ACRL Communication and Cooperation Questions
Communication is essential to ensure the smooth operation of the library. Communication should flow from all levels of the library: from the director/dean to the staff and from the staff to the director/dean. The library should have a regular mechanism to communicate with the campus.
Library staff should work collaboratively and cooperatively with other departments on campus. A special relationship should be encouraged between the library and information technology staff in providing access to electronic information resources. In some cases, a vice-president, dean, or director may administer library, media, and information technology operations and services. The library is usually responsible for selecting and providing information content. Information technology usually provides the technical infrastructure and support to deliver information. There is no single organizational model that will work for all institutions. Regardless of whether the services are independent or are integrated in some way, it is important that the services work collaboratively and keep each other fully informed.
1. Is there effective communication within the library that allows for a free flow of administrative and managerial information?
Yes. There is the organizational hierarchy and other mechanisms in place that provide and encourage flow of administrative and managerial information. The organizational hierarchy tops with the Director, Coordinators, Managers, and all other staff. Communication using the hierarchy is done via personal communication through meetings of the Planning Team and two staff meetings which are often held in August and January. Another mechanism to communicate is a system of Library Teams that are comprised of all library staff regardless of hierarchy. Supervisors have a role in leading Team Chairs, but ultimately, the pace/leadership of the Teams is directed by the Library Dean.
Supporting Documentation:
1. Library Organizational Chart
2. Are staff members encouraged to suggest new ideas or procedures to improve operations or working conditions within the library? Is there a process to facilitate this?
Yes and Yes. Staff members can make suggestions of new ideas to Supervisors or to Library Teams. For suggestions to supervisors, the process that facilitates the suggestion of new ideas or procedures is that when the supervisor provides direction or passes the suggestion to the Leadership Team. At that point, the decision is made to handle the new idea or procedure as a departmental function or Team function. If departmental, the supervisor gets back to the staff person with a solution or suggestion that they both work toward. The department may handle the suggestion or new idea during that fiscal year or the suggestion may get postponed and become an objective for the next fiscal year.
For suggestions to Teams, there are 19 Teams. Two of the Teams have Sub-committees, and ad hoc committees are named as needed. Teams are created by the library’s Leadership Team. Staff may choose Teams on which they are interested in participating with the Library Dean finalizing all appointments. One Team, the Planning Team, allows for one staff member to be an elected member by all non-librarian staff. Team appointments last the entire fiscal year although some staff members remain on teams indefinitely due to their job description. Teams may handle suggestions or new ideas during that fiscal year or the suggestion may get postponed and become an objective in the forthcoming fiscal year.
3. Does the library have a regular means to exchange information with the campus?
Yes. Patrons may reach other departments and personnel in the library through contact information provided on the library’s website. The website provides forms and other information to patrons. The Library homepage has an “Ask a Librarian” link where patrons can provide questions, concerns, suggestions, and feedback. News-related mechanisms to exchange information with the campus are the Library webpage, campus-wide email, The Libretto newsletter, the What’s New library resources webpage, New Student Orientations, National Library Week activities, Faculty Orientation Workshops, Faculty Senate Meetings, the Hornet Tribune newspaper, Faculty meetings, and Dean meetings. Through the Deans’ meetings, the Library Dean has direct access to high-level administrators on a formal basis through her work on university-wide committees. Through this interaction, the Library Dean is able to express any concerns or issues that relate to the library and its service abilities. She is also able to act as a conduit to the library, taking suggestions and noting concerns from other administrators and faculty.
4. Has the library established cooperative working relationships with other departments on campus?
Yes. Cooperative working relationships with academic departments are established via librarians who meet in groups and/or one-on-one with faculty, interact with faculty to shape the collection to help meet the goals of the curriculum, and teach library capabilities and information skills to matriculating students and faculty. Cooperative working relationships with other departments is evident in the types of positive responses to issues involving the Duplicating Department, Physical Plant, Fiscal Affairs, Inventory Receiving, Campus Security, Student Affairs, Title III, and Student Financial Aid.
5. If the library and information technology are administered separately, does the organizational structure provide opportunities for productive communication and collaboration?
The University Library and information technology are fully integrated in order to maximize communication and collaboration through the Library Automation Systems Office (LASO). The Library generally selects and provides information content, in part, based on input from its faculty, staff, students and other users in conjunction with curriculum development, course requirements, self-study needs and other variables that may be expressed through surveys or other data collection processes. The Information Technology department (LASO) is a division of the Library and it generally provides the technical support system which makes it possible to deliver the information to the Library’s patrons.
6. If one administrator has responsibility for both the library and information technology, how well have the two functions been integrated?
The Library Dean is responsible for the administrative duties of the library. The Library Dean has assigned information technology to the Computer Systems Network Coordinator (CSNC) position. The (CSNC) is manager of the Library Automation Systems Office (LASO) which comprises two other positions – a full-time Network Support Manager and a part-time position for a Microcomputer Applications Programmer. The LASO area is responsible for managing the library’s computer lab located on the second floor of the library. The organizational structure for LASO has facilitated a very positive operating mechanism for carrying out the technology goals and objectives of the University Library.
7. Is the library able to obtain technical support for information technology in the form of in-house expertise to provide electronic resources to on-site and remote users?
The library is able to obtain technical support for information technology in the form of in house expertise as demonstrated by the Library Automation Systems Office (LASO). LASO with its staff of two full-time and one part-time employees meets the needs of on-site and remote users by being accessible to trouble-shoot new and recurring computer problems experienced by users on site and remotely. By retaining a computer systems network coordinator who can anticipate users needs, many problem-causing sources can be addressed and corrected before wide-spread interruption to user services can occur. With a network support manager to carry out upgrades and general maintenance to the system on a daily basis, interruption of service is experienced less frequently and for a much shorter period of time. Incorporating the help of a microcomputer system technician and a microcomputer applications programmer many user needs are met and surpassed. The Management Information System (MIS) Office manages the campus-wide information systems and conducts routine system upgrades which cause short-term interruption to services for users. However, this occurrence of interruption is experienced by the campus as a whole, and not solely by user to the library’s computer systems.
8. Is the capacity of the campus network sufficient to provide reasonable response times for local and remote information resources?
Yes. The campus provides a 1gb backbone network connected via CISCO routers. Campus internet access supported via the Alabama Super Computer and 50gb network via Sprint. Approximately 25 servers are available to support various software and web applications for local and remote users.