Margaret E. Moore

Preparing Staff to Work at a Single Service Desk

This column will describe approaches to staff training for a single service desk–the setting, background, service goals, training objectives, training plans, evaluations, and next steps. Given that the service center is our users’ on-site and off-site gateway to the entire range of library resources and services, developing and implementing effective training has been the library staff’s greatest challenge. Colleagues at other libraries that had previously adopted single service desks told us that training was critical to success and was a major challenge. Evaluations during the first year of operation have proved the need for ongoing training improvements, and it is expected that training will continue to be the number one challenge. We hope that our experiences will help others build staff training and development programs, regardless of the scope of services.

Developing an interdisciplinary collaboration center in an academic Health Sciences Library.

Abstract This article describes the evolution of the Health Sciences Librarys plans for an interdisciplinary, technology-enhanced collaboration center, from a technology-driven space to one with a vision of support for peer-to-peer learning and research. The center offers an exciting opportunity to be an essential partner in collaborative and interdisciplinary programs such as the new Carolina Center for Exploratory Genetic Analysis. The Library is a centrally located and neutral place, which helps minimize geographical and territorial obstacles to effective collaboration. The collaboration center raises the Librarys visibility and allows staff to demonstrate the value of knowledge resources, services, technology expertise, infrastructure, and facilities for group study and collaboration.

Reinventing a Health Sciences Digital Library- Organizational Impact

Abstract What is the organizational impact of becoming a digital library, as well as a physical entity with facilities and collections? Is the digital library an add-on or an integrated component of the overall library package? Librarians see sweeping environmental and technological changes. The staff members feel exhilarated and challenged by the pressures to adapt quickly and effectively. Librarians recognize that a Web presence, like other technology components, must be continuously enhanced and regularly re-engineered. The Health Sciences Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is reinventing its digital presence to better meet the needs of the community. This paper provides a case study focusing on major changes in planning processes, organizational structure, staffing, budgeting, training, communications, and operations at the Health Sciences Library.