DOCSLIB.ORG

''You're Just One of the Group When You're Embedded'

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
''You're Just One of the Group When You're Embedded' ‘‘You’re just one of the group when you’re embedded’’: report from a mixed-method investigation of the research-embedded health librarian experience* Devon Greyson, MLIS; Soleil Surette, MLIS; Liz Dennett, MLIS; Trish Chatterley, MLIS See end of article for authors’ affiliations. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3163/1536-5050.101.4.010 Objective: Embedded librarianship has received ‘‘belonging’’ to the research team, involvement in full much attention in recent years. A model of project lifecycles, and in-depth relationships with embeddedness rarely discussed to date is that of nonlibrarian colleagues. Despite widely expressed job research-embedded health librarians (REHLs). This satisfaction, many REHLs struggle with isolation from study explores the characteristics of Canadian REHLs library and information science peers and relative lack and the situations in which they are employed. of job security. Methods: The authors employed a sequential, mixed- Conclusions: REHLs differ from non-embedded method design. An online survey provided health librarians, as well as from other types of descriptive statistics about REHLs’ positions and embedded librarians. REHLs’ work also differs from work experiences. This informed a series of focus just a decade or two ago, prior to widespread Internet group interviews that expanded upon the survey. access to digital resources. Through constant comparison, we conducted qualitative descriptive analysis of the interviews. Implications: Given that research-embedded librarianship appears to be a distinct and growing Results: Based on twenty-nine survey responses and subset of health librarianship, libraries, master’s of four group interviews, we created a portrait of a library and information science programs, and ‘‘typical’’ REHL and discovered themes relevant to professional associations will need to respond to the REHL work. REHLs may identify more strongly as support and education needs of REHLs or risk losing researchers than as librarians, with corresponding them to the health research field. professional needs and rewards. REHLs value INTRODUCTION these major models as well as other areas with potential for embeddedness, such as public and Embedded librarianship, in which librarians leave the school libraries. Building on his previous report for library to provide highly tailored information services SLA, in which embedded librarians were defined as to user groups with whom they are affiliated, has ‘‘direct information service providers who provide attracted a significant amount of attention over recent specialized services to one or more groups within the years, with both the Medical Library Association organization’’ [2], Shumaker identifies three core (MLA) [1] and Special Libraries Association (SLA) [2] factors that he asserts define embedded librarianship: issuing reports on embedded models of librarianship. ongoing working relationships, knowledge of and Within the phenomenon, three primary models of commitment to the group’s goals, and highly valuable embeddedness have emerged: academic librarians and customized contributions to the work of the who are integrated into physical or online courses group in which the librarian is embedded. [3–10], special librarians who leave the centralized In health librarianship, the clinical informationist/ corporate library to collocate with users [2, 11, 12], ISIC model has been much discussed and studied since and medical librarians who serve as clinical informa- the Davidoff and Florance article in 2000 that estab- tionists [13–17] or information specialists in context lished the term ‘‘informationist’’ and sparked greater (ISICs) [15, 18, 19]. interest on the part of health systems in clinical Shumaker’s recent book on embedded librarianship embedded librarianship [13]. A 2006 multicenter [20] extensively reviews the history and evolution of MLA study defined an ISIC or informationist as ‘‘an individual who possesses advanced information seek- * Conference presentations related to this paper will be given at ing and appraisal skills and knowledge of the the 2013 Canadian Health Libraries Association/Association des information environment as well as advanced knowl- bibliothe´ques de la sante´ du Canada conference and the 2013 Evidence Based Library and Information Practice Conference. edge in a domain of healthcare/research and employs this expertise as a member of clinical research teams’’ This article has been approved for the Medical Library [1]. The emphasis on additional, often clinically Association’s Independent Reading Program ,http://www.mlanet oriented, post-master’s of library and information .org/education/irp/.. science (LIS) training is common, although not univer- sal, in the clinical informationist literature. Studies have Supplemental Appendix and Appendix B are available with followed up on clinical informationist initiatives [21, the online version of this journal. 