Merging Libraries and Computing:

Institutional Decision-Making and Implementation

Arnold Hirshon

Vice Provost for Information Resources

Lehigh University

Bethlehem PA

[email protected]

Introduction

Since the early 1990s, there has been a dramatic growth in the number of higher education institutions in North America that have integrated the administration of their library and computing operations. Currently there are at least ninety such institutions of varying sizes in four year institutions in North America. Over 80% of these institutions integrated the operations since 1993. This paper explores the causes for this integration, the desirable conditions for a successful integration, and the initial steps to take when considering an integration.

Note on terminology: Because this organizational integration is still relatively new and is constantly changing, there is, as yet, little standardized terminology. Within the context of this paper, the following definitions are used. A Chief Information Officer (CIO) in this paper describes only those individuals to whom both computing and library operations report. information resources is an umbrella term used to describe combined library and computing operations. An integrated organization is one where significant aspects of both the computing and library operations report to the same information resources chief information officer. Provost is used interchangeably with "chief academic officer" and "vice president for academic affairs." The survey referenced herein was an email survey conducted by the author in spring 1997 of CIOs at four-year institutions within in North America. The term university is used interchangeably to describe four year colleges or universities.

History and Trends

Historical Perspective, and Current and Emerging Trends. Although some institutions combined the management of libraries and computing in the 1970s, this approach became widespread during the mid-to-late 1980s as the technology caught up with the concept. The renewed merger mania of the 1990s occurred simultaneously with the introduction and expansion of the World Wide Web, campus networks, and the increased availability of library information in electronic form accessible through open systems with standard Web interfaces.

Reasons for the Growth of Organizational Integration. While these changes in technology have clearly had an influence on the increasing trend toward merging, other significant changes also have had an effect. According to the survey, these include: (1) a growing convergence of information and the technology upon which it relies; (2) an increased ability to use information and technology to create and enable better and more coordinated services; (3) a need on some campuses to remediate weak service organizations; (4) a precipitating event, such as the departure of a key administrator or construction of a new building; and, (5) the development of a new institutional strategic vision.

The Ubiquity of the Integrated Organizational Model. Integrated organizations are present at a wide diversity of institutions that range in size from liberal arts colleges to large research universities. The average size student body is 9,000, the average faculty size is 645, and the breakdown by Carnegie type reflects a good distribution at institutions of all types.

Institutional Decisionmaking: To Integrate or Not to Integrate

Is Integration Right for Every Institution? There are certainly times when the conditions are not conducive, or where other preliminary activities should occur before an institution attempts integration. The institution must have a vision of what a integrated organization will accomplish, and how the integration will help to achieve that vision or reach the established goals. Integrating operations is a tool to achieving institutional objectives, not an objective in itself.

Reasons and Desirable Pre-Conditions for Integrating. Ideally a combined organization should emerge naturally within the host institution. While an integrated organization can be imposed upon weak operations, the primary objective should be advancement and not remediation. Some significant factors for success include: use of the integration to advance university goals; building upon a collaborative history between the computing and library operations; strong faculty support; a climate of readiness is present within both organizations; there is a perceived value in having one voice address information and technology issues; and, there is an institutional desire to build a client service oriented and technology-enabled organization. Poor drivers for integrating include: jumping on the academic bandwagon; trying to improve a weak operation by marrying it to a stronger one; the need to downsize; combining operations to save space; and, reducing the number of direct reports to the provost or president.

Increasing Collaboration as an Alternative to Integrating. Even if the institution decides not to integrate, it will probably still be desirable to encourage greater collaboration between the library and computing operations. This may be a prelude to integrating at a later time, or a way to reduce organizational boundaries or build common interests. Some steps to foster greater collaboration include: remediate or eliminate weak operations; build trust by having the staff work together and get to know each other, first by working on simpler projects (such as the development university web page guidelines) and later on more complex tasks (such as to develop an integrated user help desk); and, prepare a long-term development agenda.

Making the Decision: Executive versus Consensus Decision-making. In the survey, 76% of the respondents indicated that on their campuses the decision to integrate was an executive (or top-down) decision on their campuses. As the integrated model becomes more prevalent, consensus-based decisionmaking will probably become more practical.

Institutional and Organizational Conditions for Success. Conditions that seem to predispose the new operation toward success include: a "natural" event that lead to the decision; strong support from the president and provost; organization flexibility to adjust its culture; and, lack of a clash of issues related to faculty status versus position classification for professional staff.

Recruiting and Hiring the CIO

Defining the Scope of the Position. In addition to library and academic computing operations, others duties of the CIO typically include administrative computing, campus networking and telecommunications, and media production and delivery services.

