University of MarylandCollege of Information Studies

Achieving Organizational Excellence

LBSC 631 ML 01

Course Syllabus

Fall 2014

Dr. Bruce W. Dearstynebdearsty@umd.edu

Introduction

Welcome to LBSC 631, Achieving Organizational Excellence! This course is designed to provide an introduction to the principles, practices and techniques of leadership and management as they apply to information-based cultural institutions

This course is offered entirely online via the University’s Enterprise Learning Management System (ELMS), asynchronously. There are no classroom meetings. ELMS is based on the Canvas electronic system. It is very user-friendly! Teaching and learning in ELMS will be a rich and rewarding experience. It gives us the ability for online discussions, described below. Before you begin, if you’re not familiar with ELMS, you might check the website of University of Maryland Office of Technology/Academic Support: http://otal.umd.edu/elms-services

If you have problems with ELMS, please call 301-405-1400, Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. through 5:00 P.M. or e-mail: elms-support@umd.edu. If you have other questions or problems, please let me know.

Please read the entire syllabus at the beginning of the course. It provides a roadmap for how the course is organized and how it will proceed.

Please also access the course web site and become familiar with the material under each heading.

Academic Integrity. The University of Maryland’s Code of Academic Integrity sets standards for academic integrity for all undergraduate and graduate students. The Code prohibits students from cheating on exams, plagiarizing, submitting fraudulent documents, forging signatures, submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization, and buying papers. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of academic dishonesty. Instances of any suspected academic dishonesty will be reported and handled according to University policy and procedures. For more information on the Code, visit http://www.shc.umd.edu.

Plagiarism is of particular concern in the networked digital environment. Students must write their essays and assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an idea or a passage of text from another author, they must acknowledge their source both by using quotation marks where appropriate and by proper referencing using footnotes or in-text citations. For further information about proper citation of sources, consult the UMD Libraries website at http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/honesy.html and http://www.lib.umd.edu/PUBSERV/citations/index.html

Deadlines. Please note that all assignments must be completed on time. If there are extenuating circumstances, such as illness or some other unexpected event, please contact me and we will work something out.

Contacting the professor. If you have any questions during the course, please contact me via my e-mail on the course web site.

Submitting assignments. Please submit all assignments using the assignments tool in ELMS. Please submit in Word if possible. PDF is also OK.

Getting started. We would like to get to know you! Please begin by writing a short mini-biography (one page or less) with information that you are willing to share with your colleagues in class, e.g., your name, current position, career goals, subject area interests, management issues and challenges that most interest you, and any other information you would like to include. This will help me and your colleagues in class get to know you. Please post to the Class Bio Forum by September 6.

Discussion Board Forums

I will use the Announcements tool and e-mail to disseminate information to the class, including information about the course schedule, syllabus or assignments.

We will use three online discussion forums in the course – two for assignments and two just for information sharing.

1. Weekly Discussion Forums. For most of the units, there is a weekly discussion topic related to the theme of the week. Please participate in five of these, your choice. These are discussed below.

2. Class Bio Forum. As noted above, please begin by writing a short mini-biography with information that you are willing to share with your colleagues in class. Please post by September 6.

3. Management Issues Discussion Forum. This is an informal forum. Please feel free to use it to discuss topics related to leadership, management, or administration of information programs, or other related topics in management that are of interest to you.

Readings

Please note that there is a good deal of choice in what you read for the course. You can select based on your interests and needs.

Books. Three books are required for the course. Copies are available at the bookstore or you may order via Amazon or in any other way you wish.

Cheryl Bryan, Managing Facilities for Results. Chicago: American Library Association, 2007

John T. Burke, The Neal-Schuman Library Technology Companion. 4th edition. Chicago: American Library Association, 2013

Bruce W. Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs: Principles, Techniques and Tools. Lenexa, KS: ARMA International 2009. This is the central text for the course, written specifically for information professionals in information programs.

Articles. Articles are available online and can be accessed via the University Library's research port. You can select databases by subject or name. These databases may be particularly helpful: Quick Search, Article First, Academic Search Premier, Business Source Complete, Emerald, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and Library and Information Science Source. If you have any problems, contact the Library (a good place to start is their Ask Us! page: http://www.lib.umd.edu/help.html), or let me know.

Some of these articles have long sections on research methodology near the beginning. Often you can skim this to save time, and concentrate on the findings and conclusions.

