Consolidation of repetitive tasks related to student employment.  This provides uniform policies and procedures, and reduces staff hours allocated to these tasks.

Deliverable:

• User services student supervisors work as team to find commonalities in the process
• Document timelines (numbers needed, when, hiring process, training)
• Agree upon common payroll policy, scheduling tools, advertising, hiring, & training
• Identify areas of difference between work groups – and document these as well

Outcome:

• Stress reduction by providing redundancy & supporting one another
• Anticipate consolidation of service points
• Standardize process
• Resource sharing

Delivery:

Complete – Fall 2010

Milestones:

• Ongoing: Continuing customer service training
• February 2010:
  Spring hires – team consulting with one another during job posting, interview, hiring, paperwork process
• Summer 2010:
  Create a secondary training for overlaps in job descriptions

Resources:

1. Who is involved:
   Student supervisors for Library Circulation, branches, reserves, helpdesk, media services.
   Currently – Elin, Todd, Dan, Kellam, Shawn, & Stewart.
2. Time:
   mostly the same as in the past, but allow for initial organizational meetings, and a bit more time when advertising, interviewing & hiring.  Time required determined by team allocation of tasks to members.  Little if any additional money or materials – depending on team choices.
   Team approach will allow sharing of responsibilities with common resources – avoiding current challenges when staff are not available for these tasks.

Viability:

• We have already demonstrated part of this goal with the current shared customer service training.  The rest is an extension of the same concept.
• Challenges: buy-in of supervisors, finding shared time to work together
• Opportunity: use of common tools (e.g. scheduling)

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) do not currently exist in an official capacity within User Services between our service points.  In addition this particular goal spans beyond User Services and spills over into an overall LIS scope.  Establishing SLAs between Workgroups will promote understanding, create efficiencies, and improve cross-teaming with Workgroups and within LIS.

Deliverable:  

• Establish agreements between identified Workgroups.
• Two party negotiations toward agreement(s)
• Rules established
•  Each party will self-regulate their commitments
•  Map-out key deliverables:

 Service provided:

1. Establish conditions and rules
2. Establish escalation paths
3. Establish responsibilities of both parties
4. Cost versus service trade-offs
5. How will service effectiveness be tracked/measured?
6. How will problems be resolved?
7. How will parties review and adjust SLAs

Implementation

• Open-up communication channels
• Conflict prevention between groups and service points
• Living document(s) to be reviewed periodically and adjusted as needed
• Objective tool to determine service effectiveness
• Establish the framework to be used: May 15, 2010
• Identify parties to participate in this effort: June 15, 2010.
•  Outreach to our partners to be completed by: August 15, 2010
•  SLA drafts reviewed and accepted by participating groups: September 15, 2010
•  SLAs published and communicated to organization:  October 15, 2010

 Outcome:  

• Open-up communication channels
• Conflict prevention between groups and service points
• Living document(s) to be reviewed periodically and adjusted as needed
• Objective tool to determine service effectiveness

Delivery:   

• Establish the framework to be used: May 15, 2010
• Identify parties to participate in this effort: June 15, 2010.
• Outreach to our partners to be completed by: August 15, 2010
• SLA drafts reviewed and accepted by participating groups: September 15, 2010
• SLAs published and communicated to organization: October 15, 2010

Resources:  

• Each group must be identified and engaged  to participate in this effort
• Sponsorship from Area Directors and Dean should be present before effort begins
• Assigned representation from each group identified
• SLA process owner established (PM)

Viability:   

• Goal is achievable
• Organization must establish proper agreements between groups to create needed efficiencies and promote better cooperation.
• Goal consists of working across groups and departments; within sub groups in User Services first.
• Establishing SLA between two parties is time consuming; effort will take time.
• Barriers are centered around buy-in and clear direction/sponsorship from leadership.

Deliverable
-Develop an ongoing program to learn “FIVE NEW THINGS” in TEN WEEK time chunks
-Menu of FIVE THINGS” that evolves to match new tech trends and directions
-Self-paced; self-scheduled menu of learning platform choices to suit schedules and work demands – web-based; workshops; 1:1 and small group tutorials
-Menu of modules to choose from – with Liberal Arts model of distribution areas, requirements and electives; with a focus on tangible tools and practical, applicable know-how
-System to track accomplishments and incorporate into performance process

Possible menu of competency modules:
-Blogging – read, comment, publish; rss; tagging
-Wiki – add a page; edit a page; be able to seach and find documentation; tagging
-Library Resources -how to search Library data-bases and catalog
-Print/copy – troubleshooting
-Smart classroom – troubleshooting; how-to
-Personal computing
-Photo and image – search, edit, resources
-Web bookmarking tools
-Web-based/cloud applications and computing
-Podcasts, video, streaming, music
-Personal web pages -iGoogle; Drupal profiles ; College Directory
-Real-time trends – twitter etc.
-Geo and location
-Mobile computing
-Social Gaming
-Personal privacy issues
-Social web

Outcome
-Stay current with trends in library and information services
-Develop a “Change ready” attitute
-Gain confidence in ability to learn new tools
-Bridge LIS work areas
-Decrease fear of learning new things
-Open minds to new ideas
-Encourage discovery and innovation in the workplace
-Encourage staff to explore new tech with an eye to integrating into daily work
-Engage in activities to inspire imagination, curiosity
-Learning as its own reward
-Have fun
-Collaboration across User Services and LIS
-Foster team ethic
-Share knowledge – learn and teach
-Create an environment and have expectations for staff to work together
-Develop generalist knowledge of LIS resources and tools; and emerging technologies

Delivery
-Inventory skills; identify experts – May ‘10
-Develop the list of competency modules – July ‘10
-Create a system of MY FIVE THINGS to track individual and group progress – July ’10
-Every staff member in User Services contracts to accomplish at least 5 modules from menu – Sept ‘10
-Celebrate the accomplishments – Sept ‘10
-Evaluate and assess program – what worked/did not? Re-evaluate effectiveness of program, system, platform – go/no go of program – Nov ‘10
-If go –develop new menu offerings – Jan ‘11

Resources
-Align with newly formed Training Team to support leaning opportunities
-Partner with Web Team to learn about WordPress and Media wiki
-Curriciular Technology Team as a resource for identifying new technology learning meeds
-Internal “experts” identified to direct learning modules
-Collaborate with LIS Liaison program

Viability
-Minimum outcome – all US staff exposed to 5 new skills
-Maximum outcome – 50% US staff exceed goal – and go beyond the 5 new things
-Low cost – potential to tap into existing low cost/free resources and tools
-Flexible
-Partnering across User Services
-Non-threatening, self-paced, self-scheduled learning
-Realistic – 5 small steps at a time
-Allows participation by all
-Fun and productive; self-motivating
Possible barriers:
-Changing LIS org structure
-Time
-Pressing demands of day-to-day work
-Fewer staff resources