Reject, Rethink, Redo, Rejuvenate: A new model for academic health sciences libraries

1. Library 4 R’s:
Reject
Rethink
Redo
Rejuvenate
Elaine Martin, D.A.
Director of Library Services
Lamar Soutter Library
UMass Medical School
August 2013

2.  Context
 Library Trends
 Four “Rs”
 Reject
 Rethink
 Redo
 Rejuvenate
Outline

3. Context

4.  $20 million deficit institution wide
 5% cut across the board FY 2014 (all departments
except those involving public safety)
 Hiring freeze
 Sequestration- resulting in mandatory 5-10% cuts to all
NIH-funded research grants
 Loss of revenue from Commonwealth Medicine
 Reduced contracts with state agencies including
correctional health
 Clinical partner in financial straights as well
 Pincus Center closing in June
 Institution is preserving mission critical programs
 UMMS proposed operational goals mandates all
departments to decrease expenses by anticipated 10%
before FY15.
UMMS

5. Rising Cost of Journals
Figure 1 Annual US journal price increases compared to Consumer Price Index (CPI). Sources: Annual price
changes for US journals are from annual Allen Press studies. CPI is from the US Department of Labor, Bureau of
Labor Statistics
Figure from: Tillery, K. (2013). 2012 Study of Subscription Prices for Scholarly Society Journals: Society
Journal Pricing Trends and Industry Overview. Allen Press, Inc. Retrieved on March 29, 2013 from
http://allenpress.com/resources/education/jps

6. Rising Cost of Key Resources
UptoDate
MD Consult/Clinical Key
E-Resource Packages
Online Books

7. Library FY 2014
 With resource inflation effective 8-10% cut
 Approximately $400,000
 Budget reduction in RML
 5% reduction for Option Year 2
 Limited to 8 month budget
 Permanent staffing reductions for duration of
the contract
 Resulting in reduction of IDC to the library

8. Library Trends:
Declining Statistics*
* Lamar Soutter Library(LSL) has developed tracking
methods to compile statistics which we report to
the Association of Academic Health Science
Libraries (AAHSL) each year.

9. Circulation
 Migration from print to electronic
 Migration from VHS to digital capture of
class lectures
 Paper reserves transitioned to the online
curriculum platform.

10. ILL Lending
 Licensing restrictions
 National trend
 Loansome Doc//copyright

11. Binding
 Print reduced to core collection
 250 titles in FY10
 97 titles in FY13
In FY08, stopped binding due to budget cuts. Completed FY08 binding in FY09.

12. Cataloging
 New ILS system cuts cataloging
processing by 50%
 Physical processing done by support staff
 Remaining is being done by professional
staff as support staff do not have the
necessary skills:
 Original cataloging
 Connection processing (national
database)
 Overall volume reduced

13. Other Downward Trends
 No longer participating in Federal
Depository Program
 No longer checking in print journals
 Preservation work eliminated
 Streamlined purchasing process
 Less space / increase in demand for seats
 Less activity at the Library Service Point
(more self-service)

14. Move Towards Self-Service
 Book renewals
 Book holds
 Virtual catalog
 Self-service for headphones, reserves, etc.
 24/7 access to library
 Pilot was a success.
 Proposed closing doors at 9pm (Sun–Thurs)/6pm (Fri & Sat)

15. National Trends
 LSL trends mirror national trends.
 For Example: In medical school libraries in
the US and Canada, there was a 45.7%
decline in total circulation between
FY2008 and FY2012.*
*Byrd, Gary, ed. 2010. 2008-2009 Annual Statistics of Medical School Libraries in the United States and Canada.
32nd ed.
Squires, Steven J., ed. 2013. 2011-2012 Annual Statistics of Medical School Libraries in the United States and
Canada. 35th
ed.

16. Professional Work Is Changing
The professional work is increasing in volume and becoming more
complex and technology focused:
Participation in systematic reviews, chart rounds, IRB
Developing custom portals for departments
Website consultation service
Library as publisher
Participating as primary staff on research grants
In-depth reference requests such as
 Developing complicated search strings for requests from the
Office of Research or the Dean’s office.
 Getting people started with research
 Helping people decide where to publish
Complex IR work (Institutional Repository is expanding)
Complex cataloging work / metadata
Library professionals are spending more time bringing services off
site to locations such as Memorial and Mass Biologics.

17. Catalysts for Change
 As the Library evolves, library work is changing. More of the
work requires specialized, professional information science
coupled with subject expertise.
 Much of the support staff’s repetitive work is going away. It is
being replaced by the need to be able to handle in-depth
reference questions from faculty and students.
 The skills necessary to do in-depth, complicated reference work
are acquired by obtaining an MLS along with subject
knowledge. It is not feasible for the Library to provide support
staff with comparable training.
 Currently these questions are referred to librarians. The
librarians, whose roles are changing in response to new
initiatives such as data management, e-science, and
bioinformatics, are involved in projects outside the Library.

