Cornell University Library Instruction, Research, and Information Services

News and Updates
March 1, 2002

Orientation Meetings:
I've been particularly pleased by the series of orientation meetings that various departments have hosted for me and for the transition team. We've heard from many of you and will continue to hold additional meetings through the next month or so. We've been pleased by the many expressions of enthusiasm and support for this reorganization. But we also realize that this is a time of uncertainty and flux, and I appreciate your ability to live with ambiguity. It's important that all IRIS staff know several things: first we believe that the quality of staff is exceptionally high as is the level of service currently provided; second, that the jobs each of you do are valued and necessary, and that we'll continue to support those functions as we embrace new ones. I also hope you have heard that even though the university is facing some tough economic times and we will be undertaking new roles, no person's job is in jeopardy.

Why this change?
I know that some of you may be asking, "if we're doing such a good job, why do we need this change?" We need to change because the world is changing and so are the needs of our users. Consider the following:

User expectations have greatly shifted based largely on the growth of the Internet and the success of the Web. Today, many expect all relevant information to be online and to have customized, granular access to it.
Libraries are no longer considered by some to be the information provider of choice.
The University is developing new priorities and funds are shifting to those services/units that are considered essential to bringing those priorities about.
Technology has fundamentally changed in the last three years in its potential to deliver flexible, tailored, tiered, user-defined services. Even services that have been automated and implemented need to be reevaluated and potentially reconfigured with that in mind. Change will continue at a rapid pace.
The information playing field is becoming level in this environment, providing lots of opportunities for success and failure.

Each department within IRIS has responded to a greater or lesser degree to these changing times and our goal is to build on these efforts to infuse flexibility and nimbleness IRIS-wide. New initiatives will not come at the expense of our current service objectives, but both must be considered bread and butter functions of IRIS. This reorganization gives us the opportunity to look at change across a very broad spectrum. It provides the means to identify frustrations and bottlenecks that affect more than one department, and to seek efficiencies that will free up staff from routine functions to do more satisfying and rewarding things. This reorganization can also lead to more uniform support for all units-in terms of technology and staff development. We want to ensure that change in one department builds on and supports change in another. To meet changing circumstances, we need to establish an environment for risk taking and experimentation. This is a wonderful time to look at new possibilities and to let our imaginations soar. It's a gift to be able to take six months out to consider all sorts of options and opportunities. Instead of focusing on why, I encourage you to think what if. And all the while we will make sure that the buildings open and close, books get repaired, patrons are served, and the many other essential but often invisible processes continue.

When in Rome……Privileging the Users
Last week Nancy Skipper related a story about a patron who told her she had tried our main search engine and wanted to know if there were any specifically geared toward her field (psychology). The "search engine" she was referring to was the Gateway. At first I was amused by this conversation and then pleased-this patron was translating our services into her own conceptual framework. Should we be doing more to encourage that view? Should we offer our patrons the means to "search the research web" rather than consult the gateway? In putting the user first, we can begin by seeing library services and functions through their eyes. The IRIS transition team is undertaking a number of initiatives to put ourselves into the shoes of our users-and our non-users. We are starting from the premise that we need to learn to think like they do in order to meet their information needs effectively.

Consider, for instance, the 14-day books-shouldn't we rename this wonderful service to reflect the user's perspective rather than the library's? An ad hoc group, consisting of Ross Atkinson, David Block, Susan Currie, Lance Heidig, Sarah How, Anne Kenney, Pat Schafer, and Scott Wicks, is re-conceptualizing this service, beginning with a new name "Reader's Choice." Professor Deborah Trumbull's graduate class in Methods for Interpretive Research is observing Olin Library this semester to determine exactly what users are up to when they're here. Another group is planning to observe a group of non-library users as they answer a series of questions about navigating the library. One of my favorite questions to be included is "where are the books?"

Give us your ideas
We seek your input into this process. The CUL_IRIS list was set up to enhance two-way communication and I look forward to hearing from you. On March 4, we will be launching an IRIS Transition Web Site, which will include updates on our progress and a virtual suggestion box.

Anne R. Kenney
Assistant University Librarian
Instruction, Research, and Information Services