The successful development of a virtual library plan requires an extensive commitment of time to study the process and to solve problems. This section walks the reader through the issues that arose, how the problems encountered were resolved, and the benefits of the virtual library.
The University of South Florida (USF) Libraries operate independently , though collegially with each other. This arrangement, while allowing the individual missions of each of the USF libraries to be met, does create other issuess which must be addressed among the USF Libraries.
For the USF Virtual Library Project to succeed, the USF Libraries would have to
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have a reliable and advanced networked infrastructure and staff,
- make facility and financial decisions focused on true programmatic cooperation,
- have commitment of each of the libraries, its administration, faculty and staff, as well as the commitment of the University to this project, and
- transcend the barriers based on territoriality and distance.
Each of the institutions was looked at with a critical eye, by the librarians within and from outside the institution. Differences in ideologies, procedures, and policies were identified and examined. Possible solutions or actions related to these problems were considered. Strengths and staff were also identified. The following challenges were identified:
- the disparate geographic locations of the USF Libraries,
- the lack of parity in equipment and technologies among the libraries,
- budget issues,
- creating ownership of the virtual library project by staff across all the USF Libraries,
- difficulty in selling this as a USF Libraries project, not just as one library's project,
- unrealistic expectations by management and staff (e.g., less support staff will be needed, time frame necessary to implement) and
- resistance by staff and/or management (reluctance to make changes to accommodate the needs of the virtual library).
The first challenge, the geographical distances between the libraries, was manageable. Weekly conference calls were established so that commuting would not become a hinderance. Electronic mail was used extensively for quick updates, information bites, and document editing. Several all- or half-day meetings were arranged for drafting the report and analysing data.
Equipment, infrastructure, and budget issues were not as easily solved. All are dependent on institutional and or campus funding. Recommendations were made to bring all the libraries up to an equitable infrastructure with standards established as guidelines for future growth.
Creating ownership among and within the libraries staff will be a major focus for future work. The cultures within and among the libraries need to shift to accommodate a wider variety (e.g. technical services) on committees as well as broad representation across libraries. Trust will have to be built, over time, through working together. Management issues are also a concern. Library management, across the libraries, will have to reallocate staff, time, and dollars to accomplish the goals, as well as initiate and handle change within the organizational setting. Other issues, such as management commitment and follow through are essential components to maintain commitment at the staff and faculty levels.
The Virtual Library Planning Committee decided to recommend a series of actions to implement in the creation of the virtual library as the format of the final report. The Committee also decided not to spend time on situations which were beyond their control since the group was more interested in devising answers or actions to potentially correctable situations.
CHALLENGES AND ISSUES IN THE PROCESS
The Virtual Library Planning Committee (VLPC) determined four assignments for the group in order to implement their charge. These were: a comprehensive, shared literature review; the design of a survey isntrument; the design of and use of focus groups; and a formal presentation requesting resources. These four assignments also raised challenges for the members of the committee.
The shared literature review was an ongoing process throughout the ten-month project. In addition to the literature review, each member of the committee searched for relevant workshops or conferences and monitored a variety of listservs.
Literature Review
- Amount of the material needed to form a knowledge base.
- Much of the technical services, standards, and infrastructure information were available in real-time on the net, not in standard reference works
Learning Component
- The difficulty of getting everyone to a common base
of knowledge, especially on technical issues.
The design of a survey instrument had its own challenges. The survey examined specific details on electronic collections and services, the status of cataloging electronic resources, hardware available, staffing, and fiscal support. The group worked via electronic mail and conference call on the design of the survey. There was discussion on the relevance of certain questions on the use of metadata and other, more technical, questions. In the end, it was acknowledged that the technical questions were necessary.
Questionnaire design
- What kinds of questions to include?
e.g., how technical should it be?
- How to structure the questions,
e.g. open-ended, multiple choice, etc.
Survey participants - How to choose peer institutions, Response rate.
Focus groups were held to determine the needs of an ethnically diverse, urban university population. User groups surveyed included USF teaching and research faculty and staff, USF libraries' faculty and staff, graduate and undergraduate students, the Academic Computing Committee, and the Systems Administrators Group.
Focus group design
- What to include?
- How to structure the flow of the focus group?
- How to structure the questions?
Focus group participants
- Who to include?
- Logistically how to cover the campuses
- Who to lead the groups?
A formal presentation requesting resources was made to the Library Directors' Group. The requests included institutional support for attendance at conferences, an allotment for the purchase of pertinent works, and a stipend for a consultant. It was essential that management agreement and follow through be consistent to help sustain the commitment of the VLPC.
Organizational commitment
- Commitment influences the behavior of individuals and their interaction within a team.
- Without commitment from administration, the belief of the individual and/or the team in the relevance of the project wavers.
- Administrative commitment to change is a key factor in determining the success of a project.
AFTERTHOUGHTS ON PROFESSIONAL BENEFITS
The real revolution in information technology is about communication, not computation. Broad communication of the project activities and status of projects is necessary across all levels of staff and across all the USF libraries. Successful change is dependent upon such communication.
The VLPC was an good example of a collaborative learning experience. All participants of the group were professional librarians, each with different areas of expertise, years of experience, and levels of knowledge. All participants had pride in their work experience and skills. All were learning, not only abstract knowledge from the extensive reading required, but how to be a member of the "community", i.e., a group, that had, in the past, been wary and carefull. We learned the language of the larger virtual library community, what are acceptable practices, new and emerging technologies and standards, and how to communicate needs and knowledge to a larger group as well as to members of our work environment.
Last, we were all participants in an innovative process. The workgroup practices were fluid and ignored many of the traditional assumptions about librarianship, librarians, and libraries. Teleconferencing was used extensively as was e-mail and editing through the use of a common HTML page. There was an intentional sharing of information and educating the members of the group to facilitate discussion. This allowed us to work, learn, and innovate together.
We established a good working relationship with each other. We were, and are, united by our strong desire to make the virtual library plan a viable, and implementable one. We discussed issues more openly as the group progressed toward the writing of the document and the analysis of the focus groups. Such candidness promoted a high level of cooperation between all of us, despite disagreements, and helped maintain the level of commitment to the group and the project development.
CITATION: Metz-Wiseman, Monica; Grohs, Kim; Hanson, Ardis; Neville, Tina, and Ed Sanchez (1996). A Blueprint for Development: The USF Libraries Virtual Library Project. Poster session presented at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Annual Meeting, Nashville, Tennessee, April 1997. [http://www.fmhi.usf.edu/library/projects/acrl/usfview.html
