East Tennessee State University has a diverse student population of approximately 12,500 students. Recent statistics have indicated that the student body is bypassing the physical library building, including reference services, and connecting to online sources from off campus. With only six public service librarians whose duties include…

As libraries change to meet the evolving needs of our patrons, including the development of online services, many libraries are considering consolidating physical service points to maximize staff and better serve the in-house patron. This article describes the planning, implementation, and evaluation process involved in merging the circulation and…

Considers job rotation, the systematic movement of employees from one job to another, as one of the tools for organizational development. Reviews relevant print and Internet literature, discusses the pros and cons of job rotation, and describes experiences at the Ryerson University library to illustrate process. (Author/LRW)

A librarian at Southern Oregon University who became the campus Webmaster examines whether this new role was outside his job description, or a redefinition/expansion of an existing position. Discussion includes colleagues' differing reactions; how he became the campus Webmaster; what the library gains and loses; and perspective on the future of…

Recognizing recent efforts by members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in establishing departments or designating full-time staff for preservation efforts, the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) undertook a survey to identify ways research libraries are reorganizing for these new activities. Telephone interviews were…

Discusses restructuring a college library staff to provide adequate library services by employing librarian generalists who specialize in several areas of librarianship. Highlights include the professional benefits; planning for change; staff development and hiring; and specific guidelines for restructuring jobs to meet the information needs of…

Describes the emerging position of electronic services librarian. Explains how the position was created to meet the demands of OPACs (online public access catalogs), computers and CD-ROMs, the Internet, and multimedia applications in academic libraries. Topics include the gap between user services librarians and technical specialists, hiring…

This paper chronicles ongoing alterations to the organizational structure of the acquisitions department at Pennsylvania State University using the tenets of total quality management (TQM). The movement toward reorganizing for process improvement began in late 1992 when the associate dean of libraries called the acquisitions department together to…