Designing a Library for the Future:
A Case Study on Reorganization
Laurie L. Thompson
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
2
Outline• Problems facing the library prior to
reorganization
• How did we address these problems?
• Data collection and evaluation
• Unexpected findings
• Outcomes
• Lessons Learned
• Assessment
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
3
Problems We Were Facing
• Too oriented toward print
• Too many dysfunctional teams
• Too fragmented
• Too little money
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
4
Preconceptions
• Reduce number of teams
• Shift some personnel within existing unit structure
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
5
How Did We Address These Issues?
• Organizational Efficacy Task Force
• Detailed timeline/methodology
• Keep private information private
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
6
Data Collection and Evaluation
• Unit charges
• Team responsibilities
• Individual job inventories
• Unit managers’ analyses
• AAHSL statistics
• Environmental scan
• Literature review
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
7
Findings
• Tasks needing additional personnel
• Obvious/immediate changes
• Debatable changes requiring additional information
• Talking points for individual managers and staff
• New or modified charges for units
• Global issues
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
8
Outcomes
• Fewer teams• Consolidation of digital collection
activities• New units• Regions and regional meetings• Council to monitor and recommend
further changes
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DirectorAssociate Director
InformationDesk
Campus OutreachReference &
Education
InterlibraryLoan
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Digital Infrastructure
R & D
Acquisitions& Licensing
Digital Access
Print ResourceMgt &
Optimization
Library Administration
Information Systems
DirectorAssoc Director
1 exempt 1 non-exempt
Regional Facilitators
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Library
Contact Region Collections Region Support Region
Organizational Efficacy Council
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Teams & Task Forces
Info Resources Development
Corporate Communications
Technical Liaisons
Task Forces
8/21/03
10
DirectorAssociate Director
InformationDesk
Campus OutreachReference &
Education
InterlibraryLoan
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Digital Infrastructure
R & D
Acquisitions& Licensing
Digital Access
Print ResourceMgt &
Optimization
Library Administration
Information Systems
DirectorAssoc Director
1 exempt 1 non-exempt
Regional Facilitators
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Library
Contact Region Collections Region Support Region
Organizational Efficacy Council
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Teams & Task Forces
Info Resources Development
Corporate Communications
Technical Liaisons
Task Forces
8/21/03
11
DirectorAssociate Director
InformationDesk
Campus OutreachReference &
Education
InterlibraryLoan
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Digital Infrastructure
R & D
Acquisitions& Licensing
Digital Access
Print ResourceMgt &
Optimization
Library Administration
Information Systems
DirectorAssoc Director
1 exempt 1 non-exempt
Regional Facilitators
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Library
Contact Region Collections Region Support Region
Organizational Efficacy Council
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Teams & Task Forces
Info Resources Development
Corporate Communications
Technical Liaisons
Task Forces
8/21/03
12
DirectorAssociate Director
InformationDesk
Campus OutreachReference &
Education
InterlibraryLoan
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Digital Infrastructure
R & D
Acquisitions& Licensing
Digital Access
Print ResourceMgt &
Optimization
Library Administration
Information Systems
DirectorAssoc Director
1 exempt 1 non-exempt
Regional Facilitators
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Library
Contact Region Collections Region Support Region
Organizational Efficacy Council
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Teams & Task Forces
Info Resources Development
Corporate Communications
Technical Liaisons
Task Forces
8/21/03
13
DirectorAssociate Director
InformationDesk
Campus OutreachReference &
Education
InterlibraryLoan
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Digital Infrastructure
R & D
Acquisitions& Licensing
Digital Access
Print ResourceMgt &
Optimization
Library Administration
Information Systems
DirectorAssoc Director
1 exempt 1 non-exempt
Regional Facilitators
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Library
Contact Region Collections Region
Support Region
Organizational Efficacy Council
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Teams & Task Forces
Info Resources Development
Corporate Communications
Technical Liaisons
Task Forces
8/21/03
14
DirectorAssociate Director
InformationDesk
Campus OutreachReference &
Education
InterlibraryLoan
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Digital Infrastructure
R & D
Acquisitions& Licensing
Digital Access
Print ResourceMgt &
Optimization
Library Administration
Information Systems
DirectorAssoc Director
1 faculty1 staff
Regional Facilitators
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Library
Contact Region Collections Region Support Region
Organizational Efficacy Council
Special ProjectsLibrarian
Teams & Task Forces
Info Resources Development
Corporate Communications
Technical Liaisons
Task Forces
8/21/03
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
15
Guiding Principles
• Create a clear goal for the project at the outset– Have the right people in the right number of jobs
(allocated to the right tasks) to best support our current environment and the Library’s stated vision for the future.
• Develop a unifying vision statement and use it to lead the change
• Priority ONE
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
16
Guiding Principles
• Assemble a guiding coalition to manage the project
• Choose members based on needed skills– varied experience– analytical skills– consensus-building abilities– capacity to approach problems with a global
perspective
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
17
Guiding Principles
• Communicate, communicate, and communicate again– Share detailed methodology– Invite input and suggestions from all staff– Involve Human Resources department– Avoid public surprises
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
18
Guiding Principles
• Incorporate transition planning• Outcomes assessment• Not all problems can be solved with
reorganization– Additional efforts to address other issues
revealed
• Expect the unexpected and be flexible
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
19
Year 1 Assessment
• Staff survey– What’s going well? What’s working?– What is not going well? What’s not working? – What would you like to be different and how would
you change it?– Does your unit have the right number of people
doing the right tasks to accomplish the charge of the unit (rate from 1 [poor] to 4 [excellent])?
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
20
Findings
• Widespread satisfaction
• Some misalignments still existed
• Cataloging operations
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
21
Year 1 Adjustments
• Departments remained the same
• Shifted cataloging operations
• Realigned staff in 3 departments– ILL– Information Desk– Information Systems
ICML9September 20-23, 2005
Laurie L. ThompsonUT Southwestern Medical Center Library
Dallas, Texas, USA
22
Where are We Today?
• Year 2
• OEC successful
• Assessment valuable
• Continued satisfaction with new organization
Designing a Library for the Future
Laurie Thompson, [email protected]://www4.utsouthwestern.edu/library/
Higa ML, Bunnett B, Maina B, Perkins J, Ramos T, Thompson L, et al. Redesigning a library’s organizational structure. Coll Res Lib. 2005;66(1):41-58.