Redesigning Technical Services for the 21st Century: A Case Study from the University of Alabama Libraries

Authors

  • Michael A Arthur The University of Alabama
  • Millie L Jackson University of Alabama

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5860/lrts.64n3.120-130

Keywords:

collection management, technical services, workflow analysis, library reorganization, staffing

Abstract

The University of Alabama Libraries began the process of workflow analysis over a decade ago.  Primarily focused on the traditional technical services areas, this process has been iterative and has evolved from looking for efficiencies to a broader change in the culture and an acceptance of an ongoing process of improvement.  This article distills lessons learned from workflow analysis in the areas of acquisitions, electronic resources, and cataloging/metadata but also examines how these changes impacted the broader library and philosophies of collection development and management.

Author Biographies

Michael A Arthur, The University of Alabama

Michael Arthur is Associate Professor and Head, Resource Acquisition & Discovery at The University of Alabama.  Michael received his Bachelor of Science in Sport Marketing & Management in 1991, and his Master of Library Science in 1999, from Indiana University in Bloomington.  He received his Master of Public Administration from Old Dominion University in 2006.  Michael held faculty positions at Ball State University, Old Dominion University and the University of Central Florida before joining The University of Alabama in 2015. Michael is active in the American Library Association and serves in leadership roles within the organization.  He regularly attends The Charleston Conference.  He regularly presents at national professional conferences and has served on several Library Advisory Boards representing university interests with large publishers including Gale, IOP, Sage Publishing and Springer Nature. 

Michael is past chair of the Collection Planning Committee for the State University Libraries in Florida and past co-chair of the Collection Planning Committee for the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries. 

Millie L Jackson, University of Alabama

Millie Jackson is the Senior Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Alabama Libraries.  She held positions at Florida State, Grand Valley State University, and Oklahoma State University prior to coming to UA.  She holds a Ph.D. in English from Michigan State University and an MILS from The University of Michigan.

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Published

2020-07-31

Issue

Vol. 64 No. 3 (2020): July

Section

Notes on Operations

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