22], noting the growth and evolution of the clinical J Med Lib Assoc 101(4) October 2013 287 Greyson et al. informationist specialization, as well as the importance management and services and provides tailored, intensive of both commitment from management and a high information services to a health research team with which level of informationist expertise. Qualitative explora- she or he is integrated. tions of clinically embedded librarians’ experiences [23, 24] have underscored and affirmed expert searching as The following were not, for the purposes of this core to informationists’ work, as well as the need for study, considered to be REHLs: academic liaison informationists to assume an insider-outsider role to librarians, clinical informationists, general hospital understand and add value to the clinical team. librarians, librarians with library management– A subset of embedded librarianship not much focused jobs, and self-employed information consul- discussed in the literature, yet noted in preliminary tants. However, REHLs may hold other non-embedded research and anecdotes as prominent and possibly positions concurrently with a research-embedded job. growing, especially in health, is that of librarians embedded in research groups or teams. Carlson and METHODS Neale’s exploration of ‘‘embedded research librari- ans’’—academic liaison librarians embedded within Aiming to generate a portrait of the characteristics research groups at their universities—identifies de- and employment situations of REHLs, we collected grees of embeddedness, ranging from individual data through: (1) an online, bilingual (French/ project-based integration to ongoing programmatic English) survey and (2) face-to-face and online focus integration [25]. Lorenzetti and Rutherford’s prelimi- group interviews with REHLs. The study was nary grounded theory study of information profes- approved by the ethical review boards of the sionals’ integration into health research teams explored University of Alberta and University of British facilitating and constraining factors experienced by Columbia. embedded information professionals [26]. Both of these early explorations of research-embedded librarianship Data collection emphasize the importance of relationship building, The REHL online survey was an immediate follow-up organizational support, and willingness to engage in to a more general survey of 191 Canadian health interdisciplinary work outside of one’s comfort zone. librarians conducted from March to April 2011. The authors suggest that there is an emerging Survey questions were based on themes and surveys group of embedded librarians, particularly prominent from previous literature on embedded librarianship in health disciplines, who do not fully conform to the (in particular, the Shumaker, Talley, and Miervaldis characteristics of either academic liaison librarians or clinically embedded informationists: research-embed- SLA report [2]) as well as attributes of REHL ded librarians. These research-embedded health li- experiences that we thought were important to brarians (REHLs) may have experiences that differ explore, capture, or benchmark. The survey was from those of more traditional and embedded health drafted in English, translated into French to ensure librarians in hospital or academic library settings. This accessibility across Canada, and piloted on a small paper proposes a definition of research-embedded group of health librarians who had formerly worked health librarianship and explores the research ques- as REHLs. The survey was administered via the tion: ‘‘What are the characteristics of research-embed- bilingual Canadian FluidSurveys online software over ded health librarians and of the situations in which a period of four weeks in March to April 2011. they are employed in Canada?’’ Survey participants were recruited via CANMED- To explore the phenomenon of research-embedded LIB (the primary email discussion list for Canadian health librarianship, our team of four current or health librarians) and various smaller Canadian email former REHLs conducted a bilingual, nationwide, discussion lists of interest to health librarians. All mixed-methods investigation that compared the Canadian health librarians and information specialists demographics of REHLs with other health librarians were invited to participate in the general survey, and explored the work and experiences of REHLs in which included questions about educational back- Canada. Our prior paper reported the comparative ground and career history, employment conditions, demographics of REHLs and non-REHLs, finding and some
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 2017 Final Operating and Capital Budget
    2017 Final Operating and Capital Budget BUCKS COUNTY FREE LIBRARY BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA FINAL OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET FISCAL YEAR 2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Roberta Foerst President Constance Moore Richard Rogers Gerald Balchis Vice President Treasurer Secretary William Draper Lawrence Jones Daniel Johansson Trustee Trustee Trustee Prepared By: Martina Kominiarek Chief Executive Officer and John J. Doran III Chief Financial Officer 2 Message from the Library Board The Bucks County Free Library serves our communities as a learning resource and public gathering place. We play an essential role in giving people free access to information and pathways to knowledge. In this digital age we are needed more than ever. Our 2016 Operating and Capital budget will help us accomplish the community priorities and objectives reflected in our 2014-2017 strategic plan. Our citizens will benefit from increased funding from both the County of Bucks and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 2016: - We will support high bandwidth, wireless connectivity, and public access computers at all our locations. - We will host interactive story times, stay and play sessions in our children’s areas, and lively educational public performances of music and stories. - We will provide a robust physical and electronic collection of books, movies, and music that serves a diversity of reading, listening, and viewing interests. - We will offer inviting spaces for study, work, and connecting with others by conducting regular maintenance, ongoing physical improvements, and capital projects in all our facilities. In 2016, we’ll celebrate 60 years of operations as a County library system. The materials and services we offer through our seven branches have changed since 1956, but our role is the same.
