LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

Reorganization of a very small academic library: a case study of Maine maritime academy's Nutting Memorial Library

Photo by ldxcreative from unsplash

PurposeThis case study evaluates the success of a change management process in a very small academic library at a public, rural college. It considers the existing literature on the subject… Click to show full abstract

PurposeThis case study evaluates the success of a change management process in a very small academic library at a public, rural college. It considers the existing literature on the subject and how it applies to this setting and details the change process.Design/methodology/approachThe authors developed a new tool for assessment of work and its relationship to the organization design, dubbed a “Penny Chart.” The relationship between work areas uncovered by this charting led the change efforts and determined how jobs would be described and marketed.FindingsConducting a work reorganization within the confines of a very small library staff has extensive benefits, but does not come without the existing drawbacks of working with limited and shrinking resources in the current climate of higher education. However, intentionally charting the relationship between areas of work and determining natural areas of overlap and authority had significant benefits to the organization as a whole.Originality/valueThere is little to no existing literature on conducting a significant reorganization of this size of academic library. This paper contributes significantly to the literature by proposing a new method for reorganization when there is no change to the official reporting structure due to the size of the institution. In addition, this method will be valuable to institutions of all sizes conducting any significant reorganization.

Keywords: case study; academic library; reorganization; small academic

Journal Title: Library Management
Year Published: 2023

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.