18. The 4 Rs
 Reject
 Rethink
 Redo
 Rejuvenate

19. Reject the Old
 LSL’s current model is no longer viable
 Resources must be redistributed
 Reorganize

20. Reorganization

21. Historical Progression to Current Reorganization
DATE ACTIVITIES
2007 Levels Program: Support Staff Career Path Program, emphasizing cross training
introduced to staff
2007 Technical Services eliminated
2009 Reference Department reorganized into specialty areas
2009 Reference Desk eliminated; Single Service Desk opened
2009 Triage/Pager Reference Model begins
2010 Outreach Continuum defining outreach and embedded librarians at LSL developed.
2010 Strategic Plan: Future of the Library developed
2011 Librarians are embedded in research grants and actively forming partnerships with
faculty, clinicians and researchers
2011 - 2013 Self-Service Team Recommendations implemented
2012 Embedded librarian job description approved
2013 24/7 Library access instituted
2013 Fellows Program developed and Fellows job description approved
2013 New Reference model developed– appointment based

22. Director
Assoc. Director
Comm, Tech,
Global Relations
Assoc.
Director
Library
Operations
Assoc.
Director
History &
Archives
Assoc.
Director
RML
Head:
Education &
Clinical
Services
Head:
Research &
Schol. Comm
Services
Head:
Technology
Initiatives
Head:
Licensing &
Copyright
Institutional
Repository
Libr
Embedded
Librarian
Embedded
Librarian
Embedded
Librarian
Library Asst I
Librarian,
e-resources
Library Asst I
Vacant
Eliminated
Supervisor:
Public Desk
Supervisor:
ILL
Library Asst II
Library Asst I
Vacant
Eliminated
Library Asst I
Library Asst I
Library Asst I
Library Asst I
Library Clerk
Library Clerk
O3’s
Staff
Accountant I
Fin. Asst III
Administrative
Asst II
Project
Coordinator
Librarian, Info
& Special Coll
Network Coord
Consumer
Health Info
Coord
Proj. Coord:
Outreach
Technology
Coord
Financial
Assistant
Administrative
Assistant
Project Director:
Public Health
Project
Coordinator
Project
Coordinator
Project
Coordinator
Embedded
Librarian
Current FY13

23. Director
Assoc. Director
Comm, Tech,
Global Relations
Assoc.
Director
Library
Operations
Assoc.
Director
History &
Archives
Assoc.
Director
RML
Head:
Education &
Clinical
Services
Head:
Research &
Schol. Comm
Services
Head:
Technology
Initiatives
Institutional
Repository
Libr
Embedded
Librarian
Embedded
Librarian
Embedded
Librarian
Library Asst I
Librarian,
Electronic
Resources
Supervisor
Library Fellow
O3’s
Staff
Accountant I
Fin. Asst III
Administrative
Asst II
Project
Coordinator
Librarian, Info
& Special Coll
Network Coord
Consumer
Health Info
Coord
Proj. Coord:
Outreach
Technology
Coord
Financial
Assistant
Administrative
Assistant
Project Director:
Public Health
Project
Coordinator
Project
Coordinator
Project
Coordinator
Embedded
Librarian
Library Fellow
Library Fellow
Library Clerk
Library Clerk
Re-Org FY 2014
Supervisor

24. Rethink the Librarianship Model
 Rethinking the Library in “mission critical” terms leads us to a
totally professional model that better meets the needs of
faculty, students, and staff of UMMS.
 As we take a more universal view of what it means to be a
librarian, we concentrate in new areas:
 Data services
 Embedded librarians
 Focus on UMMS programs
 Questions to address?
 Will our library continue to be “equal access” ?
 Will we provide baseline service, but move to an entrepreneurial
chargeback model “pay to play”?
 Will our budget fluctuate based on who uses our services and who
can pay?
 What changes do we need to make to morph into a Library that
continues to meet the needs of the medical school as it changes?
 Do librarians need a physical library to be librarians?

25. Redo
 Implement a new model based on
professional librarians in new roles.
 Funnel our resources into mission critical
areas.

26. Approach
 Increase opportunities for librarian participation in:
 Education
 Research & Clinical programs
 Outreach
 In-depth reference
 Information Science Research
 Fill positions that support mission critical work
 Eliminate staffing at the Library Service Point and
redesign service model
 Implement operational efficiencies
 Think about succession planning

27. Summary of Staffing Changes
 Transition staffing from current non-MLS
support staff to recent MLS graduates
 Layoff 5 support FTE
 Cut 2 vacant support FTE
 Recruit 3 MLS degreed Library Fellows

28. New Reference Model
 No Desk
 No Paging System
 No “on call” Librarians
 New Model:
 Consultation service model; appointment based
 Librarians off-site; assigned to specific projects or
departments
 Less “library as place” based service
 More librarians going out of Library to provide service.
 More grant funding for partial salary support – charge
back model of reference service.

29. Summary of Library Fellows Program
 Provides a two-year work experience emphasizing
hands-on learning and research into topics of
information management, medical librarianship, and
the biomedical sciences.
 Incorporates training, professional development, and
research.
 Guides the fellow toward a professional career in
academic medical Librarianship.
 LSL is the learning laboratory for exploring the ins and
outs of assisting clinicians, researchers, educators, and
students with their information needs.
 Fellows contribute to LSL by performing meaningful
projects and assignments and bringing passion and
new ideas about librarianship to the organization.

30. Rejuvenate
 New, optimistic view of the Library.
 Flexible and ready to change as needed
to meet current needs.
 Opportunities for individual growth
 Creating an environment that promotes
contributions to the profession of
Librarianship.

31. Creating Opportunities for the
New Health Sciences Librarian:
LSL Fellows Program
For more information contact:
Elaine Martin, D.A.
Director of Library Services
Lamar Soutter Library
UMass Medical School
elaine.martin@umassmed.edu