Achieving Cultural Change in Networked Libraries

The advent of globally networked information is a historic change. Educational, commercial and industrial institutions depend on its effective exploitation for their success, but cultural and human factors are the biggest obstacles. This book looks at the roots of these problems and how they may be overcome, through understanding recent developments in technical services, the difference between service and technical orientation, organizational culture, the role of subject expertise and the cultural heritage of the information profession. The book provides guidance and outlines best practice in: managing converging technologies; supporting change with organizational models; using cultural audits; the role of focus groups in implementing change; characterizing a learning organization; succeeding as a change agent, and managing change through technical services. Several chapters discuss the Electronic Libraries programme and the TAPin (Training and Awareness Programme in networks) model as examples of how cultural change takes place, particularly in the academic environment; one chapter concentrates exclusively on the characteristics of special libraries. This illuminating insight into the evolution of information cultures and how they do or don’t adapt to networked services will help information and library managers to achieve change with deeper understanding, and will provide useful advice for senior managers restructuring IT and information departments. The book is core reading for students of Information Studies.

Bruce J Reid is Senior Lecturer in the School of Information Studies at the University of Central England in Birmingham, UK and Course Director of the Research Entry Masters in Information and Library Management. For three years he was Academic Advisor to TAPin, one of the Electronic Libraries projects on training and awareness in networks. His prior, practitioner, career was in university libraries in Britain and Australia. He is past Chair of the West Midlands Online User Group, former member of the SCONUL (Standing Committee of National and University Libraries) Advisory Committee on Information Services and has taught numerous short courses on online information retrieval. He has published widely, mainly on service aspects of academic information. William Foster is Head of Teaching, Learning and Quality in the School of Information Studies at the University of Central England in Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK. Academic Advisor to TAPin. He has previous experience of implementing library management systems and OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue) design, and currently teaches in the areas of information retrieval, technical services and Web design.