Where Next? Library

Transformation

Carla J. StoffleDean, University of Arizona Libraries

and the Center for Creative Photography

&Kim Leeder

Special Assistant to the DeanThe University of Arizona Libraries

April 2006Revision 7

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Economic ChangeEconomics, not technology, is (or will be) driving the

need for fundamental changes in our universities and in our libraries.

Colleges and universities are not going to receive the resources to keep pace with cost increases.

See: “State Tax Fund Appropriations for Higher Education FY1961 to FY2005. Postsecondary Education Opportunity 151 (2005): 1-20.

Libraries must stop muddling through and undergo transformation to thrive.

See: Alan E. Guskin and Mary B. Marcy, “Dealing with the Future Now,” Change 35.4 (July/August 2004): 10-21.

See: Joseph M. Brewer, Sheril J. Hook, Janice Simmons-Welburn, and Karen Williams, “Libraries Dealing with the Future Now,” ARL Report 234 (June 2004): 1-9.

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Characteristics of the Transformed Library (1) The library is a place for the production and

management of knowledge. We stimulate research, not just support it. We are part of the creation process for new knowledge, access

tools, and dissemination processes that do not require mediation or instruction.

We manage campus knowledge and information. We provide campus information services, not just library

information, on a 24/7 basis.

We create learning environments for our campuses and are partners in the educational process. The library is an integral and interdependent part of the

institution’s educational experience. We work with instructors to create learning resources.

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Characteristics of the Transformed Library (2) Our collection format of choice is digital. We are not subject to the restrictive pricing

policies of the marketplace. We have not only slowed down inflation but reduced the cost

of collections and the cost of selecting, processing, and housing the collections through outsourcing and collaboration.

A smaller percentage of our budget is going to purchasing, processing, and managing scholarly information.

We create new knowledge sources.

We focus our collection building in special collections areas and creating new knowledge. We are collecting new types of information, such as data sets,

grey literature, and local resources. We add to the collective knowledge by digitizing our primary

resources.

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Characteristics of the Transformed Library (3) We are an active part of an ongoing national

system for maintaining information in all formats, through coordinated repositories. We have created collaborative repositories to provide open

access to information. We are collecting “born digital” materials.

We are politically proactive. We are part of a national system that monitors and influences

national information policy and protects campus interests and access to information through national and local action.

The library is agile, flexible, and welcomes change. We do not wait for change to come, but are constantly

evolving and changing ourselves to meet it.

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How to Get There: Building a Transformed Library

1) Move from cooperation to collaboration in our activities.

2) Only do locally what must be done locally.

3) Focus on the needs of our campus, not what libraries traditionally do.

4) Provide all services, including information fluency instruction, to the desktop.

5) Change the portions of our budget going to collection-building and managing legacy collections.

6) Redesign our spaces as people space, not storage areas.

7) Develop new performance and assessment measures.

8) Internalize the concept of “planned abandonment,” which encourages the abandonment of programs and projects in decline to free up resources for innovative new projects.

9) Create new sources of revenue.

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1. From Cooperation to Collaboration Libraries have a long history of cooperation, but

these efforts occur at the margin, not at the core of activities. A true collaboration requires: Interdependence and pooling of resources, Trusting others to follow through, Giving up some parts of our work to others, and Redirecting resources and staff time.

Collaboration can help libraries solve the big problems we all face, but it requires a fundamental change in our individual operations. Collaborative ILL Center for Research Libraries repository for little-used

materials

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2. Only Do Locally What Must be Done Locally Libraries should only do locally what must be

done locally, or that which is most economically done locally.

We should only do alone that which we can’t find partners for. Buy services through outsourcing, such as acquiring shelf-

ready books. Create collaborative partnerships, such as coordinated print

repositories, to pool materials. Create partnerships with commercial organizations, i.e.,

Scholar’s Portal, Google.