There are a few additional optional book chapters, available in PDF on the “Files” section of the course web site.

Other material. Other items are available online by clicking on the URL provided in the syllabus.

Assignments

There are two types of assignments: (1) weekly assignments; (2) a research paper.

Please note that there are no exams in this course.

1. Weekly Assignments.

Please read the lecture notes. There are lecture notes for most units. The notes are posted in the “Files” section of the course web site. The lecture notes provide interpretations and insights; summarize other experts; and supplement the readings. They also provide a partial basis for the weekly discussions or written assignments.

Please also read the assigned readings each week.

There are two types of weekly assignments – 4 short written essays and 5 online discussions.

Four written essays (5-8 pages double spaced). There are written assignments, for most of the units, but please note that you need to submit only four, your choice, based on your time and interests. You may submit more if you wish, but you will be graded only on the first four you submit. The essays should work in references to the unit’s readings and other course material as appropriate. But they should convey your analysis and reflections based on the readings and your own insights, observations and experience.

These four essays will count for one third of the course grade.

Five online discussions. There are online discussions for most of the units but please note that you need to participate in only five, your choice, based on your time and interest. You may participate in more if you wish but you will be graded only on the first five discussions you join. For each of the units you select, you need to post at least twice – an original post the first day of the discussion (Wednesday) and at least one more anytime during the discussion. The second post may be another original post, or it may be a response to someone else. Please refer to the document Guidelines for Online Discussions on the course web site, which discusses this in detail.

Your participation in these online discussions will count for one third of the course grade.

2. Research paper on a management or administration topic of interest to you

Please complete a research paper of approximately 15 - 20 pages (double spaced) on a topic of your choice.

It must relate to leadership, management, or administration of information programs and must be approved by me. It should be on a topic that interests you and it needs to be precise enough that you can carry out the research in the time available during the semester and handle it in a paper of this length. The paper may cover a topic that is related to your own work situation or career interests. For instance, you might want to do research on a particular information program management issue, a problem you are facing or expect to face, some aspect of management effectiveness, or some model practices or techniques.

The paper must be adequately researched, well organized, clearly written, carefully proofread, present a clear thesis or argument, include appropriate footnotes in proper form, and include a bibliography that notes sources consulted.

Please send me a proposal by ELMS e-mail by September 8. The proposal can be short – a page or less should be enough -- and should address the following:

Your name Title of the topic A short description of it (a few sentences), including researchable

questions Initial list of sources – titles of a few books, journals you expect to consult

(you don’t need to cite specific articles for the proposal), web sites, etc. This does not need to be a long list; just enough so that it is clear that a critical mass of source material exists.)

A few sentences on why you are interested in this topic

The final version of the paper is due by December 10. Late papers are not acceptable unless there are extenuating circumstances. If there are, please contact me in advance.

“Suggestions for Research Papers” in the “Files” section of the course web site provides some additional suggestions.

The paper will count for one third of the grade.

Grading

As noted above, grades will be assigned as follows:

* Unit written assignments 1/3 of grade* Participating in weekly topic discussions 1/3* Research paper 1/3

Course Units

Unit 1. Leadership and Management Challenges in Information Programs Sept. 2-6

Lecture notes: Leadership and Management Challenges in Information Programs (in the Files section on the course web site)

Readings: Please read Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Chs. 1 and 3

And please peruse any three of the following:

American Library Association, The State of America’s Libraries, 2014. http://www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2014

American Library Association, Libraries From Now On: Imagining the Future of Libraries. ALA Summit on the Future of Libraries- Report to ALA Membership. May 2014. http://connect.ala.org/node/223667

Association of College & Research Libraries, Environmental Scan, 2013. http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/publications/whitepapers/EnvironmentalScan13.pdf

Brian Hill, “Forrester Research/ARMA International Survey: RIM Tech Deployment Still a Rough Road,” Information Management, September/October 2011, 42-44, 46-47.