    [Show full text]
  • Management Training in Library School: Do Graduate Programs Prepare an Individual for Real
    Endnotes: The Journal of the New Members Round Table | Volume 2, Number 1 | Nov 2011 Management Training in Library School: Do Graduate Programs Prepare an Individual for Real World Demands? Susan A. Schreiner Access Services Librarian Pittsburg State University Barbara M. Pope Serials Librarian Pittsburg State University Abstract This article examines the perception of management curriculum in library schools from the perspective of practicing professional librarians and information specialists with a master’s degree in library science. The authors surveyed degreed librarians in academic, public, and special libraries in a variety of job types about their management training in library school, how useful they feel those courses were to them professionally, and whether they would have or wish they would have taken additional management courses if they had been offered. The results of this survey show that a decisive gap in management training is being felt by practicing librarians, and highlight the need for making management courses in library schools meet the real world demands of today – and tomorrow. 1 Management Training in Library School | Susan A. Schreiner and Barbara M. Pope Endnotes: The Journal of the New Members Round Table | Volume 2, Number 1 | Nov 2011 Methodology The study1 was conducted by creating a survey via SurveyMonkey and asking librarians to voluntarily respond. It targeted eight American Library Association (ALA) and Public Library Association (PLA) listservs2 that serve general library interests as well as specialized management interests. The survey specifically targeted librarians who had been out of library school for at least one year.3 In order to get a broad coverage of librarian types, surveys were sent out to listservs that serve library administrators, university librarians, college librarians, public librarians, and school librarians.
    [Show full text]
  • Becoming a Digital Library, Edifed by Susan J
    mcoming a Digital Library edited by Susan J. Barnes University of Washington Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. MARCEL MARCELDEKKER, INC. NEWYORK a' BASEL a%DEKKER Although great care has been taken to provide accurate and current information, neither the author(s) nor the publisher, nor anyone else associated with this publication, shall be liable for any loss, damage, or liability directly or indirectly caused or alleged to be caused by this book. The material contained herein is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any specific situation. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trade- marks and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN: 0-8247-0966-7 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Headquarters Marcel Dekker, Inc., 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, U.S.A. tel: 212-696-9000; fax: 212-685-4540 Distribution and Customer Service Marcel Dekker, Inc., Cimarron Road, Monticello, New York 12701, U.S.A. tel: 800-228-1160; fax: 845-796-1772 Eastern Hemisphere Distribution Marcel Dekker AG, Hutgasse 4, Postfach 812, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland tel: 41-61-260-6300; fax: 41-61-260-6333 World Wide Web http://www.dekker.com The publisher offers discounts on this book when ordered in bulk quantities. For more information, write to Special Sales/Professional Marketing at the headquarters address above. Copyright n 2004 by Marcel Dekker, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Library Management 101
    www.alastore.ala.org LIBRARY MANAGEMENT 101 www.alastore.ala.org ALA Editions purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. www.alastore.ala.org LIBRARY MANAGEMENT 101 A PRACTICAL GUIDE EDITED BY Diane L. Velasquez An imprint of the American Library Association | Chicago • 2013 www.alastore.ala.org Diane L. Velasquez is program director of the Library and Information Management and Business Information Management programs and lecturer at the University of South Australia. She teaches information governance, readers’ advisory, and management and supervises the placement into industry of her students and the capstone project course. She was previously an assistant professor at a university in the Midwest. Her research interests include management and e-government in public libraries, readers’ advisory, and librarians’ perception of readers of genre fiction, especially the romance genre. Dr. Velasquez has a PhD in LIS from the University of Missouri, an MBA in management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, an MLS from the University of Arizona, and a BA from San Jose State University. She spent 20 years in corporate America before switching careers to librarianship and academe. © 2013 by the American Library Association. Any claim of copyright is subject to applicable limitations and exceptions, such as rights of fair use and library copying pursuant to Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act. No copyright is claimed for content in the public domain, such as works of the U.S. government. Printed in the United States of America 17 16 15 14 13 5 4 3 2 1 Extensive effort has gone into ensuring the reliability of the information in this book; however, the publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein.
