Change management in extremis: A case study

The Concept of Socially Inclusive Library in Changing Society

“…Today, being public sector organizations, libraries are in the state of constant change. Libraries are influenced by innovations which require changes in their activities (Carrillo, Gregory, 2019). At the same time, society's expectations for libraries are changing -libraries are becoming community centers, creating and sharing knowledge, and at the same time carrying out traditional bookkeeping and publishing activities (Irwin, Silk, 2019).…”

Incremental Reorganization at a Regional Comprehensive University: A Case Study

“…These processes require preparation, long-range vision, and steadfast leadership, as well as persistence and the ability to be flexible. Ultimately, change leaders must understand that adapting new workflows and realigning work assignments requires changing the organizational culture (Carrillo and Gregory 2019). Simons (2018) pointed out that leaders of change efforts must remember to "focus on the people," and that a methodical approach has the best chance of success.…”

“…Simons (2018) pointed out that leaders of change efforts must remember to "focus on the people," and that a methodical approach has the best chance of success. As we saw with the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns of 2020, change can sometimes happen very quickly, but long-lasting change comes from steady leadership, ongoing communication, and building a collegial team (Carrillo and Gregory 2019).…”

Reorganization of a very small academic library: a case study of Maine maritime academy's Nutting Memorial Library

“…The field of change management has produced many articles and books that describe how to conduct a change process, what initiates a change process, and how to determine if that process was successful. There is consensus that change can be successful when all stakeholders are involved in the process, understand the need for change, buy into the organization's vision for the future and feel prepared for their new roles within the organization (Auster and Taylor, 2004; Carillo and Gregory, 2019; Crumpton, 2015; Gremmels, 2013; Novak and Day, 2015; Wheeler and Holmes, 2017). Tusa summarizes these findings, and writes that “open and frank communication plays an important role in the successful outcome of any reorganization project, not only for the purpose of buy-in but also for the sake of making change less painful due to possibly shattered expectations” (Tusa, 2019, p. 164).…”

“…Similarly, it is generally understood that one of the most common immediate drivers of change is a change in leadership. Carillo points out in their accounting of a change process that “retirement, after so many years of unswerving leadership, made it possible-and necessary-to take a look at the department with fresh eyes” (Carrillo and Gregory, 2019, p. 23). Novak and Day (2015) also identify common drivers for change in libraries, including technology, library as place, declining budgets and “the arrival of a new leader in the organization.” Moran goes further in their description of ARL and Round's Library reorganization and restructuring: a SPEC kit (1996), stating that “There were similar reasons why most of these reorganisation efforts began:Restructuring often accompanied the hiring of a new director;Restructuring often took place after the retirement or departure of one or more individuals occupying key administrative positions such as associate university librarian or department head;Restructuring often was a result of a budget cutback that made the library search for ways to accomplish its work in a more efficient manner;Restructuring sometimes followed a study of internal processes.…”