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Showing posts from September, 2011

On Learning, Library Evolution, Organizational Change, and the (Occasionally Ugly) Responsibilities of Library Management

Inside Higher Ed's "Library Limbo" story, noting the backlash against layoffs at the USD library, has sparked some great conversations about professional development and management in the past few days. Positions such as inventory control official and reserves supervisor, seen as non-essential to the USD Library moving forward, were apparently done away with in favor of positions with greater technology responsibilities. People were laid off close to retirement. People were offended that one could be let go after serving a university for more than 25 years. Required background reading, if you haven't already read them: Gavia Libraria (The Library Loon)'s "Libraries: The Last Humane Employers" Barbara Fister's IHE column "You are not a tinker toy: Libraries and reorganization" Wayne Bivens-Tatum's post "Responsibility and Professional Development" Barbara Fister's Library Journal column "What do we want? Change! When