Catherine Edwards

Change and conflict in the academic library

It has been observed that “the libraries of colleges and universities are changing faster than their respective parent institutions. Essentially everything in and around the library is changing: services, technologies, organizational constructs, ownership and access policies, values and most of the rest” (Riggs, 1997). Invariably this intensity of change will cause conflict on different scales and levels and have serious implications for Library and Information Services. Between 1996 and 1998 the eLib IMPEL2 (Impact on People of Electronic Libraries) project was able to monitor how this conflict was being manifested. Using literature from both the management and librarianship disciplines, the general concepts of conflict are discussed, focusing on causes of conflict, positive and negative impacts and different conflict handling techniques. There is an overview concerning how the theories and ideas on conflict drawn from the management discipline apply within an academic library context. After outlining the background to the IMPEL2 eLib project, examples of conflict found in academic libraries are illustrated using data collected. In February 1999 examples of conflict were reviewed at a study day for librarians who identified causes and possible conflict management strategies. These are also presented.

Higher education, teaching, learning and the electronic library : a review of the literature for the IMPEL2 project : monitoring organisational and cultural change

This paper updates and extends an earlier review of the literature by the IMPLEL Project (IMpact on People of Electronic Libraries) at the University of Norhthumbria at Newcastle. That project investigated the social, cultural and organisational impacts on the increasingly electronic environment in UK higher education with a focus of qualified library and information staff. The IMPEL2 Project, a JISC-funded Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib) project, broadens the view of the current educational and information situation, to include academic staff and student users of electronic information, new emphases in teaching and learning along with implications for libraries, librarians and library related personnel. Much of the literature covered is recent, a high percentage having been published since 1990. It illustrates how the far-reaching cultural impacts of the current turbulent climate within higher education, along with those of rapid technological developments, involve stakeholders at all levels in the educational process

Realising the Hybrid library

In a recent D‐Lib Magazine article, Chris Rusbridge, the Director of the UK Electronic Libraries (eLib) Programme, argued for the adoption of the ‘hybrid library’ model of information provision.’ This paper, following on from and engaging with his remarks, outlines a number of projects, currently being funded by eLib, which are investigating ways in which the hybrid library can be implemented. It discusses key technological and managerial issues emerging from these projects.

Flexibility in higher education hybrid libraries exploring the implications and producing a model of practice

Reports on a literature review of the issues surrounding the call for librarians to have greater flexibility in the skills they acquire and in the services they offer. Illustrates these issues with particular reference to the UK Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib) Phase 3 (specifically the HyLiFe project (HYbrid LIbrary of the FuturE)) where flexibility was found to be central. Includes an analysis of the data on flexibility generated by practitioners who attended HyLiFe regional dissemination workshops in 2000 and the application of this data to produce a model which provides insight into the implications of flexibility for higher education libraries. The model is based on two axes, one (vertical) indicating speed of change from low to high and one (horizontal) indicating the level of flexibility in library and information services (LIS) from low to high. The model also identifies four core areas of learning for hybrid LIS providers, and there is a correlation between the speed of change and the demonstrable level of flexibility needed. Concludes that, as the pace and intensity of change accelerates, LIS structures and staff will have to show greater flexibility to serve a user population demanding flexibility.

eLib's IMPEL2 Project: Organisational structures and responses to change in academic libraries

eLibs IMPEL2 Supporting Study carried out extensive fieldwork in Higher Education Library and Information Services between 1996 and 1998 in order to monitor the organisational and cultural changes associated with a rapidly changing and increasingly electronic environment. This paper uses outcomes of IMPEL2 participative workshops to suggest a range of organisational scenarios for Higher Education Institutions: Business Model, User‐Centred Model, Information and Communications Technology Model and Integrated Model. The role of Library and Information Services within these models is considered with implications for information users and service staff illustrated by findings from the study. Issues of structure and strategy are discussed, as are skills, training, role changes, impacts of resource based learning, convergence, team‐working and the management of change. IMPEL2s human‐centred approach is carried forward into the HyLiFe Project, an eLib Phase 3 hybrid library project.

Impact on People of Electronic Libraries (IMPEL) Project: its Implications for Health Sciences Librarianship

The paper outlines current developments in both the health service and higher education electronic networks in the United Kingdom. It examines issues in linking the networks together. The relevance of the IMPEL project is identified for health sciences librarianship as well as the outomes.

The eLib HyLiFe project: Implications for the user community

This paper outlines the structure and objectives of the eLib Phase 3 HyLiFe project. The authors summarise the findings of the user needs evaluation which was undertaken by the sites in the project consortium. The desiderata expressed by respondents to the evaluation are considered in the context of the development of a hybrid library interface, as are the problems encountered by users in engaging with existing service provision. Certain requirements and problems identified by users, specifically the non‐availability of materials at time of demand and complexity of authentication procedures, are related to similar findings in other current research. The authors describe how continuing user feedback, as well as the diversity of user groups in the HyLiFe consortium, will be used in the remainder of the project to inform the further development of the hybrid library interface.