Roger Levien, Confronting the Future: Strategic Visions For the 21st Century Public Library. ALA Office of Information Technology Policy, 2011. http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oitp/publications/policybriefs/confronting_the_futu.pdf

OCLC, Taking Our Pulse: The OCLC Research Survey of Special Collections and Archives (2010). http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/library/2010/2010-11.pdf

Pew Internet and American Life Project, Library Service in the Digital Age. (2013). http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/01/22/library-services

Written assignment: None this week

Online discussion: None this week

Unit 2. The Information Professional as Leader and Manager Sept. 7-13

Lecture notes: The Information Professional as Leader and Manager (in the Files section on the course web site)

Readings:

Please read:

Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Ch. 2

Sally Helgesen, “Leading in 24/7: What is Required?,” Leader to Leader, Summer 2012, 38-41

Brian Mathews, “Shifting from a Knowledge Service Provider to a Collaborative Partner” July 7, 2014http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/theubiquitouslibrarian/2014/07/07/shifting-from-a-knowledge-service-provider-to-a-collaborative-partner-notes-from-an-arl-strategic-thinking-session(You might also want to take a look at the report on the ARL session he references, “ARL Strategic Thinking and Design,” http://www.arl.org/storage/documents/publications/mm14sp-strategic-thinking-and-design.pdf)

And any two of the following:

Kathleen DeLong, “The Engagement of New Library Professionals in Leadership,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 35 (September 2009), 445-456.

Ronald Heifetz et al, “Leadership in a (Permanent) Crisis,” Harvard Business Review 87 (July/August 2009), 62-69.

Linda A. Hill, “New Manager Development For the 21st Century,” Academy of Management Executive 81 (August 2004), 121-126. John P. Kotter, “What Leaders Really Do,” Harvard Business Review 79 (December 2001), 85-96

Allen I. Kraut et al., “The Role of the Manager: What’s Really Important in Different Management Jobs,” Academy of Management Executive 19 (2005), 122-129.

George Mariz et al., “Leadership Skills for Archivists,” American Archivist 74 (Spring/Summer 2011), 102-122. (On the course web site in the “Files” section)

Michael D. Watkins, “How Managers Become Leaders,” Harvard Business Review 90 (June 2012), 65-72.

Gary Yukl and Richard Lepsinger, “Why Integrating The Leading and Managing Roles is Essential for Organizational Effectiveness,” Organizational Dynamics 34 (November 2005), 361-375.

Written assignment (due Saturday, Sept. 13, midnight): Please select one of the articles from the list above and write an analysis, indicating the article’s main thesis or contentions, the adequacy of its research, whether you found it convincing and why, how it extended or changed your perspectives, and issues if any that you thought it did not explore deeply enough.

Online discussion (Sept. 10-13): Based on your readings in Unit 1, what are the top issues and challenges that libraries and other information programs face, and, drawing on the readings for Unit two, what do you regard as the most important leadership or management skills to address them?

Unit 3. Gender, Cultural and Ethnic Diversity Sept. 14-20

Lecture notes: Gender, Cultural and Ethnic Diversity (in the Files section on the course web site)

Readings:

Please peruse:

Association of College and Research Libraries, Diversity Standards: Cultural Competency for Academic Libraries. 2012. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/diversity

Please read any four of the following:

Sandra Rios Balderrama, “This Trend Called Diversity,” Library Trends 49 (Summer 2000), 194-214.

Marie-Helene Budworth, “Becoming a Leader: The Challenge of Modesty for Women,” Journal of Management Development 29 (2010), 177-186

Alice H. Eagly and Linda L. Carli, “Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership,” Harvard Business Review 65 (September 2007), 63-71

Alice H. Eagly and Jean Lau Chin, “Diversity and Leadership in a Changing World,” American Psychologist 65 (April 2010), 216-224.

Susan Eisner, “Leadership: Gender and Executive Style,” SAM Advanced Management Journal 78 (Winter 2013), 26-41

Herminia Ibarra et al., “Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers,” Harvard Business Review 91 (September 2013), 61-66.

Teresa Schoch, “Turning the Ship Around With a Four Generational Crew,” Information Management (July-August 2012), 25-29

Kumea Shorter-Gooden, “The Culturally Competent Organization,” Library Quarterly 83 (July 2013), 207-211.

Sara D. Smith and Quinn Galbraith, “Motivating Millennials: Improving Practices in Recruiting, Retaining, and Motivating Younger Library Staff,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 38 (May 2012), 135-144.

