Contents

Save the Date - ACRL/NEC Spring Conference.
ACRL/NEC Listserv.
ACRL/NEC News Goes on the Web.
Fall Conference Report: Libraries and Reorganization.
New Chapter Interest Group: Information Technology.
BLIG Fall Program on Business Web Page Design.
Program Announcement: "Management Styles - Do Men and Women Differ?".
Cont. Education Committee Seeks Speakers on Electronic Reserves.
Women's Studies IG Visits American Textile Museum Library
Changing Your Addresses?.
Board Minutes Summary (August 24, 1998) and Highlights (November 6, 1998).

ACRL/NEC Listserv

The chapter will be launching a listserv for the membership to announce events of interest. The Publicity Committee, Sarah Wenzel and Marilyn Steinberg, are soliciting email addresses from those interested in joining. If you filled out a form at the Fall Conference at Holy Cross College, there is NO need to send another. However, if you are interested in joining, keeping in mind that the listserv is NOT operating yet, send email to either Sarah or Marilyn (addresses below).

A more immediate need is a host site. If your institution could offer this service to the chapter, please contact either Sarah (swenzel@bu.edu) or Marilyn (msteinbe@lynx.neu.edu). We are looking for an academic institution and the ability for remote access for the moderator.

ACRL/NEC News Goes on the Web

A Message From the Editor

(Note: This text from the print edition of ACRL/NEC News, No.86, Winter 1999, is included here to provide readers of the Web edition with the context of the board's discussions about how to disseminate ACRL/NEC News.)

For some time the board of ACRL/NEC has been interested in making the chapter’s newsletter, ACRL/NEC News, available as an electronic publication. We have finally been able to achieve that goal. I am writing to let you know that this issue of the ACRL/NEC News is now online at the chapter’s Web site, as is a previous issue, number 85, Fall,1998. It is gratifying to see the ACRL/NEC News join Chapter Notes, the Calendar of Events, and other resources at the Web site. Henceforth, Web editions of the News will appear regularly. When the chapter’s listserv is activated, email messages will notify members that a new issue is available at the Web site.

The online edition of the News is still a work in progress. Expect changes as we continue to explore new possibilities for the format, appearance, and content of the Web edition. Even at this stage, though, some of the advantages of electronic publication are evident. Foremost is the possibility for increased timeliness in making information available. I am also excited by the opportunities to enhance content through hypertext links to program materials, contact persons, and other resources. Finally, it appears that a Web edition of the News will prove much less costly to produce.

Many of you are probably anticipating my next point. Given the advantages of electronic publication, should the chapter discontinue publication of the print edition of the News? In seeking the development of an electronic version of the newsletter, the board has been motivated by two intractable problems—timeliness and expense. Bulk mailing can be maddeningly slow. And not surprisingly, the costs of postage, paper, and printing represent a significant portion of the chapter’s annual budget. Yet the News does not generate any revenue (we are precluded from advertising, for example, by postal regulations for nonprofit organizations).

Along with enthusiasm for the advantages of electronic publication, there is also concern. In particular, the board is especially concerned about members’ capability to have electronic access. Although access to both email and the Web is presumably widespread, we don’t know that all members do in fact have such access. Discontinuation of the print edition would mean that members lacking Web access would be left without the newsletter. The ACRL/NEC News is a benefit of membership, and it is the one benefit the chapter produces for all the members. Therefore, if you are concerned about your ability to receive email or have access to ACRL/NEC News on the Web, I would like to hear from you. Please email me at mbartley@wellesley.edu or write to me at my campus address, Wellesley College Library, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481-8275. Your concerns and comments will be important to the board as it explores avenues for disseminating the newsletter.

