Hi All,
At Portland State University Library, technical services staff, who here
are called, Resource Services and Technology, were recently re-integrated
into the main library after being in a separate location on campus for
close to 20 years. The re-integration was done for a number of reasons.
1. Space planning on campus intended to take over space within the main
library because it was felt having a functional unit in the building was
more important than the stacks/books currently occupying the section of
library deemed desirable. Our Dean was able to block this move, by arguing
a very rational argument that it made no sense to move in another
functional unit when all the library staff were still separated in two
buildings. The trade-off being the functional unit looking for space got
the old resource services space in the student center building. It now
makes the argument to move additional units into the library difficult to
propose since the building is now at full staff capacity and we are a very
high traffic building during the school terms and those under capacity for
the student needs.
2. Communication issues were constantly a problem despite email and readily
available phone service. Out of sight, was truly out of mind for many in
the main library and there were ample issues of people trying to do
work/solve issues with resource management and technology that should have
been directed to resource services but were not because of the lack of
communication and full understanding of job functions due to the unit being
located in another place. On the other end,resource services members tended
to talk mainly among themselves in regards to library wide issues &
concerns. The "us" & "them" dichotomy was only re-emphasized by the
split.Lastly, resource services people did not really see the day to day
impact their work was having on the population they served whereas now,
that is more readily apparent just by walking into the same building.
3. Part of the need to separate out resource services was the heavy traffic
of print materials and the location in the student center made large
deliveries and the storage of print materials much easier. With the shift
over the past decade to mostly electronic resource access over print
acquisitions, there really wasn't the need for maintaining such a space for
print processing other than the acceptance of large gifts of print
materials which was also being reduced.
Lastly, in regards to how we recognize resource services as a public
service, it is now better recognized who to contact in regards to
access/troubleshooting and the incidents of these questions issues going
awry has decreased sharply. As stated by others, often times resource
services staff are the first to respond directly to patrons with issues
through email. Some of the resource services staff participate in serving
on the reference desk and have direct patron access that way and some of us
are in frequent contact with faculty members to help with purchase and
access to materials needed for research and teaching. One resource services
librarian serves as a subject liaison to a studies program on campus.
Resource services work extremely close with public access services
(circulation) to answer licensing questions for ILL both incoming and
out-going as well as providing guidance on when material should be bought
instead of loaned.
I fully agree with Kelly Smith that the organizational management of many
academic libraries is a hold over from the 20th century and barely
applicable in the 21st century library. The general rule is to create new
silos within the organization instead of fully understanding &
incorporating new services like digital libraries into the mainstream of
the organization overall. There is is starting to be some changes in regard
to this tendency but they are slow moving and too incremental at most
libraries.
Jill Emery
Portland State University
220H LIBW
P O Box 1151
Portland, OR 97207
E:jemery_at_pdx.edu
T:503-725-4506
F: 503-725-5799
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Received on Wed Aug 28 2013 - 13:05:19 EDT