Organisational structure & skills

Structure

Structural change is inevitable in any volatile environment, and we are experiencing

more rapid change nowadays than ever before. Organisations including public libraries

must respond to change or risk becoming redundant. This places great pressure on

organisational capacity, flexibility, motivation and recruitment. 

Issues that need to be taken into account are the constraints of local government 

culture and the inconsistent development of strategies across local authority boundaries.

Often library services have a low political profile within the authority; there are resource

implications and competition with other channels.

Many public libraries are still focused around circulation, and even if they are moving

away from this view, library staff may be slower in adapting. Many of our organisations

are structured around our core business of lending and reference services, and are not

ready for the broader roles that e government assumes libraries will have. Library 

managers need to understand that increasingly our customers expect more from library

staff. They expect help in using software packages, in troubleshooting PC problems and

in getting online. A team based approach to service delivery with multi skilled staff,

who see their role as assisting people in an e world, is a vital ingredient to the success of

furthering the e agenda.

Libraries are sometimes perceived as playing  a minor role  in local government.

This can be particularly so in the United States, where libraries are governed by boards

and relatively independent of local government. The successful libraries in e government

have made sure they are firmly integrated in their local authority, and in many cases,

have taken a lead role in areas such as web development, Internet access and training.

Successful library managers have made their libraries indispensable in achieving the

aims of their local government. One of the best examples of this is at Fairfax County

Public Library, where the library has led the development of the county website, and is

clearly and prominently a key provider of information for the residents. Successful

libraries have been the first to adapt to the new technologies, recognising their potential

often before local authorities. 

E government offers the potential for libraries to become efficient in the use of e 

procurement. Brisbane City Council Library Services has totally outsourced its technical

services, something only possible because the TCP/IP backbone is sufficiently robust to

allow B2B transactions for remote library suppliers. Its suppliers gain secure access to

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