Having merged their Circulation and Interlibrary Loan units, presenters will discuss how and why they combined their student work forces into a single group. The results will be discussed in regards to the number of personnel, materials processed, and the financial considerations. Additional discussion will review how these have impacted services, cost savings, and their influence on future performance goals. Presentation by Joyce Melvin & Michael Straatmann
3. Joyce Melvin
Interlibrary Loan Manager
User Services, University of Nebraska Lincoln
Michael Straatmann
Circulation Manager
User Services, University of Nebraska Lincoln
5. University of Nebraska – Lincoln
• ARL Library, Center for Institutional Cooperation
• Largest library in Nebraska – 3.4 million volumes
2011-12
• 145,000 circulated items
• 807,000 walk-in users
• 103,000+ ILL loans with 77% fill rate
65% Lending & Document Delivery
6. Trends at UNL Libraries
• Circulation trends continue in seeing a decrease in
number of items physically circulated.
• Interlibrary loan trends continue in seeing an increase
in number of items both lent and borrowed.
• Off-site/High-Density storage removes a significant
percentage of collection out of direct patron access.
7. Steps forward?
In 2012, it was encouraged that these
two departments at UNL should
undertake a feasibility study for these
two units to merge, both physically and
organizationally.
• Literature Review (see Bibliography)
• Consultants (Rayna Bowlby, Lars Leon, and Barbara
Preece)
17. Internal Working Groups
• Aimed for balance of “innovators”, “traditionalists” and
“slow-adopters”
• 3 groups of staff, 1 group of managers
• Additionally, each manager was assigned as a
mentor to each group
• Each group was tasked with creating a model of
integration.
– How would the new department function?
– How would reporting work?
– How would students be best utilized?
– Etc.
18. Services and Resources
Each group was allowed to present to everyone and
were queried on:
• What resources would be needed for the plan?
• What services would be impacted? Improved?
• Why was their plan the best?
20. Ground Rules
• Maintaining a sense of continuity for staff by
proceeding with the basic premises of the
community-designed integration plan.
• Emphasizing the integration of our unit into one
cohesive whole, negating any plan which might revert
“us” back into Circulation and ILL.
• Utilize already existing management and supervisory
knowledges and strengths.
• Must improve services and efficiencies!
21. Collation of Plans
• Managerial/Mentor group was tasked with collating
each of the plans, while observing the ground rules.
• Plan was then presented back to staff.
• In order to succeed, it was strongly felt that staff buy-
in was essential.
22. Costs?
• Physical
– Remodeling of space
– New furnishings and equipment
• Personnel
– Student turn-over
– Additional training (cross-unit)
• Services
– Some slow down during adjustment phase
28. Student Supervision
• One Student Supervisor
– Responsible for all training and supervision
– Rely on other staff to provide needs and
supplement training
• Exception
– Desk student scheduling
37. Bibliography
• Alarid, T. & Sullivan, C. (2009). Welcome to the neighborhood: Merger
of interlibrary loan with access services. Journal of Interlibrary Loan,
Document Delivery & Electronic Reserve, 19, 219-225.
• Austin, B. (2010). Moving beyond the amalgam. Journal of Access
Services, 7(3), 145-58.
• Cheung, Ophelia; Patrick, Susan; Cameron, Brian D.; Bishop,
Elizabeth; and Fraser, Lucina, "Restructuring the Academic
Library:Teams-based Management and the Merger of Interlibrary
Loans with Circulation and Reserve" (2003). Librarian and Staff
Publications. Paper 2. http://digitalcommons.ryerson.ca/library_pubs/2
• Fritts, J. (1993). Sharing the load: a model for interlibrary
loan/circulation cooperation. Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document
Delivery & Information Supply, 4(1), 55-66.
• Tribble, J. (1991). Merging library operations. Library Administration
and Management, 5(3), 151-54.