    [Show full text]
  • Increasing the Information Edge
    SPECIAL LIBRARIES: INCREASING THE INFORMATION EDGE Jose-Marie Griffiths, Ph.D. University of Tennessee Donald W. King King Research SPECIAL LIBRARIES ASSOCIATION 1700 Eighteenth Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009 Librarv of Congress Cataloglng-in-Publication Data Griffiths, Jose-Marie. Special libraries : increasing the information edge / Jose-Marie Griffiths, Donald W. King, p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index. ISBN 0-87111-414-3 1. Corporate libraries—United States. 2. Libraries, Governmental, administrative, etc.—United States. 3. Libraries and industry—United States. I. King. Donald Ward. 1932- II. Title. Z675.C778G75 1993 027.6'9'0973—dc20 93-20721 CIP Published by the Special Libraries Association. ® Copyright 1993 by the Special Libraries Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this work, in whole or in part, without permission of the publisher is prohibited. ISBN 0-87111-414-3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLES vii FIGURES xi FOREWORD xiii PART I: BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY 1 CHAPTER 1: INFORMATION EDGE IN THE INFORMATION AGE 5 INTRODUCTION ' 5 THE INFORMATION AGE 6 THE INFORMATION EDGE 8 The Information Edge Among Countries 9 The Information Edge Among Companies 11 The Information Edge Among Professionals 12 Purposes of Reading 14 Importance of Information Found in Documents 14 Savings Achieved from Reading 15 Effects of Reading on Performance of Work 15 Achievement and Amount of Reading . 17 Do Some Professionals Read Too Much? 18 CHAPTER 2: INCREASING THE INFORMATION EDGE: THE ROLE OF SPECIAL LIBRARIES 21 THE INCREASING ROLE OF LIBRARIES 21 USE AND IMPACT OF LIBRARY SERVICES 23 Use and Cost of Library Services 23 What Professionals Are Willing to Pay for Library Services 25 The Dollar Value Derived from Library Services 25 IMPACT OF LIBRARIES ON ORGANIZATION GOALS 28 Increasing Productivity Through Library Services 29 Performing Work Better and with Greater Quality Through Library Services ...
    [Show full text]
  • Best Practices for Managing Innovations in Public Libraries in the United States
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works School of Information Sciences 2020 Best practices for managing innovations in public libraries in the United States Devendra Potnis University of Tennessee, [email protected] Joseph Winberry [email protected] Bonnie Finn College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_infosciepubs Part of the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation Potnis, D. D., Winberry, J., & Finn, B. (2020). Best practices for managing innovations in public libraries in the USA. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 0961000620948567. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Information Sciences at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Best practices for managing innovations in public libraries in the United States By: Devendra Potnis, Joseph Winberry, and Bonnie Finn Abstract Public libraries serve as anchors for thousands of communities across the country. Innovations are critical for the survival and relevance of public libraries in the country. Few studies, if any, identify the best practices for managing innovations in public libraries based on the experiential guidance shared by administrators of public libraries recognized for their innovations. This empirical study fills in the gap by identifying the challenges and solutions for managing innovations in public libraries in the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • Special Libraries, October 1981
    San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Special Libraries, 1981 Special Libraries, 1980s 10-1-1981 Special Libraries, October 1981 Special Libraries Association Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1981 Part of the Cataloging and Metadata Commons, Collection Development and Management Commons, Information Literacy Commons, and the Scholarly Communication Commons Recommended Citation Special Libraries Association, "Special Libraries, October 1981" (1981). Special Libraries, 1981. 4. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1981/4 This Magazine is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Libraries, 1980s at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Special Libraries, 1981 by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ISI/ISTPCD" (Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings & Books) ISINSTP&B solves the difficult problem of locating articles published in proceedings and multi-authored books. The only multidisciplinary online data base to scientific pro- ceedings and books, it will cover 10,000 proceedings (from books and journals) which appear in the printed Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedingsg, plus over 2,000 books (including annual review series). And all items will be indexed at the chapter level. Publications from 1978 to the present will be covered, and each month 300 new proceedings and books will be added. ISI/ISTP&B may be searched by article title; authorleditor; author's corporate affiliation; conference title, location, date; s onsor, book and series title; journal title; publish- er; anJsubjei-to name a few. Covering virtually every scientific and technical discipline, ISI/ISTP&B will make our retrospective and current awareness searching, bib- Kographic verifications, and acquisitions fast, easy, and comprehensive.
