1. Radical Transformation in
Traditional Organizations;
or,
Power Leveling and Avoiding “The
Wipe”
Jeffrey Trzeciak
University Librarian
McMaster University

2. My Introduction
• Relatively new to McMaster
• 20+ years experience
• Public/academic libraries
• Grant initiatives involving
archives, museums and others
• Systems background
• Last position: Wayne State
University, Detroit

3. Member: Gamer Generation
• Level 70
• Tauren (Horde Faction)
• Hunter Class
• Currently Level 70 and
enjoying the Burning
Crusade
• Born: 20-Sep-2006
– Jeffrey Temin

4. July 2006
• University Librarian at
McMaster University
– Top 100 Universities
worldwide
– Canada’s most research
intensive
– Recognized as “Canada’s
most innovative”
– Problem-based learning

5. Notable alumni
Dave Thomas Martin Short Eugene Levy Ivan Reitman

7. Why did I choose to come to Canada?

8. McMaster University Library Context

9. McMaster University Library
Challenges
• Library in state of decline
– 1991: Ranked 86th among
Association of Resarch
Libraries
– 2006: Ranked 109th

10. Significant Challenges
• Lowest funded research library in Canada
• Lowest # of librarians in ARL
• Lowest #FTE in ARL
• Unionized environment
• Length of service
• App. 40% staff in “back office”
• 10-15% of staff on LTD
• Biggest challenge: campus perception

11. McMaster: Organization in transition
• 8 weeks after I started: Provost stepped
down
• University: “discovered” $20m structural
deficit
• Freeze vacancies
• Across the board cuts
• Significant changes at VP and Dean levels

12. In spite of the challenges…
• Acquisitions
– Nearly $700,000 base budget increase
– $600,000 one-time funding
– Increased funding from indirect costs

13. 18 Months later...

14. In spite of challenges…
• Created 7 new librarian positions
– Gaming Librarian
– Marketing/Communications/Outreach
– Teaching and Learning
– Digital strategist
– Digital technologist
– E-resources
– Archivist/Librarian
• Two new positions on the way
– Data/GIS Librarian
– Scholarly Communications Librarian

15. • Inherited Classroom Audio Visual Services
– Staff of 10
– Budget of $1m
– Responsible for all classroom technologies
• Opportunity to integrate instructional
technologies, academic resources, and
support services
In spite of challenges

16. Campus Leadership
• Lead, $6m Innovative Learning campaign
item
• Co-chair, Task Force on Teaching and
Learning
• Chair, Burlington campus learning space
design committee
• iSci, honours research science

17. Campus News

18. Local News

19. National News
(CBC, G&M)

20. National Television (Canada AM)

21. Last December:
PR hat trick
University Affairs The SpecG&M

22. Recipient:
2008 ACRL
Excellence in
Academic Libraries
Award

23. How did we get here?

24. “The Change Agent’s Handbook”
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor Quality Improvement
Champions
David W. Hutton
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor Quality Improvement
Champions
David W. Hutton

25. 1. Clarify the mission, vision, and
reasons for change
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton

26. A new message, bold vision, get attention
Do not fear to be
eccentric in
opinion, for
every opinion
now accepted
was once
eccentric.

27. Problem: Institutional Perception

28. 2006: Banner Year

29. Educational uses: Horizon Report
• “reason students
log on”
• “may represent a
key way to
increase student
access to and
participation in
course activities”

30. New Vision
McMaster University Library will be
recognized as Canada's most innovative,
user-centred, academic library.

