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Reorganizing the College Library

Reorganizing the College Library. Colby’s Foray into the Future. Dr. Clem Guthro, Director of the Colby Libraries Maine Academic Libraries Day, June 14, 2013. The Way We Were. An organizational model that evolved over time Traditional organization Public Services

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Reorganizing the College Library

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  1. Reorganizingthe College Library Colby’s Foray into the Future Dr. Clem Guthro, Director of the Colby Libraries Maine Academic Libraries Day, June 14, 2013

  2. The Way We Were • An organizational model that evolved over time • Traditional organization • Public Services • Technical Services • Branch Libraries • People played multiple roles • Management Team (2 Assistant Directors and 2 branch librarians)

  3. Our Organization up to June 30, 2012

  4. Reasons for Change • Libraries had changed – we had not • Some elements of our work were being ignored or fell through the cracks • Staff were feeling “fractured” in their work assignments • Formal strategic planning process 2010-2011 • Some goals could not be accomplished • Promised to focus on people/staff organization

  5. The Change Process • Hired Maureen Sullivan- Organizational development consultant • Maureen helped us design a process • Reorg group chosen (3 librarians-3 support staff) • Toni Katz, Assistant Director for Technical Services • Suzi Cole, Science Librarian • Darylyne Provost, Reference and Instruction Librarian • Bob Heath – Reserves Coordinator • Maggie Libby – Visual Resources Curator • Eileen Richards – Circulation Supervisor

  6. Marching Orders • Focus on the new work of libraries • Focus on faculty and students as primary customers • Input from all staff • Input from faculty • Input from other libraries who were reorganizing • Rethink management of the branch libraries • Consider giving computer support back to IT • Three month time frame

  7. The Work • Reorg Group had many meetings- about 200 hundred hours over three months • Provided a variety of opportunities for staff input • Several check-ins with the Director for input • Several meetings with Maureen

  8. The New Model – January 2012 Graphic Representation New Work Groups Group A – Physical Presence Group B – Engagement Group C – Virtual Presence Group E – Processing Group E – Digital and Special Collections

  9. Presenting the New Model • Presented to the Director • Vetted with the VP of Academic Affairs • Vetted with Human Resources • Presented to all staff – December 2011 • Feedback – two weeks • Signoff – December 19, 2011

  10. Moving People • 26 people plus the Director • Everyone given three weeks to choose where they saw themselves in the model • Director provided an opportunity for people to change assignments • Seven people made major moves • Job descriptions need to be written for every job • Compensation needed to be addressed

  11. Walking to the Edge of the New • Group leaders were chosen by the Director • New groups met to define their work • Groups decided on official group names • Every job description was re-written • Struggle/conflict between existing and emerging • Soft rollout- June 1, 2012 • Official new model – July 1, 2012

  12. New Model Redux

  13. Leadership • New Leadership Team (6 Assistant Directors) • Choosing job titles • Weekly meetings with • Regular minutes that are shared with all staff • More strategic focus

  14. Year One • Everyone worked to find their role and voice • Two new staff were hired • Librarians on sabbatical • One librarian on sabbatical during planning process • One librarian on sabbatical during first 6months of the new organization • Everyone was in learning mode

  15. Challenges • Some tasks were lost in the reorg • Some roles were fuzzy/or conflicted • Some workloads were increased • We needed to let go of old habits/patterns • New people were hired. • External review - 6 months into the reorg • Construction of storage building and library renovation moved up by 2 years

  16. Lessons Learned • Get Human Resources involved early • Staff want more communication • Communication patterns need to change - be patient • A reorganization is a culture change • It takes at least a year to understand how things are supposed to work • Organizations need to grow/evolve

  17. Good Things • Transition from old to new went smoothly • People seemed to be open to the possibilities • Significant increase in outreach to faculty • Increase in interaction with students • Increase in digitization and Digital Commons • External review validated the reorganization

  18. Looking forward • Assessment of parts of the reorganization after end of first year • Re-examine the Strategic Plan for priorities • Staffing • Renovation will change the way we work • New partnerships with Writer’s Center, Academic ITS, and Center for Teaching and Learning in renovated library

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