--Maggie Bartley
Editor, ACRL/NEC News

ACRL/NEC 1998 Fall Conference Report

Inside, Outside/Upside, Downside: How And Why Our Libraries Are Reorganizing

"Inside, Outside/Upside, Downside: How and Why Our Libraries Are Reorganizing" was the theme of the ACRL/New England Chapter's 1998 Fall Conference at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Maureen Sullivan, current national ACRL president, gave the keynote address providing the broad context of why and how libraries redesign themselves. A panel discussion followed, featuring Connie Vinita Dowell, Vice President for Information Services and Librarian of the College at Connecticut College, and Shelley Phipps, Assistant Dean for Staff and Organizational Development at the University of Arizona. Each panelist provided an overview of how her institution approached reorganization, illustrating various ways this process can be accomplished. Following lunch, four concurrent breakout sessions were offered: 1) "Making Change Meaningful: The Role of Personal and Organizational Values," presented by Laura Farwell Blake, Research Librarian at Widener Library, Harvard University, and Mary Beth Clack, Staff Development Officer for Harvard College Library; 2) "Restructuring Through Process Improvements: Technical Services Process Improvement at the University of Arizona Library," presented by Shelley Phipps and Robert Renaud, Associate Dean for Information Services at Connecticut College; 3) "Bridge Builders and Transition Managers: New Roles in the Merged Information Services/Library Organization," presented by Micheline Jedrey, Vice President for Information Services and College Librarian at Wellesley College, and Eleanor Lonske, Assistant Vice President for Information Services at Wellesley College; and 4) "Checking Out Change: Coping Techniques for Thriving in a Changing World," presented by Diana Haladay, Performance Consultant for Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Keynote Address

Maureen Sullivan outlined the reasons why many libraries choose to redesign themselves. A redesign allows us to take advantage of what new technology offers, it helps eliminate unnecessary work, it creates a more flexible organization, and it assures that staff effort and time are devoted to the work that makes a difference for our users. Maureen emphasized the importance of designing any reorganization from the user's perspective; eliminating work that does not contribute directly to what the customer needs will enable a library to provide additional new services without an increase in resources. She advocated a process approach to work redesign. The process approach keeps the focus on the work and how it is performed rather than on the individuals/positions performing the work.

In any redesign, a number of key questions must first be addressed. The institution must know its purpose and mission. It must define who its customers are and what its customers value. Finally, the critical work activities and the ideal work design must be determined. Maureen concluded with some "lessons from experience." Staff involvement is critical, since they are the real experts in the work. Each organization must design its own approach. Ongoing commitment from leadership is essential throughout. Most importantly, she asserted, "Redesign can be done and must be done. The only real question is when."

When asked during the question and answer period about how to address individuals who resist change, Maureen stressed the need to keep people informed about the process. It is equally important to communicate that which we don't know. Engage staff in conversations early on and allow people to vent. Venting allows them to come to terms with the change. Another important antidote to resistance, she suggested, is to create voluntary opportunities for involvement and to identify and attend to learning needs, since much resistance comes from fear of the unknown and unfamiliar.

Panel on Library Reorganization

The panel discussion began with a presentation by Shelley Phipps, who spoke about the restructuring principles and practices at the University of Arizona Library. The Library undertook a massive reorganization in the early 1990s in response to a number of factors, including serials price inflation, yearly budget reductions, increasing enrollment, and no likelihood of receiving new resources. A steering committee was formed to design the process. Staff involvement was critical in determining the model adopted. Teams--whose leaders were recruited internally and externally--implemented the final model, a "team-based customer service organization."

Positive results of this dramatic reorganization, Shelley noted, include a new positioning of librarians as campus leaders, budget and policy support, faculty support and customer satisfaction, increased customer access, higher productivity, higher salaries, and an emphasis on priority work. There were also downsides, including the stress of transformational change, the challenge of developing interdependent teams, the risk of burning out the "champions," steep learning curves, and the realization that reorganization is an ongoing process.

The morning's second panelist, Connie Vinita Dowell, is leading Connecticut College in its fifth year as a team structure. After a brief description of their own team-facilitated process for redesign, Connie shared her observations and insights into the process as a whole. Why reorganize? It allows organizations to cope with change, realize responsibilities, adapt to changed workflow, and/or respond to new leadership. She noted that reorganizations are re-orientations; they enable staff to increase communication, create a common purpose, and encourage new approaches. Reorganization requires stronger technical skills and the flexibility to accommodate more frequent updating of skills. Leaders must be supportive, influential, creative, and flexible. It is a challenge to manage change, develop new skills, obtain funding, and update traditions, but the rewards are a broader understanding of the organization, better communication, and a clearer focus. This is an era in which we are forging a new, more inclusive profession, and we must consider not only where we are heading, but also where we have been.

