The Evolution of Technical Services: Learning From the Past and Embracing the Future

Creating a New Organizational Structure for a Small Academic Library: The Merging of Technical Services and Access Services

“…Hugh Atkinson radically transformed the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Libraries in 1981 with the intention of creating the "holistic librarian"-librarians whose duties span the gamut of librarianship. Although the results were mixed, this reorganization represents one of the earliest examples of inserting technical services into public services, and vice versa (Laskowski, Jennifer, & Maddox, 2014). The Illinois "experiment" aimed to recognize expertise in both back-end and front-end Creating a New Organizational Structure for a Small Academic Library 165 library services by having all librarians engage users.…”

Transforming Technical Services: Evolving Functions in Large Research University Libraries

“…A recent article by Laskowski and Maddox Abbott observed these factors through examining the evolution of technical services at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library over the last few decades. 8 The article focused on the Library's reorganization activities between technical services and public services that began in 1978 in an attempt to decentralize cataloging functions and to embed cataloging activities in subject areas of public services. It offered a comprehensive historical context in the course of changes that were made in both technical and public services in the Library over the years, and underscored the importance of acknowledging and cultivating expertise in both services.…”