The University of North Texas Libraries restructured their public services division in 2015 to better meet the needs of students, faculty, and the community. They consolidated six service desks into three new departments focused on library learning services, library research support services, and a government information connection. This allowed for closer collaboration between librarians and more targeted services for different user groups. Initial successes included new programs like thesis boot camps and partnerships with groups like housing. The transformation has led to more effective services through combined resources and input from stakeholders.

1. A New Model for Public Service in
Academic Libraries
Changing Library Roles, Taking Risks to Make a
Difference for Students, Faculty, Staff and the
Community
Susan Smith, Head of Library Research Support Services
Julie Leuzinger, Head of Library Learning Services
University of North Texas Libraries
October 17, 2016

2. By the end of this presentation, we will have
addressed the following:
• Recognizing possibility in the midst of chaos
• Opportunities and challenges of restructuring public services
in an academic library to meet needs of user groups
• Identifying and working with potential collaborators

3. University of North Texas
Denton, Texas
• 1,056 full time faculty
• 2,432 full time staff
• 37,973 students
Degrees offered
• Bachelor's – 99
• Master's – 83
• Doctoral – 35
• Special Professional -1

4. University of North Texas
• Diverse in race, gender and
culture
• 90.2% Texas residents
• 6,215 live on campus
• 4,661 first time in college
• 4,037 transfer students
• Freshmen Persistence: 79.1%
• Student/Faculty Ratio: 24.5 to 1
• Carnegie R1

5. University of North Texas Libraries
• 6 million print and digital items
• 5 libraries
• 60 librarians
• 73 support staff
• Student & graduate assistants

6. 99* Problems
•6 (!) services desks and an image problem

7. Don't Go Changing...
• Management concerns
• 7 open positions
• "Please sir, I want some more..."

8. Ch-ch-changes
2013-2014
Fall 2013
• Plans for Eagle Commons Library as outward facing community research hub
Spring 2014
• Major collection shift
Early Summer 2014
• Major staff shift
Mid Summer 2014
• New Government Documents Librarian/Assistant Manager
Late Summer 2014
• Restructure
Fall 2014
• Planning for the future of the Public Services Division

9. Challenges
• Staff
• Will people get it?
• Blurred lines

10. UNT Libraries Public Services Division
Effective January 1, 2015
Assistant Dean for Public Services
S.S.
Access
Services
M.A.V.
2 Librarians
9 Staff
8 GLAs
Government
Information
Connection @ ECL
R.S.
3 Librarians
7 Staff
1 GLA
Library
Learning
Services
Julie Leuzinger
4 Librarians
Library Research
Support Services
Susan Smith
3 Librarians
Digital
Humanities Unit
S.K.
Administrative Specialist

11. The Department Formerly Known As RIS:
Library Learning Services
• Provides individualized library service through instruction and student
engagement.
• Committed to supporting undergraduate student success by
advancing the information fluency initiative, by facilitating the first
year college experience, and by contributing to the timely graduation
of our undergraduate student population through creative
partnerships with other university student -centered groups and
faculty.

12. The Department Formerly Known As RIS:
Library Research Support Services
• Provides research support to enrich the scholarly experience and
success of the University of North Texas graduate students and
faculty.

13. Initial Successes
• Undergraduate and Graduate Student Library Advisory Board
• Thesis and Dissertation Boot Camps
• First Year Experience Librarian
• Outreach to Housing

14. More interaction with librarians=?
• Student faculty interaction is a key sign of student
involvement, and is highly related to student satisfaction
with college (Astin, 1999).
• For most students more interaction with faculty improved
outcomes and led to students engaging in other
educationally purposeful activities during college (Kuh & Hu,
2001).

15. Smith's Model of Student/Library Staff
Relationships
1:1 Student to Subject Librarian
1: Many Student to Many in Library
Many: Many Previously Unserved or
Underserved Groups to Many in Library

16. Opportunities
• Reinvigorate long term library staff
• Group like with like
• Strategic new hires/positions
• Capitalize on things already doing/first steps
• We’re all in this together
• Students, faculty, staff, community more than just subject
areas/disciplines

17. Change Partners and Dance
• If you do not like what is being said, change the conversation
(Meulemans & Carr, 2013).
• Develop professional value system that places primary focus and
importance on meaningful collaboration and partnership
(Meulemans & Carr, 2013).
• What value proposition are we presenting to our community and
leaders? (Huber & Potter, 2015).

18. Susan’s Rules for Finding
Partners/Collaborators
• It’s not about you
• Show up where they are
• LISTEN
• What can you offer to fit what they need?
• Be faithful in small ways
This isn't
about
you
either

19. Success Stories
• Meeting unmet needs (graduate student academic life cycle)
• Collaborating with the Toulouse Graduate School
• First Year Experience
• Information Fluency Initiative

20. Looking Ahead
• Graduate Library Space
• The Office of Innovation and Commercialization
• The Collab Lab
• Information Fluency Initiative
• Undergraduate Advising
• Transfer Center
• Student Government Association

21. Transformation of Services
From...
• Solo to collaboration
• Student/faculty input to input from many stakeholders
• Serving the individual student to serving groups of students
• Primary provider of programs/services to facilitator of programs/services
• Less library led, more stakeholder driven
• Less passive more active

22. Benefits of Transformation
• Combined resources
• Effective service
• Awareness of barriers
• Coherent programs and services

23. We'd Like to Thank: Transformation Team
• All subject librarians
• Other library departments/divisions
• Library administration
• Many others outside of the library

24. References
Astin, A. W. (1999). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher
education. Journal of College Student Development, 40(5): 518-529
(Reprinted from Journal of College Student Personnel, 25(4), 297-308, 1984).
Huber, J. & Potter, S. (2015). The Purpose-Based library: Finding your path to
survival, success and growth. Chicago, IL: ALA Neal-Schuman.
Kuh, G. D. & Hu, S. (2001). The effects of student-faculty interaction in the
1990s. The Review of Higher Education, 24(3): 309-332. doi:
10.13531/rhe.2001.0005
Meulemans, Y. N., & Carr, A. (2013). Not at your service: building genuine
faculty-librarian partnerships. Reference Services Review, 41(1), 80-90.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00907321311300893

25. Further Information
• Leuzinger, Julie. Transforming an Academic Library from a Traditional
Service Model to a Community Partner. UNT Digital
Library. http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc407864/.
Accessed October 10, 2016.
• Leuzinger, Julie. (2013.) “Reducing Service Points in the Academic
Library: How to provide quality customer service in the face of budget
cuts.” College & Research Libraries News 11: 530-533.

26. Questions?
Contact us:
• Susan Smith, Susan.Smith@unt.edu
• Julie Leuzinger, Julie.Leuzinger@unt.edu