During the question and answer period, the panelists addressed three issues: how to evaluate the success of a reorganization; the trade-off between developing current staff versus hiring new staff that already have the skills needed; and the tension between maintaining ongoing front line work while implementing dramatic change. When asked if a consultant is needed to guide the reorganization, both panelists agreed that institutions can undertake reorganization with or without outside help. Shelley Phipps, whose institution used a consultant, noted that consultants can provide a process, but ultimately it is the staff who must make the decisions and take responsibility for their own learning.

Concurrent Break Out Sessions

Making Change Meaningful: The Role of Personal and Organizational Values.

Laura Farwell Blake and Mary Beth Clack led this highly interactive session on the importance of values. Participants spent some time identifying and clarifying their own personal and organizational values. A diagnostic tool was used to assess how one responds to change, and three types of individuals were identified: Conservers, Pragmatists, and Originators. Participants discussed these tools and other scenarios to define their personal core values and to understand the significance of clarifying values in managing change.

Restructuring Through Process Improvements: Technical Services Process Improvement at the University of Arizona Library.

Shelley Phipps and Robert Renaud discussed the Process Improvement Plan used to redesign the Technical Services Department at the University of Arizona. A key principle of this new organizational structure was that "form follows function." In other words, workflow dictated the organizational structure; the structure did not determine the workflow. This new design redefined the role of professional librarians, and all staff benefited from the explicit descriptions of their roles within the new team-based structure. The facilitators noted that having a process improvement plan basically formalizes what is already taking place within an organization.

Bridge Builders and Transition Managers: New Roles in the Merged Information Services/Library Organization.

Micheline Jedrey and Eleanor Lonske described the merger that combined the Library and Information Services at Wellesley College. The impact was profound, affecting staffing, flexibility, and job descriptions. They discussed the three stages of any profound change: letting go, the neutral period, and new beginnings. They described the merger as a partnership between people who "happened to be" librarians and people who "happened to be" in information technology. Key to the merger’s success was an emphasis on their commonality not their differences.

Checking Out Change: Coping Techniques For Thriving In A Changing World.

Diana Haladay provided techniques and exercises to help identify how we deal with change personally and to develop means for coping with change. She emphasized that regardless of staff level or area of work, all staff will be impacted by the change that comes with reorganization. Flexibility and good organization are critical for success, but it is also important to recognize that the internal transition for staff will take time.

Breakout Session Reports and Wrap Up

Following brief reports on each of the breakout sessions, Maureen Sullivan provided a wrap-up of the day by emphasizing the importance of examining one's own personal values within the context of the organization. Tools and exercises can be enormously helpful in this exploration. Change itself is a neutral process; we are in control of our own perceptions of it. Thus, it is essential that we model effective behavior for all who are participating in the redesign. We must coach, inspire, support, be positive, be engaged, and be VISIBLE!

--Bridget Rawding
Bunker Hill Community College

Information Technology: Newest Chapter Interest Group

ACRL New England Chapter has approved the formation of an Information Technology Interest Group (ITIG) to address the issues and interests of members who implement, support, use, or train others in the use of information technology in libraries.

Many of the existing interest groups and special committees regularly incorporate information technology topics into their programs, so why form a separate Information Technology Interest Group? First, the ITIG can provide a forum for addressing those topics which may not readily find a home in one of the existing groups. Second, the ITIG can join forces with existing interest groups and special committees in planning IT-related programs. Third, ITIG can serve as a venue for learning from colleagues in other institutions. As we grapple with the challenges of IT, we can benefit by consulting with others who have already dealt with certain IT problems and issues.

ITIG program topics could include networking research databases, staff training on electronic resources, next generation integrated library systems, setting up a library technology help desk, and much more. Suggestions are welcome! ITIG members will have an opportunity to plan programs, as well as network with colleagues across institutions. All interested ACRL/NEC members are encouraged to join.

For more information, contact Julie Linden (jlinden@library.umass.edu or 413-577-2104).

BLIG Fall Program on Business Web Page Design

On November 12, the Business Librarians' Interest Group held their fall program at Northeastern University. The topic of the program was "Business Web Page Design."

Andrée Rathemacher, business librarian and Webmaster for the University of Rhode Island Libraries, spoke first on designing business-related Web pages in an academic library setting. Using the Web sites of Babson College, Bentley College, Bryant College, and the Baker Library of Harvard Business School as examples, she covered the content of academic library Web sites; design aspects including general design principles, graphics, and type; and the organization of Web sites including site structure, navigation tools, and page-level organization.