R. Roosevelt Thomas, “Diversity Management: An Essential Craft for Leaders,” Leader-To-Leader 41 (2006), 1-5. http://www.hesselbeininstitute.org/knowledgecenter/journal.aspx?ArticleID=94

Written assignment (due Saturday, Sept. 20, midnight): Select one of the articles you read and briefly summarize the main points and thesis and analyze the article, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, and indicate whether you agree with the article and explain why or why not.

Online discussion (Sept. 17-20): Please discuss any or all of the following: What is diversity, why is it important, what are the main challenges and issues in managing for diversity in an organization, and what are the best ways to manage for diversity? Which is better – the ARL approach (principles or standards to be followed) or the approach recommended by Thomas – this is a craft, leaders need to follow their own best judgment?

Unit 4. Managing Organizational Complexity Sept. 21-27

Lecture notes: None this week

Readings:

Brian Mathews, “Think Like a Startup: A White Paper to Inspire Library Entrepreneurialism,” 2012. (In the “Files” section of the course web site)

And any three of the following:

Steve Blank, “Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything,” Harvard Business Review 91 (May 2013), 65-70,72

Maria Carpenter, “Cheerleader, Opportunity Seeker, and Master Strategist: ARL Directors as Entrepreneurial Leaders,” College and Research Libraries 73 (January 2012), 11-32

Jon E. Cawthorne, “Leading From the Middle of the Organization: An Examination of Shared Leadership in Academic Libraries,” Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36 (March 2010), 151-157.

Edie Hedlin, “Meeting Leadership Challenges: Lessons from Experience,” in Bruce W. Dearstyne, ed., Leading and Managing Archives and Records Programs (New York: Neal-Schuman, 2008), 163-181. (In the Files section of the course web site.)

Kathleen DeLong, “The Engagement of New Library Professionals in Leadership,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 35 (September 2009), 445-456.

Lynn Olver, “So You’re the New Director? Twelve Points to Help You Survive The First Year,” Public Libraries 50 (March/April 2011), 6-7.

Written assignment (due Saturday, Sept. 27, midnight): Mathews’ white paper, “Think Like a Startup,” advocates continual incremental change. Based on the readings in the first four units, and your own insights and analysis, discuss whether you agree or disagree with what he is advocating, and why.

Online discussion (Sept. 24-27): Based on the readings for the first four units, and your own insights and analysis, please discuss what you believe are the most important leadership and management issues for information programs and indicate why you feel these are important.

Unit 5. High Performance Organizations Sept. 28-Oct. 4

Lecture notes: High Performance Organizations (in the Files section of the course web site)

Readings:

Please read any four of the following:

Teresa Amabile et al., “IDEO’s Culture of Helping,” Harvard Business Review 92 (January-February, 2014), 55-61

Teresa Amabile and Mukti Khaire, “Creativity and the Role of the Leader,” Harvard Business Review 86 (October 2008), 100-109.

Teresa Amabile and Steven J. Kramer, “The Power of Small Wins,” Harvard Business Review 89 (May 2011), 71-80.

Marilyn Darling, Charles Parry, and Joseph Moore, “Learning in the Thick of It,” Harvard Business Review 83 (July – August, 2005), 84-92.

David A. Garvin et al, “Is Yours a Learning Organization?” Harvard Business Review 86 (March 2008), 109-116.

Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis, “Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership,” Harvard Business Review 86 (September 2008), 74-81

Jay J. Jamrog et al, “High Performance Organizations: Finding the Elements of Excellence,” People & Strategy 31 (2008), 29-38.

Robert S. Kaplan, “Strategic Performance Measurement and Management in Nonprofit Organizations,” Nonprofit Management and Leadership 11 (Spring 2001), 353-370.

Jon R. Katzenbach et al., “Cultural Change That Sticks: Start With What’s Already Working,” Harvard Business Review 90 (July/August 2012), 110-117.

James L. Perry et al, “Motivating Employees in a New Governance Era: The Performance Paradigm Revisited,” Public Administration Review 66 (July/August 2006), 505-514.

Written assignment (Saturday, October 4, midnight): What are the most effective policies, strategies, and approaches that a program director can use to encourage and foster creativity and transform it into customer responsiveness and innovation?

Online discussion topic (Oct. 1-4): A number of the readings this week, and several previous readings, focus on the issue of workplace culture. In your discussion, please indicate how you would define this concept, how you assess its importance, and how as a manager you would strengthen it.

Unit 6. Managing Human Resources Oct. 5-11

Lecture notes: Managing Human Resources (in the Files section of the course web site)

Readings:

Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Chs. 5,6,7.

