Some Friends of the Library members have mentioned to me that they
have heard the Library is in the process of reorganizing and have
asked me for more information. I am happy to update the Friends on
progress we have made toward creating a 21st century organization
to guide the Libraryís mission of providing world class research materials
to Brown students and faculty.
Many metaphors can be applied to the Brown University Library and
how crucial it is to academic discovery. One often used is of the
Library as a laboratory for learning, where scholars find, digest
and build upon the research materials found here to take new leaps
in thinking. Research materials are critical to academic excellence,
but so are the research specialists ‚ librarians who do such a fine
job of connecting scholars with the right materials for their research.
The Library is both a springboard for undergraduate learning and a
secure repository for the end product of advanced research ‚ to apply
another metaphor, one could say that the Library serves as the tangible
symbol of knowledgeís "life cycle."
Because what the Library does is so critical, our organization must
empower Library staff to do their very best to serve Brownís students
and faculty. In evaluating our effectiveness, we have discovered that
we need to change the way we work. Todayís Library is organized around
physical things ‚ tracking a book from ordering to cataloging to shelving,
and providing assistance inside the Library buildings. However, our
current structure does not account for the new and ever-changing media
that comprise the Libraryís increasing electronic collections ‚ and
that transform the way our users make use of the Library. For example,
a student no longer has to come to one of the Library buildings to
read certain journals ‚ as many are now available electronically and
accessible from a home computer.
As our collections and users change, our staff needs to have more
interaction with students and faculty to help them navigate the ever
more complex Library environment ‚ both traditional and digital. We
need to have more one-on-one consultation with faculty and graduate
students, both to stay on top of swiftly evolving user needs and to
assist in the development of digital tools and content for the classroom.
Our aim is to transform our operations to facilitate this more sophisticated
level of service. To achieve this, the Library has been engaged in
an intensive research and evaluation process to reorganize the way
we work.
In the new organizational structure that the Library will implement
this year, staff will work collaboratively in 11 different "service
groups" designed to deliver particular outcomes for the user. The
mission of each group is to create a direct benefit that users will
enjoy; these include:
- Expanded stewardship of research materials for specific disciplines.
- Strengthened relationships with faculty to best select curricular
resources.
- Improved user education to allow more self-sufficiency, both
on-site and electronically.
- Enhanced preservation and storage of research materials.
- More options for borrowing from other libraries.
- New materials added to the collections and updated descriptions
of new resources.
- Improved support of multimedia curricular resources, including
support for the use of multimedia technology in teaching and learning.
- Advanced resources for digital scholarship and research.
- Strengthened management of library buildings and information
technology. Better communication about ‚ and evaluation of ‚ Library
services.
With these changes, our Library has the potential to do even more
than it does today to advance academic excellence and global scholarship.
Library staff will engage in more direct partnerships with faculty
and students and will help apply new information and multimedia technologies
to teaching, learning, and scholarship. We are pleased with the progress
we have made to change the way we serve the needs of Library users
and appreciate the thoughtful comments that faculty and students have
shared. Our new plan will be phased in during the next several months
as staff transition to new roles and complete training.
If you have questions about the reorganization, please contact Raynna
Bowlby, Organizational & Staff Development Officer, via e-mail at
Raynna_Bowlby@Brown.edu
or via phone at (401) 863-3181.
http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/University_Library