The second speaker was Kelly Belmonti, Director of Customer Support for Northern Light, a Web search engine that integrates an online library of over 5,300 full-text sources with the content of the World Wide Web. Kelly's talk focused on Web design for customers. She pointed out that the components of a customer-friendly site include good planning; a design that is unpretentious and pleasing to the eye; and a focus on the customer's needs. Kelly emphasized the crucial role beta testing plays in evaluating the quality of the site as it is being developed and in locating any possible problems that need to be addressed or features that need to be added or deleted before release. Lastly, she highlighted the importance of the site's developers listening to customer feedback and responding to their suggestions. Kelly suggested L.L. Bean, U.S. Bancorp, and Yahoo as examples of quality Web sites.

A total of about 20 people attended the program, including two students who said that they hadn't known the program was for a librarians' group. They had come thinking it was a general program on designing Web sites, but they commented that "it was really good anyway!"

--Andrée Rathemacher
University of Rhode Island

--Colleen Anderson
Bryant College

Continuing Education Committee Seeks Speakers on Electronic Reserves

The Continuing Education Committee will be sponsoring a program on Electronic Reserves and is seeking potential speakers. The program will be held in late May or early June in Eastern Massachusetts. Presentations should average 30-45 minutes and may be individual or group efforts. If you have experience with Electronic Reserves that you would like to share with your colleagues, please send a one page summary of your presentation and your software and hardware requirements to: Margaret Manion, UMASS Lowell, 1 University Ave., Lowell, MA 01854-2896 (email Margaret_Manion@uml.edu or phone 978-934-3211).

Women's Studies Interest Group Visits the American Textile History Museum Library

A letter from a mill worker to her sister, Charles Dickens' account of a visit to Lowell, a poster from the Lawrence Bread and Roses Strike of 1912, bird’s-eye views of textile towns, textile sample books, and cloth bolt labels were just some of the items seen by the twenty-one librarians touring Lowell's American Textile History Museum Library on October 2, 1998. Librarian Clare Sheridan gave a behind the scenes tour of the Osborne Library's book, manuscript, and image collections, and showed us some of the three-dimensional collections (including textiles and clothing). We also saw inside the Textile Conservation Center, a non-profit regional conservation center and department of the Museum.

On Friday, January 15, 1999, eight members of the Women's Studies Interest Group braved a winter storm to visit the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, at Radcliffe College, for a tour and program. WSIG co-founder Wendy Thomas gave a tour of the library and talked about the Know How Conference on the World of Women's Information, an international women's libraries conference held in Amsterdam in August, 1998. A full report on this visit will appear in the Spring/Summer issue of the newsletter.

Our next program will be on April 23. We will join with the Business Librarians' Interest Group to offer a program entitled, "Management Styles: Do Men and Women Differ?" (See the BLIG announcement, this issue, for more information).

--Chris Smith, jchris@bu.edu
--Sarah Mitchell, smitchel@MIT.EDU
--Christina Bellinger, cb1@hopper.unh.edu

CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS?

Contact Laurie Sabol at lsabol@tufts.edu or call 617-627-5167

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER?

Contact Maggie Bartley at mbartley@wellesley.edu

INTERESTED IN THE ACRL/NEC LISTSERV?

Contact Sarah Wenzel at swenzel@bu.edu or
Marilyn Steinberg at msteinbe@lynx.neu.edu

ACRL/NEC Board Minutes Summary

August 24, 1998, Boston University

President Doris Ann Sweet and Vice President Laura Walters opened the August meeting with a report on the ACRL Advocacy Pre-conference "From Ivory Towers to Halls of Power," described in more detail in the ACRL/NEC News, No. 85, Fall,1998, or at http://www.conncoll.edu/acrlnec/news85.html#President. At the ACRL Board meeting, a recommendation made by the Chapters Relations Task Force (http://www.ala.org/acrl/chapttf.html) to increase chapter reimbursement for national members from $.75 to $1.00 was accepted.

Doris Ann reviewed the following ACRL national priorities for 1998-99:
1) update the Strategic Plan; 2) strengthen ACRL's position as a provider of professionaldevelopment opportunities for academic librarians; 3) continue to build relationships with higher education and other information related organizations; 4) continue to develop the legislative and policy advocacy role of ACRL; and 5) build cohesiveness and leadership among ACRL units to enrich membership participation in the growth and future impact of ACRL.

