Debby Andreadis, Chris Barth, Scottie Cochraneandreadisd@denison.edu, barth@kenyon.edu, cochrane@denison.edu

Collaborative Technical Services Work Redesign at Denison

University & Kenyon College

Our Context– Denison and Kenyon are members of the Five Colleges of

Ohio consortium (along with: Oberlin, Ohio Wesleyan, & College of Wooster)

– Denison, Kenyon, OWU, and Wooster share an online catalog

– All five college libraries share a joint storage facility

– All are members of OhioLINK

• statewide union catalog of 88 libraries (public, private, research to community colleges)

• direct patron-initiated borrowing from any institution• consortial purchase of 100+ databases

Timeline – July 1, 2003 to December 15, 2005

July 1-Dec. 31, 2003:Pre-planning task force and grant proposal preparation

January 1-May 15, 2004:Retreat with Project Consultant to launch the project Technical Services Consultant - analysis of current

operations Authority clean-up by outside contractorVision statement of the work we are redesigning due

May 15, 2004

May 15-Aug. 31, 2004:Status report to the Mellon Foundation July 1, 2004Define all work processes being redesigned by August

31, 2004

Timeline – July 1, 2003 to December 15, 2005 – cont.

Sept. 1-Nov. 1, 2004:Prepare the conceptual plan by November 1, 2004

Nov. 2004-April 30, 2005:Define the rest of the project, including cost estimates

April 30, 2005-Dec. 15, 2005:Implementation begins and takes place in stages

during Summer 2005Conduct final evaluation and assessment of the grant

projectPrepare Final Report to Mellon by December 15, 2005

The Task Force & Its Charge

• Task Force:Denison (2 librarians,2 support staff) Kenyon (2 librarians, 3 support staff)Consortium system manager

• Charge: Create a robust system for combined library technical services. The focus is on constantly evolving patron information needs, research patterns, and desires. The system will be flexible, transferable, malleable, and adaptable.

Vision• BE COURAGEOUS!

• Act as a collaborative unit to best serve users at multiple locations

• Provide intellectual representation of collection as a whole

• Foster a culture of staff empowerment that effectively utilizes and rewards individual strengths

• Enable research and development capacity for entire organization

• Appreciate that as we combine our processes, there may be activities best implemented separately

Work Process Model

Planning Assumptions and Principles

• a combined collection that is greater than the individual collections

• 24 hour turnaround time in material movement between the two schools

• staff from Denison and Kenyon will become one unit, thereby creating time to devote to managing other formats

• The mainstream of materials’ acquisition will be created and automated to streamline work

• focuses on the typical processes within the whole system

Recommendations of the Plan• Combined technical service team that will be on the leading edge of technology

and user service

• Combined work processes that enhance efficiency and allow for flexibility to address user needs

• Location independent and expandable work process

• Joint approval plan including cooperative selection, budgeting, and accounting

• Expedited delivery between our campuses

• Paper flows replaced with electronic flows

• Increase the use of vendor provided services

• Concentrate our human capital in areas that we cannot automate

Hurdles

• Reaching consensus with consortial partners who are not part of the project

• Staff resistance to change, “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?”

• Staffing the central storage facility/tech. services unit with existing folks who don’t want to work in a new location

• Getting staff to let go of the “perfect,” on behalf of the “good”

• Staff learning/training to manage digital information and products in all formats, especially those locally produced

Advice for Similar Projects• Leadership from the Library Director/Dean is essential, along

with buy-in from her/his superiors on campus.

• Invest the time to prepare a thorough, well-reasoned proposal BEFORE you start planning.

• Consider hiring an experienced consultant to assist the project team, because expertise in managing change is crucial

• Work with a consortial partner IF you share at least one of the following: online catalog, delivery service, or storage facility (preferably all three!)

• BE HONEST about your motives for the project, especially if you’re redesigning with the purpose of saving money and eliminating positions.

Acknowledgements

• We would like to thank:

- The Mellon Foundation as well as Kenyon College and Denison University for their generous support.