Heard of this scenario?

A library department seeks the assistance of an information technology department in automating the process of Interlibrary Loan. The library department is inexperienced with information technology beyond basic desktop support, and the information technology department does not have library-specific experiences.

This is a role-play of one possible outcome to this scenario.

Background

B.S. in Systems Analysis -- Miami University

• Cross between a Computer Science degree and a Management Information Systems degree
• Focus on the skills at the intersection of programmers and customers

Library Systems Manager -- Miami University

• Team methodology informally ingrained in the library
• Top-down instillation of Continuous Quality Improvement (TQM-like) techniques
• Some early adoptions
  • First to load records to the OhioLINK Union Catalog
  • Early portal technology using adapted UofMinn VT100 Gopher client
  • Migration to web technology in 1994 with UofKans Lynx browser

Library Systems Manager -- Case Western Reserve University

• Part of a group of 12 technologists
• Peer department to the libraries, campus computing, and an R/D department
• "Almost" flat organizational structure, but team-based at the heart
  • Web server team and sub-projects
  • Mellon-sponsored journal digitization project
  • Public workstation interface development

Computer Services Librarian -- UConn School of Law

• Small organization -- team effort required
• Participation on the UITS Authentication/Authorization Team here at Storrs

Why the drive for a team structure?

What are the benefits of a team-based organization?

Greater staff involvement leads to higher quality decisions

• Including staff working directly with the patrons adds experience and insight to the team
• Drives decisions in the interest of the customers (both internal and external)

What each of us does on a daily basis impacts others

• Changes made solely for the benefit of one department may have a detrimental impact on another
• Efficiencies can be gained by combining tasks across department boundaries

A diversity of perspectives leads to higher quality decisions

• Everyone in the organization has something to contribute; diverse workgroups produce the most useful subjective data
• Other professional backgrounds have an influence on library operations

Employees with a role in planning a change will to support it

• Empower employees with the shared responsibility of achieving goals
• Individuals enjoy greater personal job satisfaction when given real control over their environment

To promote an atmosphere where we learn from each other

• Encourage a culture where employee views are respected through teamwork

Teamwork and Technology in the Workplace

• In team decision-making we strive towards consensus, not majority rule
• In technology implementation we strive towards solving problems, not implementing technology

Promoting Teamwork

• Ensure the conditions for effective teams:
  1. supply training for the skills the team needs to make decisions
  2. articulate the boundaries of the team's decision-making capabilities
  3. provide a process by which the team receives it's decision-making authority
• Reward good work
• Provide strategies for coaching when performance falls below expectations
• Identify roadblocks and clear them out of the way
• Provide an inter- and intra-area "interaction space"

Promoting Technology

• Allow time and resources for exploration
• Lay out the challenges, and be resistant to the "it can't be done!" reaction
• Fertilize cross training and an appreciation for alternate ways to do the same thing

The intersection of Teamwork and Technology

• If you hear of something at a conference that you think might be useful here, bring it to us!
• If we think of some way to "automate you out of your job", we'll bring it to you!

Teamwork and Technology for our Patrons

As we promote work in teams within the libraries in support of the operation of the libraries, should not we also support the collaborative efforts of teams of students, faculty, and researchers?

Public workstations for more than one person

• More assignments requiring group participation, yet most workspaces can hold one person
• Group participation in the research database searching task promotes better team interaction
• Team members can show each other how to use library systems and services

Group study rooms with access to research facilities

• Physically located in proximity to the reference collection and reference area
• Equipped with workstations to allow access to the research databases
• A great expense is not required; use standard office cubical furniture

Provide services that promote group work

Supply spaces for groups to conduct, create, and store collaborative work. This comes in two flavors

Electronic "space"

WebCT 'course' areas for groups that allow for shared calendars, discussion boards, and documents.

Physical "space"

Apply the concept of "hoteling" from the corporate world and provide areas for stored physical work.

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http://www.pandc.org/peter/simmons/403/proposal.pdf