Transformation: next generation technical services at the University of California Libraries

Medeiros, Norm

doi:10.1108/10650751111106500

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NM: The University of California Libraries are investigating the feasibility of system‐wide collaboration in technical services areas. What was the motivation for this initiative?
NM: How do initiatives such as this emerge within the UC system?
NM: Are you aware of other universities or consortia that are doing work similar to UC's next gen project?
NM: One of the challenges, however, to consolidating functional areas in technical services is in the number of materials that need to move among libraries, which works against getting the items into the hands of users as quickly as possible
NM: You have been appointed Chair of the “Enterprise‐Level Collections Management Services” task group, one of three task groups that comprise Phase Two of the Next Generation Technical Services initiative. Describe the charge of your group and your expected outcomes?
NM: The way libraries do business has fundamentally changed as a result of the economic crisis. Yet the crisis offers us an opportunity to make transformative changes
NM: The Next Generation Technical Services scope statement lists eight values that will be assessed in order to determine whether a truly transformative model of collaborative technical services can be achieved. The first value is “speed processing throughout all technical services functions.” This has been a theme of technical services for generations. How can UC achieve it?
NM: How is UC planning to evaluate what is a “good enough” bibliographic record?
NM: Do you think outsourcing all English language print materials would provide enough staff time to tackle the hidden collections?
NM: What else is your task group considering?
NM: Another value, one that I strongly endorse but have difficulty envisioning in practice, is “allow for continuous improvements to basic metadata including from the world beyond the UC Libraries: our users, expert communities, vendors, and other libraries.” How might this be achieved?
NM: Is there anything else you want to tell me about this work that we have not covered?
Notes
References

Research Article| February 15 2011

Transformation: next generation technical services at the University of California Libraries

Norm Medeiros

Associate Librarian of the College, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, USA

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Author & Article Information

Publisher: Emerald Publishing

Online ISSN: 2054-1694

Print ISSN: 1065-075X

2011

OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives (2011) 27 (1): 6–9.

https://doi.org/10.1108/10650751111106500

Purpose

This paper seeks to feature an interview with Brad Eden, Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and Scholarly Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Eden discusses the University of California Libraries' Next Generation Technical Services initiative.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper notes changes necessary to transform technical services for the new digital realm.

Findings

The task force chaired by Eden recommends several changes to traditional processes, three of which are central to achieving transformative change.

Originality/value

The paper offers readers insights into the means by which a large consortium under severe financial constraints is attempting to achieve cost‐savings and value‐added services through system‐wised collaboration.

2011

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