Strategic Approaches to the New Academic Library

Internet Librarian 2007

Paul J. BrackeAssociate Dean, Information Technology

Tomalee DoanHead, Management & Economics Library

Context

• Purdue, like every other institution, is facing a changing information environment

• Leverage institutional characteristics to reposition the Libraries on campus– Collaborative– Moves into user flows– Supports quick change

Library Context

Purdue User

Purdue Librarian

Purdue Collections

Library Context

User Context

Purdue User

Purdue Librarian

Purdue Collections Information Access Tools Services

Campus Context

• Land-grant institution with 37,000 students• Strengths in the Sciences, Engineering,

Agriculture, Business, Hospitality, Tourism & Management

• Distributed environment– 12 Libraries (down from 28 in the 1970s),

Archives and Special Collections unit – Campus computing environment– Few central student spaces

Campus Strategic Plan

• Campus strategic plan organized around:

-Discovery; Interdisciplinary research

-Learning; Information Literacy

-Engagement; Enhanced quality of life

• Mirrored in Libraries’ plan

Strategies for Moving to the New Model

• Staff transformation

• New initiatives

• Make foundational services more responsive

• Aggressively pursue new technologies

• Transform library spaces

• Do all of this quickly

Management & Economics Library (MEL)“on the move”

Staff transformation

– Created Associate Head position

– Repurposed current paraprofessional staff

– Hired 2 new library faculty, another approved

– Hired 3 graduate assistants

Organizational restructuring creates new opportunities

Service. Service. Service. Did I say service?

• New roles for librarians adds meaning and value to our customers

– Information Access funding– Embedded Librarians– Entrepreneurship Business Information

Network (eBIN) using sharepoint portal

Technology Tools that enable

• Infrastructure applications– Career Wiki http://wiki.lib.purdue.edu/display/Career/Home

– Information Workflow tracking application (Numara)

– MyMEL toolbar http://mymel.mylibrarytoolbar.com/

– Course blogs : http://melmgmt451.wordpress.com/

– Meebo http://www.lib.purdue.edu/mel/

– BizMAP http://www.lib.purdue.edu/mel/bizmap/BusinessResearch.html

– BizFAQ http://faq.library.upenn.edu/recordList?action=&library=purdue_business&institution=purdue

Moving Quickly! A paradigm shift from reactive to proactive

• 8 times that desks & chairs & people changed location

• 34 people from other libraries volunteered to help us move our books and serials

• 38 windows replaced

• 266 boxes of annual reports moved to dark archive

• 379 boxes of books in the special collection

• 1,265 boxes packed and moved

• 6,306 carts pushed

• 20,657 linear feet of books & serials moved

• 20,700 green, red, blue, orange, and striped dots ordered to code materials

• 169,307 items moved

• 1,631,750 steps taken to move our collection

(that’s 163.1 estimated miles)

Build it and they will come…

• Zones for collaborative and quiet spaces

• Small high use print collection

• Instructional learn lab for teaching

• Business financial center

• Coffee shop

• Open 24/7

• Place to see and be seen!

TITLE

Subtitle

Strategic Approaches to the New Academic Library

Paul J. Brackepbracke@purdue.edu

Tomalee Doantdoan@purdue.edu