The article I chose to review from Library Hi Tech was "CMS/CMS: content management system/change management strategies" by Susan Goodwin, Nancy Burford, Martha Bedard, Esther Carrigan and Gale C. Hannigan
In summary:
The Problem – the five libraries that serve the 45,000 users at Texas A&M web presences were inconsistent, difficult to navigate, decentralized and underutilized.
The Action – A Web Integration Team was formed and given the responsibility to develop the Universities Libraries’ web presence. In an effort to be inclusive and promote staff involvement, team members were chosen who were in a position to be ‘agents of change.’
The Goal – to chose and implement a content management system that would provide consistent, integrated and user-friendly web presence.
The Results – the WIT offers lessons learned and recommendations for the process of choosing a CMS.
Lesson 1.
Systems people should not be the only ones tasked with content management. Recommendation: Content management goes beyond technical requirements and demands the attention of upper management, subject specialists, collection developers and other library departments. Most important is to have a way for the decisions of the group to be implemented by people in positions of authority.
Lesson 2.
Developing an integrated approach to web presence revealed lack of organization unity. Recommendation: Use this time as an opportunity to examine old hierarchies and concepts that may be holding back knowledge sharing.
Lesson 3.
Creating an integrated web emphasized the need for a new work culture of collaboration between libraries. Recommendation: Purposefully promote knowledge sharing and a ‘big picture’ perspective amongst staff and other stakeholders.
Lesson 4.
Details can derail the process. Recommendation: it is better to view development as an iterative process of continuous improvements. Make the logical decision for the current environment and plan to revisit in the future.
Lesson 5.
Focusing on electronic resources highlights the paradigm shift for libraries to move from internal organizations focus to user based focus. Recommendation: Acknowledge that internal staff are users also. Do not downplay the impact of this change.
Lesson 6.
Roles and responsibilities will change. Recommendation: rethink job descriptions, redesign hiring requirements, reassign and train people to meet the new needs of the library.
Lesson 7.
Developing a website creates change that must be managed. Recommendation: acknowledge that it is a process that requires advanced management and leadership skills.
Lesson 8.
Communicate. Recommendation: establish regular methods of communication at all levels of staff and solicit feedback for ‘reality checks’.
Lesson 9.
The work load will not decrease over time. Recommendation: Without long term commitment, content management system software is wasted.
While trying to recap the article, I found that the lessons offer valuable insights. I think the authors are correct in calling it a paradigm shift that will create opportunities and obstacles from a management perspective. It is also key to acknowledge that staff involvement will have its ups and downs. There is a noticeable lack of faculty involvement described which may lead to major problems for the library if outside stakeholders were not included in the process. I found the changes to the organizational chart as well as a sample of the content management deadlines to be helpful as an indicator of the level of change and the amount of work the process entails. The final analysis of the authors was that while choosing the software for CMS was a major accomplishment, more importantly the development of a significant web presence heralded major changes for the library culture and its staff that required delicate and affirmative management. All in all, I appreciated the common-sense reflection and resolutions the authors present from their experiences.
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