2019 Charleston Library Conference

Many academic libraries across North America are undertaking major organizational restructuring, bringing significant change to how collections work is done. Many institutions have implemented a centralized collection development model, in which functional librarians are tasked with collections responsibilities across entire faculties, not just in a specific area of subject expertise. Change management conversations often focus on the big picture of organizational restructuring, but what do these changes look like for front-line librarians in their day-to-day work? Join three collections development librarians working at different stages of organizational restructuring for a discussion about organisational change from a front-line perspective. We will discuss strategies for learning our new roles, professional development needs and opportunities, and navigating the challenges of professional change. Topics covered will include: communications within library units and outward to faculty and students; the re-examination of acquisitions methods and models (such as EBA, DDA, or large eBook packages) in light of organizational change; and processes for establishing and evaluating effective workflows within and across functional teams.