September 28, 2007, 9:30a.m.-3:00 p.m.
at Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street,
Madison
Libraries face unprecedented demands to adapt to the digital environment. New and emerging tasks related to institutional repositories, non-MARC metadata, networked resources and new generations of users place additional pressure on staffs and workflows built to handle print materials. Yet print-related workloads are not diminishing as fast as digital workloads are growing. Meanwhile, the growth of external competitors such as Google and WorldCat increase the need for libraries to focus on user expectations and highlight their own unique attributes.
How can libraries turn these pressures into opportunities? How can librarians adapt workflows, priorities, and organizational structures to provide those services most important to users? How can library leaders create the capacity to pursue critical new initiatives—without increasing staff? What new tools and services can help? Join R2 to hear advice, both strategic and practical, drawn from our experience in workflow analysis and organizational redesign for academic libraries of all sizes and types.
Presenters will be Rick Lugg , one of the founders of R2 Consulting, and Matt Barnes, R2 consultant. R2 works with libraries and the businesses that serve them, with particular focus on selection-to-access workflows, integration of vendor and library systems, and eBooks and e-journals for libraries.
Workshop Schedule
| 9:30-10:00 | Sign-in and R2 set-up |
| 10:00-11:00 | Why Workflow Redesign (An Environmental Scan) |
| 11:00-11:15 | Break |
| 11:15-12:15 | Workflow Redesign: Principles and Practices |
| 12:15-1:00 | Lunch on your own |
| 1:00-2:00 | Creating Capacity in Collections, Acquisitions, Serials, E-Resources, Cataloging and Preservation |
| 2:00-2:15 | Break |
| 2:15-3:00 | Conclusion, Discussion and Questions |
Sessions will progress from the basics to the specifics of workflow redesign:
Why Workflow Redesign? will review relevant trends in the information environment that are shaping new demands on libraries; topics include Predictions; Changing Users and Trends in Collection Development; Acquisitions; and Cataloging/Discovery.
Principles and Practices outlines R2's own approach to conducting workflow audits, and the business principles that guide our recommendations.
Creating Capacity examines sample recommendations and outcomes in specific areas. The hope is to promote the kind of thinking and interaction that library managers need to undertake a successful workflow analysis.