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3. Focus on Campus Needs Putting aside the concept of “what we do,”

academic libraries must target the needs of their campus and aggressively seek out ways to work with other units.

Libraries should: Prioritize the needs of campus over concerns about what we

do. Partner with other campus organizations to volunteer our

unique skills. Become the ‘one-stop shopping’ point for all campus

information. Work with other units to help them create web pages and

student information guides.

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4. Provide All Services to the Desktop Libraries need to provide services to the desktop

to greatest extent possible to empower users with self-sufficiency. Email and Chat Reference Interlibrary loan requests & delivery Online course reserves Delivering other formats, including streamed audio and video

In our instructional efforts, this also means working with faculty to provide what they need. Creating well-designed assignments that use information

resources, new technologies, and active learning Course management systems Reusable digital instruction objects (carriers of innovation).

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5. Rethink Collecting& Reallocate Resources We must:

reduce the proportion of our budget going into purchasing information.

move to digital as the preferred collection format. eliminate the massive amounts of resources (including space)

devoted to managing legacy collections, and channel saved resources into digital projects and other innovations.

collaborate with other units to create open access repositories, rather than licensing outside databases.

We need to focus on collecting materials that are unique by emphasizing Special Collections. We need to collect new types of information, such as data sets

and grey literature. See: Lewis, David W. “Reflections on the Future of Library Collections.”

Arizona University Library Consortium. University of Arizona Libraries, Tucson, Arizona. 27-28 January 2005.

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Trends in Collection UseUse of Purchased, Open Access, and Free Web materials, 2005-2030

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

Purchased Open Access Free Web

Source: Lewis, David W. “Reflections on the Future of Library Collections.” Arizona University Library Consortium. University of Arizona Libraries, Tucson, Arizona. 27-28 January 2005.

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6. Redesign Library Spaces In the past we dedicated our spaces to housing

physical collections that are becoming obsolete. These spaces are now being replaced with computer

workstations and group study areas.

Rather than mere replacement of books with computers, libraries need to look at redesigning spaces. Library spaces should be recreated as “people space,” for

computer work, learning, and collaboration. Examples: Information Commons, group presentation rooms,

multimedia stations.

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7. Develop New Performance Measures Performing new types of work means coming up

with new ways to measure effectiveness. If what we count determines what we do, we need to find

different things to measure.

ARL New Measures Initiative Seeks to respond to this need by establishing new data

gathering and statistical analysis tools to measure library success.

Examples: LibQual+ survey, E-Metrics Projects, Projects SAILS.

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8. Internalize “Planned Abandonment” Eliminate projects or programs before they go

into decline with the purpose of freeing up those resources—staff, financial, and otherwise—to pursue new, more innovative projects that will move the organization forward. “Every three years, every organization—not just business—

should sit down and look at every product and every service and every policy and say, ‘If we didn’t do this already, knowing what we now do, would we go and do it?’ And if the answer is no, don’t make another study” (Drucker & Senge, 34)

See: Drucker, Peter F., and Peter M. Senge. Leading in a Time of Change: What It Will Take to Lead Tomorrow: Viewer’s Workbook. New York: The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, 2001.

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9. Create New Sources of RevenueThe economic environment requires that libraries

seek other sources of funding. Document delivery

Rethink external development and fundraising as a central part of all librarians’ jobs

Those on service desks should cultivate good relationships to indirectly encourage donations.

Grantwriting should be a central task for all librarians.

Selectors using gift money should notify donors what was purchased with their gift and why it is important.

New potential funding sources Coffee shops, food services

Gift shops

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ConclusionThis is an exciting time of opportunity for libraries

but they will need to be willing to transform. The current economic climate requires libraries to evolve in order

to stay vibrant.

We cannot manage change. We just have to meet it and find ways to be more agile and creative with the resources we have.

Planned abandonment

Tagline for job descriptions: “Candidate must be able to work in an environment that is ambiguous...”

It is important that we learn to anticipate, welcome, and exploit change.