Vice President Laura Walters updated board members on planning activities for the fall conference on library reorganization to be held on November 20 at Holy Cross.

Debbie Wilcox distributed the Treasurer's Annual Report for 1997/98 and a report on current revenues and expenditures. The current balance stood at $3,823.81 with $9,803.72 in CDs. Members discussed alternative investment strategies, but voted to renew these CDs until June 1999. Debbie suggested that the next treasurer might pursue new investment options.

Debbie then led a discussion of current and past spending patterns. For the past several years, income has decreased while expenses have increased. The only guaranteed income for the chapter each year is a relatively small amount of membership income from the national organization. Additional income has traditionally been produced by fall and spring conferences, and this has been added to the reserve fund. Conferences do not always produce excess income, however, and may even have to be subsidized from reserve funds. Food service and media costs for conferences have been steadily rising, while registration rates have not changed for some time. Interest groups are allotted funds each year from the chapter budget for programming, an additional chapter funding commitment. This specialized, low-cost programming is highly valued by the board. Some interest group programs, nevertheless, produce revenue, and the same is true for the Continuing Education Committee's programs. The major ongoing expense incurred by the chapter is production of the newsletter.

Debbie urged the board to consider new means of increasing revenues and/or decreasing expenditures to avoid a budget deficit and the need to dip into reserve funds. Last year the board had voted to stop the practice of soliciting vendor support for conferences but now agreed that it would be prudent to reinstate that practice. The board voted to increase conference registration rates slightly, keeping in mind the commitment to maintaining manageable registration costs, while still hosting prominent national speakers. The board will review newsletter costs and discuss alternative publication options at the November meeting.

Board members voted to accept the ACRL/NEC Member Listserv and Web Guidelines (http://www.conncoll.edu/acrlnec/guidelines.html) as presented by Sarah Wenzel and Marilyn Steinberg, co-chairs of the Publicity Committee. The committee is looking for a host and a moderator for the new chapter listserv and ideas on how to solicit membership. They plan to discuss archiving issues with Chapter Archivist, Francis Parker, at a future meeting.

New Membership Committee chairperson, Laurie Sabol, described her ideas for increasing membership and improving communication on membership issues. Laurie has revised the chapter membership form and would like to begin sending a postcard welcoming national members new to this region to the local chapter. She is looking for volunteers to join this committee.

Reports were received from each of the standing committees, special interest groups and members-at-large.

Highlights of the November 6, 1998 Board Meeting, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Julie Linden, Resident Research Librarian at University of Massachusetts Amherst, introduced a proposal to create an Information Technology Interest Group. The interest group would be open to ACRL/NEC members who are involved in implementing, supporting, using, or training others in the use of information technology in libraries. The board enthusiastically endorsed this proposal. An article announcing this new SIG is included in this issue of the News.

Member-at-Large Marilyn McSweeney, who serves as the chapter's liaison to the NELA academic section, reported on planning for the NELA October, 1999 annual conference. Board members discussed the relationship between ACRL/NEC and NELA and the importance of continued collaboration between the organizations to ensure the development of strong programming for academic librarians in New England.

Much of the meeting focused on a report by Maggie Bartley, chair of the Publications and Newsletter Committee, on the current status of the newsletter and an analysis of alternative electronic publishing options. The print newsletter has been an effective means of documenting programs, informing members of board activities and soliciting membership opinions. It has not, however, served well as a medium for advance publicity for interest group programs or chapter initiatives as they occur throughout the year. Current production costs also account for a substantial portion of the chapter's annual expenditures. The board discussed the pros and cons of moving to a Web-based newsletter. The board would like to solicit comments from members on this possible change in publication format. See Message from the Editor, this issue.

Marilyn Steinberg, co-chair of the Publicity Committee, reported on preparations for launching the chapter's new member listserv. The Publicity and Membership Committees will solicit email addresses from members through the newsletter and at the Fall Conference. An announcement and additional information regarding this new listserv is available in this edition of the News.

--Judy Montgomery
Bowdoin College

Editor:

Maggie Bartley (mbartley@wellesley.edu)
Wellesley College Library
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481-8275

January 20, 1999