And any one of the following:

Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, “How Leaders Kill Meaning at Work,” McKinsey Quarterly 1 (2012), 124-131.

Teresa Amabile et al., “Ideo’s Culture of Helping,” Harvard Business Review 92 (January-February 2014), 55-61

Amy Edmondson, “Teamwork on the Fly,” Harvard Business Review 90 (April 2012), 72-80.

Linda A. Hill et al., “Collective Genius,” Harvard Business Review 92 (June 2014), 95-102.

Amy Wilkins Jordan, “All Stressed Out But Does Anyone Notice? Stressors Affecting Public Libraries, Journal of Library Administration 54 (May 2014), 291-307.

Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith, “The Discipline of Teams,” Harvard Business Review 71 (March/April 1993), 111-120.

Guy Kawasaki, “Ten Steps to Enchanting Your Employees,” Leader to Leader 65 (Summer 2012) http://www.hesselbeininstitute.org/knowledgecenter/journal.aspx?ArticleID=923

Ales Pentland, “The New Science of Building Great Teams,” Harvard Business Review 90 (April 2012),61-70

Written assignment (due Saturday October 11, midnight): Please address any or all of these questions:

What are the most effective approaches to developing employees and organizing work of the program so that employees’ skills are a good match for the work?

When recruiting and hiring new staff, what mix of knowledge/skills/abilities should you look for?

How should you deal with difficult staff?

Online discussion topic: None this week

Unit 7. Work Processes and Communication Oct. 12-18

Lecture notes: Work Processes and Communication (in the Files section of the course web site)

Readings:

Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Chs. 8, 9, 10

And any one of the following:

Kenneth R. Brousseau et. al, “The Seasoned Executive’s Decision-Making Style,” Harvard Business Review 84 (February 2006), 110-121.

Jay A. Conger, “The Necessary Art of Persuasion,” Harvard Business Review 76 (May/June 1998), 84-95

John Hamm, “The Five Messages Leaders Must Manage,” Harvard Business Review 79 (May 2006), 114-123

Lawrence G. Hrebiniak, “Obstacles to Effective Strategy Implementation,” Organizational Dynamics 35 (2006), 12-31

Andrew Campbell et al, “Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions,” Harvard Business Review 87 (January 2009), 60-66.

Warren Bennis et al, “Creating a Transparent Culture,” Leader-to-Leader 50 (Fall 2008), http://www.leadertoleader.org/knowledgecenter/journal.aspx?ArticleID=741

Written assignment: None this week

Online discussion (October 15-18): Managers of library and information programs often have to make critical decisions that affect the future of their programs, sometimes with incomplete or inconclusive information and under pressure of time. Please discuss any or all of the following: why decision-making is such an important skill, reasons why it may be inadequate or ineffective, and the best approaches for a manager to take to ensure effective, sound decisions. Examples would be particularly welcome

Unit 8. Planning Oct. 19-25

Lecture notes: Planning (please note that several plans are referenced at the end of the notes; in the Files section of the course web site)

Readings:

Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Ch. 4. (Please also peruse Appendix A)

Clayton M. Christensen, “Making Strategy: Learning By Doing,” Harvard Business Review, 75/6 (November/December 1997), 141-156.

Gary L. Neilson et al., “The Secrets to Successful Strategy Execution,” Harvard Business Review 86 (June 2008), 61-70.

Robert S. Kaplan and David Norton, “Mastering the Management System,” Harvard Business Review 86 (January 2008), 63-77.

Written Assignment: None this week.

Online discussion (Oct. 22-25): Please discuss the best approaches to developing a sound strategic plan for an information program. Please refer to plans cited in the notes for this week or any other library, information, or cultural organization plan that you wish, but please identify and include URL if possible. Some questions that you might address: What is an effective plan? What factors do you need to address? How should staff be involved? How would you change the list of “Traits of a Sound Strategic Plan” in this week’s lecture notes? If you’ve been part of a strategic planning effort, what went right; what went wrong? What are the best approaches for executing the plan?

