreference to external

standardsSpecialist skills

Customers include topmanagement

Locallydriven

based onlocal needs

Locallydriven

based onlocal needs


26/35

Other issues

Shared standards International

Dublin Core, AACR, XML, ISBN-13 ...

National should integrate with TG IPSV Integrated Public Sector Vocabulary

Change management Supporting users of the new models

Information Literacy Supporting the profession to cope with change

Models for managing new change Born digital information resources


27/35

Tentative conclusions

Shared services are the latestmanifestation of a process that is over 100years old

but that process has become intense inthe past 20 years

Libraries are no longer special or exemptfrom change on grounds of public good if they ever were

Our profession has considerable goodpractice to share with other professions


28/35

Achieving the requirements

The ability to specify needs andrequirements, not processes

The ability to assess the ability of partner

organisations to deliver the requirements The ability (and willingness) to seek

alternative models of delivery if these

create efficiencies and deliver betterservice


29/35

Achieving the requirements

The ability to specify needs andrequirements, not processes

The ability to assess the ability of partner

organisations to deliver the requirements The ability (and willingness) to seek

alternative models of delivery if these

create efficiencies and deliver betterservice

The ability not to behave like an ostrich


30/35

Benefits for customers

The best possible service, whoeverdelivers it and wherever from

Innovative means of delivery

New technology, 24/7 virtual libraries Shared services supporting local delivery

Web-enabled access to information servicesacross the world

A choice of library service Eventually from any library in the world that

wishes to provide it


31/35

Benefits for organisations

Keeping library and information servicesaffordable

Demonstrating that librarians are business

managers too and protecting against Apache raid stylesof financial management

Sharing best practice with partners in the

library sector and sharing skills and risk with the

private sector


32/35

Weve been here before

Market testing, compulsory competitivetendering

Outsourcing

Writing service level agreements Library purchasing consortia

Application service providers

Remember them?

Making the business case for [the defence of]information and library services

Getting best value for users and funding bodies


33/35

Implications for librarians

Our professional judgement matters We must ensure that we are heard and heeded where only our

professional skill can make the call

We must become (even) more business like

Talk the language of benefits, branding, supply chains, andtransformational government

We must be politically aware (with a small p) What drives change in your organisation?

We must prove that what we do is worthwhilein terms that business managers understand

We must develop new models of leadership, andtrue leaders to drive those models


34/35

A message for our profession

LIBRARIANS MUST MEAN BUSINESS !


35/35

Contact details and disclaimer

Peter Griffiths

[email protected]

Important disclaimer

I am grateful to the Home Office for allowing me to take part inthis conference and to make this presentation. However all views

expressed are my own, and do not constitute any form of official

statement. No mention of a product or company implies any form of

endorsement by the Home Office or other government department.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

sharing library services - p griffiths

Documents