Against Wind and Tide: Alternative Case Studies Reflecting on Subject and Functional Librarians in a Hybrid Reality Recording

Library organizational charts have changed dramatically and these case scenarios about how academic library staffing reflects different models is the center of this STM panel. The pandemic pressures of remote access and learning for nearly two years have resulted in emerging new staffing models.

Libraries and academic life have fundamentally changed. Technology dictates many options and academic libraries must prove relevant to campus strategic plans and commitments to student success. The needs of scholarly communication, going from analog to digital and the more holistic role of libraries as evolving collaborative places shifts the burden of staffing significantly.

Realizing that personnel costs are among the largest bite out of a library budget, academic staffing models consider different components that dictate the overall budget: ratios to support campus FTE and specific student needs, the level and number of academic degree programs, extent of distance education, scope of technology and projected growth and formats of collections, budget restrictions and flexibility, internal processing capabilities, consortia relationships to share content, and perhaps staffing, capital costs for physical improvements, and other operational needs.

Traditional staffing does not always supply new skillsets among staff to meet specific needs. Reorganization has addressed this over the years and there are many new job responsibilities requiring training and familiarity with a range of new technologies, products and processes. Directions to restructure libraries reflect trends to better support research, instruction across the disciplines, marketing and promotion of library services and resources. The Open Access movement has added a new level of submission, acquisition, and practice that has changed libraries in how they manage staff and resources further enhancing the need for change.

This session introduces different models with advantages and disadvantages that address how libraries can successfully meet their academic and fiscal challenges as they serve changing academic communities.

Library organizational charts have changed dramatically and these case scenarios about how academic library staffing reflects different models is the center of this STM panel. The pandemic pressures of remote access and learning for nearly two years have resulted in emerging new staffing models.

Libraries and academic life have fundamentally changed. Technology dictates many options and academic libraries must prove relevant to campus strategic plans and commitments to student success. The needs of scholarly communication, going from analog to digital and the more holistic role of libraries as evolving collaborative places shifts the burden of staffing significantly.

Realizing that personnel costs are among the largest bite out of a library budget, academic staffing models consider different components that dictate the overall budget: ratios to support campus FTE and specific student needs, the level and number of academic degree programs, extent of distance education, scope of technology and projected growth and formats of collections, budget restrictions and flexibility, internal processing capabilities, consortia relationships to share content, and perhaps staffing, capital costs for physical improvements, and other operational needs.

Traditional staffing does not always supply new skillsets among staff to meet specific needs. Reorganization has addressed this over the years and there are many new job responsibilities requiring training and familiarity with a range of new technologies, products and processes. Directions to restructure libraries reflect trends to better support research, instruction across the disciplines, marketing and promotion of library services and resources. The Open Access movement has added a new level of submission, acquisition, and practice that has changed libraries in how they manage staff and resources further enhancing the need for change.

This session introduces different models with advantages and disadvantages that address how libraries can successfully meet their academic and fiscal challenges as they serve changing academic communities.