Designing Library Services

Three hours of lecture per week. General introduction to the organization and administration of library services and their place in the institutions and communities they serve. Problems and practices with respect to governance, functions, collections, and building. Management functions as applicable: planning, organizing, innovation, staffing, budgeting, controlling. Technological change.

Objectives: Designing Library Services serves both as an introduction to library services and an introduction to working in libraries. Intended for first or second year students in the Master's in Information Management & Systems program, it has the following objectives:

1. General knowledge of the concepts, vocabulary, and techniques of organizations and management.
2. Introduction to social, economic, political and technological context of academic, public, school, and special libraries.
3. General knowledge of how libraries function.
4. Identification of major challenges and opportunities facing college and university libraries.
5. Identification of skills for survival and success as professionals.

Means:

1. Lectures, guest lectures, class discussion.
2. Required readings; also recommended and 'resource' reading.
3. Assignments: Analysis of a manager's roles; Review of an unfamiliar library; Budget exercise; Planning exercise ('Critical path analysis'); Accounting exercise; Position description; Job announcement; Review of a popular management book; Case studies; etc.
4. Specialized small group project: Typically preparing recommendations for change in a library service: A charge; Goals & objectives; Recommended course(es) of action; Organizational, personnel, space, and other requirements; Resources required; Alternatives. Literature summary. (Suitable for the required Final Project of the Master's' degree.)

Expectations of students: Open to first and second year Master's students. Class attendance and participation. Readings, some required, some recommended. Individual assignments. Small group project participation. Individual consultation. Written work to be well-written and on time.