The document summarizes the merger of a university's technology help center and library circulation services into a new Information Resources Support Center (IRSC). It describes how the CIO envisioned consolidating all student, faculty, and staff support for information resources. This involved reorganizing reporting structures and staff, cross-training employees, renovating space, and developing joint projects and planning between the two areas over time. The new IRSC opened in August 2010 and represented an ongoing change process, with celebrations of successes and lessons learned about continued professional development and outreach.

1. Merging User
Support Services
Technology Help &
Library Circulation

2. Situation
• Technology Help Center focused
on faculty & staff
• Library staff constantly asked
technology questions by students
• Faculty demanding technology
help for their students
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3. Location, location, location!
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4. It’s a Plan: CIO Vision
• Technology & Library Support for
students, faculty, & staff in one place
• Single point of support for all
Information Resources Services
– One phone number
– One email
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5. Re-0rganize
• The IRSC is created
• First year: dual report
• Afterward, report to Library
Director
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6. First Conflict: Different Reporting
• Technology Help Center reports
to Academic Computing
• Circulation Services is part of
the Library
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7. Collaboration: Joint Project
Development & Planning
• Investigation of the Field
– Listservs and interviews,
articles
• Consultants
• Sharing documents with
each other
• Met with all managers,
directors and Associate
Provost
• Began meeting weekly with
the staff involved
– To create a plan
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8. Collaboration Begins
Process Processing Change
• Met weekly • Changing the service
• Identified sub groups to focus on: model
– student staffing & professional
development,
– staff professional development,
– space, and • Changing location
– What a merged organization would look
like (we needed a new name)
• Kept detailed minutes of issues, • Changing the space
concerns, tried to address them
at the meetings as they came up
• Changing the
organizational structure
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9. The Process
Big Changes Opening August 2010
• Cross training
• Reconfigured phones
and call center
procedures
• Shelving leaves the
area
• Organizational Change
(AD and lead librarian)
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10. Open for Business
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11. Work in Progress
• Attitude of ongoing
change
• Hired a lot more student
workers
• Assistant Director hired
– Stabilized job descriptions
• Staffing changes
• Change in reporting
structure
• Building in flexibility
• HelpSpot & other
support technology
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12. Celebration
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13. Ongoing Change
Changes in Year 1 +
• Classroom Loans added to
the service
• More space changes
• IRSC Advisory Team
• After hours support
– Developed Escalation
Policy
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14. Successes and ….Lessons
• Always a work in
progress
• Professional
Development and
ongoing training is
a need
• Internal & external
outreach is
important
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15. The Future
• Developing assessment
• The role of library reserves
• The impact on reference services
• More librarian involvement in circulation
procedures and module
• Documentation
• Student Worker training improvement
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16. Questions?
Amy Berg, Associate Provost for Information Resources
Gail Wood, Director of Libraries
Lisa Kahle, Director of Academic Computing Services & Classroom Media Services
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