Collaborative Technical Services Work Redesign at Denison University

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Collaborative Technical Services Work Redesignat
Denison University Kenyon CollegeDebby
Andreadis, Christopher Barth, Scottie
Cochraneandreadisd_at_denison.edu,
barth_at_kenyon.edu, cochrane_at_denison.edu

• 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 contractor Vision
statement of the work we are redesigning due May
15, 2004 May 15-Aug. 31, 2004 Status report to
the Mellon Foundation July 1, 2004 Define all
work processes being redesigned by August 31,
2004 Sept. 1-Nov. 1, 2004Prepare the
conceptual plan by November 1, 2004 Nov.
2004-April 30, 2005Define the rest of the
project, including cost estimates April 30,
2005-Dec. 15, 2005 Implementation begins and
takes place in stages during Summer 2005 Conduct
final evaluation and assessment of the grant
project Prepare Final Report to Mellon by
December 15, 2005

• 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

• Hurdles
• Reaching consensus with consortial partners who
  are not part of the project
• Staff resistance to change, If it aint broke,
  why fix it?
• Staffing the central storage facility/tech.
  services unit with existing folks who dont 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

• 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.

• 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

• 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 youre redesigning with the purpose
  of saving money and eliminating positions.

• 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

• Acknowledgements
• We would like to thank
• - The Mellon Foundation as well as Kenyon College
  and Denison University for their generous support.