Transcript Culture, Week Three

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CHANGE AND
INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE
And Academic Libraries
Forces Driving Change
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Stakeholder demands- accountability &
transparency
Technology
Open access/ scholarly communication/ publishing
Budget constraints
Staffing
Definition of a Library
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Library as collection (of resources)
Library as building or space
Library as function (organization of information)
Library as service- supporting role in the context of
the organization
Change in Libraries
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Competition
 we
are facing, for the first time as a profession,
competition.
 competitors are using the ubiquity of the Internet to
market and deliver information directly to users,
bypassing the library
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Perception
 everything
is on the Internet
 everything on the Internet is free
Change in Libraries
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As a result of competition and perception, the
library is transitioning to become more customer
focused
Change must be managed through the planning,
organizing, human resources management, and
coordination/control functions
Not so much that core purpose of libraries is
changing, but there is a shifting emphasis on
relative importance of various aspects
Macro Changes in Libraries
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From passive housing
and storage of
materials
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Access to information
via new technologies
Active agency
providing information
services to users
Developing services
based on information
collections in all
formats
Hernon and Dugan
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Macro Changes in Libraries
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From focus on doing things
that best fit internal
traditions
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Focus on need to keep
customers satisfied
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librarians must understand
user expectation and
attitudes
users expect to access
information and interact with
the library 24/7/365
attitudes include less
willingness to accept a lack
of quality from libraries; they
can now “go elsewhere”
Hernon and Dugan
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Macro Changes in Libraries
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From the
organizational culture
of “that’s the way we
have always done it”
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Focusing on continuing
improvement and
learning
Hernon and Dugan
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Managing Change
Organizational Understanding and Cultural
Sensitivity
Institutional Culture
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Is the set of values, norms, standards, philosophies,
and ideologies that characterize that institution—that
is, what people value, believe in, and consider
admirable in the institution
The behavior and shared expectations that influences
the way in which individuals, groups and teams
interact with each other and cooperate to achieve
goals
Hernon and Dugan
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Institutional Culture
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Examples of culture:
 dress
code
 staff social interaction outside of the library
 the manner in which staff is addressed internally (first
name; title, etc.)
Hernon and Dugan
LIS 451
Institutional Culture
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Elements of the culture
symbols, such as the arrangement of office space (walls or
cubicles; arrangement of the space)
 group norms, such as a meeting starting on time (or not)
 slogans, such as phrases found in mission statements and
signage (customer service oriented)
 myths and stories, usually introduced to new staff to
reinforce current or past values
 ceremonies, such as annual rituals.

Hernon and Dugan
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Institutional Culture
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Institutional culture is often the cause of inflexibility
in institutions
 members
can be expected to resist change that force
them to abandon established and approved ways of
doing things; “we have always done it that way.”
 Institutional
Culture
Hernon and Dugan
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Organizational Culture
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Different cultures within the larger organization
Across departments and divisions
Within departments and divisions
 i.e.
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differences between reference, cataloging, circ, etc.
The organization’s culture may, or may not be the
same as the institution’s culture.
What characterizes our libraries?
Organizational Environment
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Is a set of forces and conditions inside and outside
of the organization that have potential to affect the
way the organization operates
Hernon and Dugan
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Organizational Environment
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External environment
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set of forces that have profound effects on the internal
environment:
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competitors
perceptions of the library
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stereotypes of both librarians and library
costs for services provided especially when the Internet is “free”
legal; political; technological; environment; economic;
sociocultural; demographic etc.
 external environment often outside the influence of the
organization
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Hernon and Dugan
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Organizational Environment
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Internal environment of libraries include:
 library
 all
principles
things to all people
 library’s
organizational culture
 allocated resources
 the condition of the infrastructure
Hernon and Dugan
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