31. Captured attention of the President
• Board of Governors
• First presentation by
a University
Librarian to the
Board

32. 2. Establish the roles, responsibilities,
and structure to support change
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton

33. Transformation Team

34. Transforming our organization
• Stopped doing what we didn’t need to do
• Eliminated copy cataloging as a function
– 8 voluntary separation packages;
– 6 months pay
– $300,000 salary savings
• 9 new positions created
– 7 new librarians
• New positions=new functions

35. Reassignments
• Metatadata librarian
• User Experience Librarian
• Director of Liaison Program
• Director of Assessment
• Development officer
• Clerical support:
– Digitization
– maps
– e-reserves
– tiered reference

36. Seven new librarians in one year
• Digital Strategies Librarian (Nick Ruest)
• Digital Technologies Librarian (John Fink)
• Teaching and Learning Librarian (Karen Nicholson)
• Marketing, Outreach, Communications Librarian
(Catherine Baird)
• Immersive Learning/Gaming Librarian (Shawn
McCann)
• E-Resources Librarian (Janice Adlington)
• Archivist Librarian (Rick Stapleton)

37. 3. Develop the required leadership team
capability
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton

38. Informed ourselves: guest speakers
• Faculty: Dr. Brian Detlor (Business), Dr. Claude
Eilers (Classics) and Dr. Geoffrey Rockewell
(Multimedia)
• Mike Ridley (Guelph)
• Perry Willett (UofM)
• Alane Wilson (OCLC)
• Michael Stephens (tametheweb)
• Joan Lippincott (CNI),
• John Shank (blendedlibrarian.org)

39. Retraining: Learning 2.0 @ Mac
http://macetg.wordpress.com/about-learning-20-mac/

41. 4. Determine the key strategies for
achieving the change
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton

42. Transformation: Four themes
• Transforming ourselves
• Transforming our resources
• Transforming our services
• Transforming our facilities
Needed to capture the attention of the campus
community.

43. 5. Develop implementation plans
Implement and monitor progress
*innovative, user-centered
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton

44. First in Canada: Endeca

45. First academic library as “Amazon Associate”

46. First in Canada: Digital Commons

47. First to provide reference service in
Second Life

48. “Availability of the infrastructure
is not enough - we need the
people who connect resources
to problems. That's what
librarians can do - they can help
instructors think about how they
can use the different resources
and they can help us implement
meaningful pedagogical
activities using the information
resources and infrastructure at
hand. This is really not that
different from having lots of
books on the shelves - we still
need librarians to help us use
those resources imaginatively. “

49. First in Canada: Kirtas and Lulu

50. Drupal: Peace and War
• Open source content
management
• Open content
• Digitize materials from 20th
century peace and ward
• July launch:
– 600 WWI maps
– 600 WWI aerial photos
– 600 WWII posters
– 120,000+ Russell letters
– Much, much more

51. First ARL to go Evergreen ?
• “Conifer”
• Open source
ILS
• Partnership
with Windsor
and Laurentian

52. Our Facilities Learning Commons @ Mills and Thode
-Grid computing
-Visualization
-RFID
-Augmented reality?

53. 6. Determine causes of
under- and over-performance
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton

54. 7. Assess the current situation
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton

55. Assessment
• LibQUAL
• SAILS

56. • Still a work “in progress”
• Annual reviews
– UPC
– Budget
• This year: Thode Science and Engineering
Library staffing model review
• Staff vacancies: no “status quo”
• Assessment plan: this year

57. 8. Celebrate, reflect, document
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton

58. ACRL Award
• Recipient 2008 ACRL Excellence in
Academic Libraries Award
• Sponsored by Blackwell Book
Services
• Previous recipients include:
• Cornell
• Virginia
• Arizona
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Others

60. Last but not least…..
9. Apply learning
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton
The
Change
Agent’s
HandbookA Survival Guidefor QualityImprovementChampions
David W. Hutton

61. My own lesson:
Do not fear to be
eccentric in
opinion, for
every opinion
now accepted
was once
eccentric.

62. Note of caution
Tell all the Truth but tell it slant---
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightening to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind---
Emily Dickinson

63. Questions?
Jeffrey Trzeciak
University Librarian
McMaster University
Mills Memorial Library
905-525-9140
trzecia@mcmaster.ca