Promoting the CIO From Within Versus Recruiting Nationally. According to the survey, 60% of incumbent CIOs were promoted from within, and 40% were hired from the outside. Librarians were more likely to be promoted into the position (61%), while only 32% had a predominantly computing background. The remaining 7% came from other backgrounds. When hiring from the outside, there was a relatively even division between those hired with a predominantly computing background (53%) versus a librarian background (47%).

Naming the New Operation. Although some institutions continue to include "library" or "computing" in the organizational title, it is more common to use neutral terminology. The most commonly used organizational titles today include: Information Services, Information Resources, Libraries and ..., Computing and..., Libraries and Information Services, Information Systems, Computing and ..., Academic Information Services, and Academic Information Technology.

Determining the Reporting Relationship of the CIO. Since one of the purposes for creating the CIO position usually is to elevate the status or visibility of the operations, the CIO usually reports to the president or provost. In the survey, 75% report to the provost, and 17% to the president. At only two institutions did the CIO report elsewhere; one was a Canadian university.

Determining the Position Title for the CIO. The position title will reflect the organizational context of the campus, but if the title implies that the position hold little status then the title will probably affect the quality of the applicant pool. Currently, 61% of the CIOs hold the title vice president, associate vice president, vice provost, associate provost, or dean. Other commonly titles used include director, chief information officer, and college or university librarian (used at 14 institutions with the word "librarian" appearing either as the lead or secondary term).

The External Recruitment Process. CIO positions are relatively new in academe, so the applicant pool is unlikely to include many or any people current CIOs. Most applicants probably will be current directors of campus libraries or computing. Most important is to find someone with a combination of library and computing experience who demonstrates a sensitivity to the issues and staff in both areas of operation. To improve the pool, some institutions engage the services of an executive search firm. In any event, it is very important to balance the composition of the search committee. Given the diversity of faculty, and of computing and library concerns, a premium should be placed on appointing individuals who will take a campus-wide perspective, and who are highly capable of articulating their views.

Advertising for the CIO. Advertisements must clearly state the scope of the organization, and the responsibilities and desired qualifications of the CIO. Unless there is a particular need to hire a technologist or librarian, the position description should contain no bias. (The full Professional Paper includes qualifications gleaned from advertisements and from CIOs who responded to the survey.) Qualifications should be included that cover: education and job knowledge; professional experience and accomplishments; academic and technical skills and abilities; and administrative skills, abilities and experiences.

Evaluating Candidates. Search committees should consider not only whether a candidate is well informed within his or her area of expertise, but also whether the candidate has had some experience relevant to both libraries and computing. Even if the candidate has had only limited personal experience in both areas, in the cover letter and interview the candidate should demonstrate a balanced approach by introducing examples relevant to both areas.

Some Advice to Potential Candidates. The CIO will be a highly visible, and therefore high-risk, position. Consider your own experience and background, and the readiness of the institution to bring about this change. Do you truly understand the organizational and cultural differences between libraries and computing? Are you enthusiastic about bringing out the best of both? What can you bring to the position and to the institution? Do you have the patience and the stamina the position will require? What degree of support is there for the position across campus? What would happen to your position if the president or provost suddenly left? Is there enough inherent talent on the staff upon which to build the new organization? Do the administrators seem to have a realistic timetable for judging success?

Negotiating With the Preferred Candidate. Once an offer has been made, the candidate and institutions should be prepared to discuss difficult issues such as: faculty status and rank for the CIO; long-term commitment to the individual (either tenure or long term contract); additional funding for new staff positions within information resources; and, budget increases for operating resources, particularly for library acquisitions and for computing equipment and networking.

Implementing the New Organization: First Steps

Understanding the Role and Pressures of the New CIO. The new CIO will be expected to define the new organization and position. Much second-guessing will probably occur. In an environment of high expectations, the new CIO should expect to: demonstrate balance and fairness for both libraries and computing; establish credentials with both the computing and library staff; work to establish the standing of the CIO in the university; build support quickly for the organization within the staff and on campus; reduce tension by encouraging open dialog; build a strong leadership team; customize solutions to the local situation; recognize the level of staff expertise; understand the demands upon the time of the CIO; not raise unrealistic expectations; and, address organizational cultural differences.