Unit 9. Project Management Oct. 26-Nov. 1

Lecture notes: Project Management (in the Files section of the course website)

Readings: Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Ch. 12

And any three of the following:

Char Booth, “Managing Technology Projects,” Public Services Quarterly, 5 (January – March 2009), 59-63

Center for Technology in Government, SUNY Albany. Making Smart IT Choices: Understanding Value and Risk in Government IT Investments. April 2004. http://www.ctg.albany.edu/publications/guides/smartit2/smartit2.pdf

Alton Chua and Wing Lam, “Why KM Projects Fail: A Multi-Case Analysis,” Journal of Knowledge Management 9 (2005), 6-27.

Kevin P. Grant, William M. Cashman and David S. Christensen, “Delivering Projects On Time,” Research Technology Management 49 (November/December 2006), 52-58.

Paul Legris and Pierre Collerette, “A Roadmap for IT Project Implementation: Integrating Stakeholders and Change Management Issues,” Project Management Journal 37 (December 2006), 64-75.

Andrew Longman and James Mullins, “Project Management: Key Tool for Implementing Strategy,” Journal of Business Strategy 25 (2004), 54-61.

Tonya M. Peterson, “Motivation: How to Increase Project Team Performance,” Project Management Journal 38 (December 2007), 60-69.

Hans Thamhain, “Managing Risks in Complex Projects,” Project Management Journal (April 2013), 20-35

Written assignment (due Saturday, Nov. 1, midnight): Please address any or all of the following: How would you define the role of the project manager? How is it similar to, and how different from, program management in general? What are the best approaches to ensure an effective project team? How would you define success for a project? What are the most important causes when a project is less than successful?

Online discussion None this week.

Unit 10. Information Technology in a Program Setting Nov. 2-8

Lecture notes: Information Technology in a Program Setting (in the Files section of the course web site)

Reading: John T. Burke, The Neal-Schuman Library Technology Companion. 4th edition. Chs. 1-9

Written assignment: None this week

Online discussion: None this week

Unit 11. Managing Information Technology Nov. 9-15

Lecture notes: None this week

Reading: John T. Burke, The Neal-Schuman Library Technology Companion. 4th edition. Chs. 10-18

Written assignment (due Saturday, Nov. 15, midnight): How do you define information technology and how would you assess its importance and impact in a library or other information program?

Online discussion (Nov. 12-15): What are the factors that make managing information technology in libraries and other programs so challenging and, as a manager, how would you

deal with them? In the discussion, please draw on the readings for units 10 and 11 as well as earlier units’ readings as appropriate.

Unit 12. Managing Financial Resources Nov. 16-22

Lecture notes: Managing financial resources (in the Files section of the course web site)

Readings:Dearstyne, Managing Records and Information Programs, Ch. 11

And any three of the following:

Jennifer Weil Arns and Evelyn H. Daniel. “Cutback Management in US Public Libraries: Deliberations, Decision Spaces, and Reflections,” Advances in Librarianship 34 (2011), 37-58

Bruce W. Dearstyne, “Facing the Economic Storm: Navigating RIM Programs Through Hard Times,” Information Management 43 (March/April 2009), 24-26, 28-30.

Charles I. Guarria, “The Recession, Budgets, Expectations and Realities,” The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances 24 (2011), 200-217.

Betsy Kelly, “Applying Return on Investment (ROI) in Libraries,” Journal of Library Administration 52 (September – December 2012), 656-671

Mott Linn, “Cost-Benefit Analysis: Examples,” Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances 24 (February 2011), 68-72

Lynda James-Gilboe, “Raising the Library Profile to Fight Budget Challenges,” Serials Librarian 59 (October-December 2010), 360-369.

Charles Lowry, “Year 2 of the ‘Great Recession’: Surviving the Present by Building the Future,” Journal of Library Administration 51 (January 2011), 37-53.

Charles Lowry, “ARL Library Budgets After the Great Recession, 2011-2013,” Research Library Issues. 2013. http://publications.arl.org/rli282/2 (Please note: click on the down arrow to the left of the first page to access this document.)

Carla J. Stoffle and Cheryl Cuillier, “From Surviving to Thriving,” Journal of Library Administration 51 (January 2011), 130-154.

Written Assignment: None this week.

Online discussion (Nov. 19-22): Libraries and other information programs face considerable budget and resource challenges in these difficult economic times. Please discuss any or all of the following about how you would approach these challenges as a manager of such a program:

Developing a budget that is economical but also provides adequate services and builds for the future.

Identifying ways to economize, e.g., increasing efficiency, making more use of technology, volunteers, other strategies.

Defending your program’s budgets against reductions but, if reductions are imposed, scaling back in a way that protects program priorities and staff.

Keeping up staff morale in difficult budgetary times.

Any other strategies you would like to introduce for how to develop a budget for libraries and related information programs.

Please work in references to the readings as appropriate

Nov. 23-29. Thanksgiving vacation. Enjoy!

Unit 13. Marketing and Advocacy Nov. 30-Dec. 6

Lecture notes: Marketing and Advocacy (in the Files section on the course web site)

Readings:

Please read any two of the following articles:

Carol Lee Anderson, “Moving the Library Agenda Forward: Librarians Collaborating With the Chief Library Administrator to Cultivate Campus Constituencies,” Journal of Library Administration, 51 (February – March 2011), 179-188

Lewis Bellardo, “Observations on Thirty Years of Advocacy,” in Larry Hackman, ed., Many Happy Returns (Chicago: SAA, 2011), 86-106 (in the Files section on the course web site.)

Kerry Cole et al, “Marketing the Library in a Digital World, ” Serials Librarian 58 (January – June 2010), 182-187.

Ivan Gaetz, “Collaborative Librarianship: New Light on a Brilliant Concept,” Collaborative Librarianship (2009), 1-12.

Carol Ann Germain, “A Brand New Way of Looking at Library Marketing,” Public Services Quarterly 4 (2008), 73-78.

Joan Giesecke, “The Value of Partnerships: Building New Partnerships for Success,” Journal of Library Administration 52 (January 2012), 36-52.

Barbara Haws, “Advocating Within the Institution: Twenty-five Years for the New York Philharmonic Archives,” in Larry Hackman ed., Many Happy Returns (Chicago: SAA, 2011), 186-199 (in the Files section of the course web site)

Philip Mooney, “Stranger in a Strange Land: The Archivist and the Corporation,” in Bruce Dearstyne ed., Leading and Managing Archives and Records Programs (New York: Neal-Schuman, 2008), 183-203 (in the Files section of the course web site)

William Saffady, “Making the Business Case for Records Management,” Information Management 45 (January/February 2011), 38-41.

Please read any of the following examples that are of interest:

American Library Association, A Communications Handbook for Libraries (2004). http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advleg/advocacyuniversity/advclearinghouse/commhandbook.pdf

Materials on ALA Office of Advocacy page. http://www.ala.org/offices/ola

ALA, “United for Libraries.” http://www.ala.org/united. The Power Guide for Successful Advocacy is particularly useful.

Association of College and Research Libraries, The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report. 2010. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/value/val_report.pdf

Association of College and Research Libraries, The Value of Academic Libraries Toolkit. http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/value/valueofacademiclibrariestoolkit.cfm

Society of American Archivists, American Archives Month. http://www2.archivists.org/initiatives/american-archives-month

Written assignment (due Saturday, Dec. 6, midnight): Your choice of either (A) or (B):

A. Strong library and information programs require a good deal of cooperation, support, and partnering from within the institutions they serve. This is particularly true in an era of the growing importance of the Web, electronic connections, social networking technologies, and mobile devices. What are the best strategies for a program manager to use to build connections that enable the program to better serve the institution and, at the same time, enable the program to leverage the resources from these connections?

Or

B. What are the best strategies for building a network of supporters and advocates for a library or other information program?

Online discussion (Dec. 3-6): Drawing on the articles and examples you selected, what are the best strategies for advocating for information programs, and what are the best themes or messages to emphasize?

Unit 14. Managing facilities; final wrap-up for the course Dec. 7-13

Lecture notes: None this week

Reading: Bryan, Managing Facilities for Results. Chapters 1-5.

Written assignment (due Saturday, Dec. 13, midnight): Please select a topic related to leadership or management of information programs that is of interest to you. It needs to be something relatively modest in scope and different from the one you selected for your research paper. You will need to carry out appropriate research. You do not need my approval beforehand for the topic. Write an essay (approx. 5-8 pages, double spaced) describing the topic, identifying the chief issues, and setting forth your analysis and conclusions.

Online discussion (Dec. 10-13): Looking back over the entire course, and recalling the discussion in Unit 2, what do you now regard as the most important leadership and management skills that are needed by managers and leaders of programs in our field, and why do you believe they are so important?

8/11/2014