Inhibitors to Organizational Success. Potential inhibitors to organizational success include: festering distrust among staff or faculty; a narrow vision of the role of the CIO; failure to resolve cultural differences within the organization; ineffectively addressing issues of turf, territory, or self-interest; lack of knowledge about, or interest in, the work of the operating units; failure to address staff status and compensation inequalities; fostering zero-sum equations that establish a competition rather than collaboration; union agreements that make organizational changes unduly difficult; living in the past or resisting experimentation; creating unrealistic expectations; failure by staff to stay current with developments in technology, information content, or management practices; forcing the integration in an institutional environment with no previous success with inter-organizational collaboration; and, failing to build an effective technology infrastructure to support the content needs of the institution.

Developing a Strategic Plan to Implement the Vision. Combining computing and libraries will be successful only if there is a shared vision that the change is mutually beneficial. A comprehensive strategic plan, built upon the institutional plans, is essential to enhance service delivery and to position the organization to accomplish its goals. A rigorous planning process should involve both internal and external constituencies. Principles or assumptions to guide the planning process should be established at the outset. For example, will the plan be developed with active staff involvement or by a small group meeting in private? Are there "sacred cows" that the plan will not address? A clear calendar of events for developing and implementing the plan will keep the process on track and give lend predictability to all concerned. Key elements of a successful strategic planning process include: staff education and familiarization; environmental scanning; creating effective working groups; preparing and issuing a draft strategic plan; and, providing for review and comment of the draft plan.

Changing the Organization Chart. Only after the organization has articulated its mission, vision and goals should any restructuring occur. The goal of restructuring is to generate a fresh view of services, internal management, and to further strategic plans and investments. The process also enables the organization to identify activities that are redundant or that require increased coordination.

The major consideration in restructuring is the intended degree of organizational integration. According to the survey, 71% thus far have retained separate library and computing directors. Only 17% reported a fully integrated organizational model, but even in these cases the organization charts show that traditional library and computing subordinate structures remain but report to the CIO. A key organizational issue is how to provide effective point-of-need and in-depth information client services, and whether library and computing help and consultation services will integrated (and to what degree). Other issues related to the new organization chart include whether to have: a functional, discipline-based, or client-based oriented organization; a centralized or distributed organization; a hierarchical, matrix-based, or team-based organization; a stove-piped or interactive organization; or, an evolutionary or revolutionary organization.

Space Planning. New organizations will bring changes to staff office and public service spaces. Delays in changing staff offices can prove frustrating to staff and to clients. When relocating or renovating service areas, consider how to locate client support teams so they are near their client base. The location of the CIO's office will affect staff, faculty, and other administrators.

Human Resource Issues. Any restructuring plans should be shared regularly with the person to whom the CIO reports and with the university human resources department. Key issues include the: objectives of the restructuring; methods for assigning staff their new responsibilities; new position descriptions and job titles; position classification and human resources audits; steps for initial and ongoing organizational development; possibility of staff turnover; and, how to address differences in organizational cultures of libraries and computing.

Preparing the Staff and Campus. Maintain effective staff and campus communication throughout the planning and implementation processes. Articulate a transition plan to move from the old organization to the new. Clarify who is responsible for each of the old and new tasks, which tasks should be retained or eliminated, and when changes will occur. Consider whether to adopt an evolutionary switchover in phases over multiple months or whether to choose a single cut-over date when the old operations cease and the new ones will begin.

Integrating Budgets to Link Strategic Plans to the Budget. Today, few institutions can afford to expend the budget on an ad hoc basis. Effective budget allocations and adequate funding should create a vital link between the plans and the budget. Information resources should develop multi-year plans to ensure funding for major priorities and initiatives, and consider whether the computing and library budgets should remain separate or become commingled. The budget allocations and expenditures should remain balanced and even-handed.

Final Thoughts and Advice

Advice to University Administrators. The integration should be a natural outgrowth of the university strategic plan, not just an effort to save money nor to solve a particular personnel problem. Collaboration and cooperation can be accomplished in other ways, so the decision to integrate should be an act of faith and of courage, not a quick fix. Provide at least a three-to-five year commitment to the new organization before substantially changing directions. The most critical single factor for success will be the continued firm support of the provost and president.

Advice to the Staff. Librarians and technologists must work as a team. If you personally oppose the merger and absolutely cannot reconcile yourself to this change in the organization, use the integration as an opportunity to reassess your own career.

Advice to the Potential CIO. Be pragmatic, be daring, but take only realistic risks. Build alliances and partnerships. When things seem to be going smoothly, know that a new problem is around the corner. Show an interest in all operations, particularly those that were not part of your personal background. Be prepared for a long personal learning curve. Recognize that the sphere of concerns and political risks are greater than for a computing or library director alone. If you don't like to juggle with blow torches, look elsewhere for your next career move.