    [Show full text]
  • Management in College and University Libraries
    Management in College and University Libraries DONALD CONEY MANAGEMENT,as a field in itself, is generally identified with the last four decades, beginning with F. \Y. Taylor and time-and-motion study and ending-for the momcnt-with "oper- ations research." "nlanagement is a broad area with a vague con- figuration; no attempt is made in this paper to define it with any precision. Information at hand shows that management in college and university libraries gathers around the focuses of personnel, work measurement, costs, machines, and plant. "Orgaulzation," often con- sidered a part of management, and a popular subject in library admin- istration, is the topic of another article in this journal. For the most part, the evidence of interest in management areas is drawn from articles in the library press and a few books, and is limited to the period following World War 11. The management of libraries has never benefited from the wealth of attention devoted to such areas of librarianship as the development of book collections, classification, cataloging, bibliography, and the like. For a long time this inattention was not important; the small size of collections, staff, buildings, and clienteles made for simplicity of operation and demanded no very sophisticated approach to the ways of doing things. Librarians were clirccted to new methods of management as early as 1911 by thc then Librarian of C~rnell.~The Williamson report,' in 1923, spelled out the advantages of training in the techniques of management. In one of the most recent treatments of library management, Leigh sets the stage again for the need of management-though he speaks of public libraries, his views are as true for those of learned institutions: Like other institutions-especially those not under the constant spur of profit seeking-we might expect public library operations to be com- Librarian, University of California, Berkeley.
    [Show full text]
  • Teacher Librarian Roles and Responsibilities
    Library Personnel Roles and Responsibilities “Library program” means an articulated, sequential kindergarten through grade 12 library or media program that enhances student achievement and is integral to the school district’s curricula and instructional program. Library programs are planned and implemented by a qualified teacher librarian working collaboratively with the district’s administration and instructional staff. The library program services provided to students and staff shall include the following: • Support of the overall school curricula, • Collaborative planning and teaching, • Promotion of reading and literacy, • Information literacy instruction, • Access to a diverse and appropriate school library collection, and • Learning enhancement through technology. In general, the professional librarian is responsible for those tasks that involve professional decision-making. For example. a support staff person can assist a user in locating a requested resource, but a professional librarian makes resource recommendations to users because those recommendations require a decision as to age- appropriateness, difficulty, format, interest, curricular ties, etc. Teaching in the library is a professional task. Just as other curricula (art, music, physical education) are taught by a licensed professional teacher in that area, so the library curriculum is taught by a licensed professional teacher librarian. In addition, a certified teacher librarian can serve as an instructional partner to collaborate and enhance instructional opportunities with students. TEACHING and LEARNING Licensed Teacher Librarian Para-Educator, Aide, Secretary Holds Iowa endorsements: 174, 108, 109 Designs curriculum and instruction that supports the reading life of students and addresses inquiry, information literacy and digital literacy. Teaches a curriculum of information literacy and digital literacy across all Assists in monitoring usage of the library.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Conference
    Annual Conference Final Program November 1 - 4, 2006 Saratoga Springs, NY 22006006 Adding Value: Formula for the Future... NEW YORK LIBRARY ASSOCIATION The Voice of the Library Community The 2006 NYLA Conference Catalog New York Library What’s inside Association Welcome . .3 Local Information & Tours . .4 252 Hudson Avenue Albany, NY 12210-1802 Preconference Continuing Education . .6 800-252-NYLA Thursday Programs . .10 email: [email protected] Friday Programs . .17 web: www.nyla.org Saturday Programs . .32 NYLA Trade Show Exhibitors . .50 President Conference Program Tracks . .40 Jennifer Morris Pioneer Library System General Information . .44 585-394-8260 Maps . .56 [email protected] Past President 2006 Conference Programmers Rocco Staino North Salem Central Schools The conference programmers are representatives from all the sections, roundtables, and committees that make up NYLA. It is their hard work that results in the conference as you know it. Many thanks to each 914-669-5414 and every conference programmer. [email protected] NYLA 2006 Conference Chair Vice President (President-Elect) Kim Bolan Rachel Baum College of Computing and Information— Section Programmers University at Albany ASLS Academic and Special Libraries Section - Debby Emerson LAMS Library Administration and Management Section - Phyllis Keaton 518-591-8874 LAMS - CE Pre-conference CE program - Josh Cohen [email protected] PLS Public Library Section - Carol Clingan RASS Reference and Adult Services Section - Paula Goings RASS - CE Pre-conference CE
    [Show full text]
  • Library Management Matrix
    Library Management Matrix Introduction The library management matrix differentiates by grade the ascending levels of responsibility for a) fiscal management, b) human resources management, c) scope and impact of position, d) planning, team activity, and e) project management assigned to library managers across the spectrum of the University Library. In these respects, the matrix follows the guidelines set for University posts that were established by analysis of the Position Information Questionnaire administered across the University in 1994. Critical factors in management at Harvard -- for grading purposes -- are the size of budget, the number of staff for whom managers are accountable, and the opportunities positions offer for the exercise of initiative. For this reason, the grades assigned to library management positions correlate strongly to the size of the library unit in which the staff member is employed and to its position relative to the overall structure of the faculty libraries and the HUL system. The library management matrix incorporates unit size into the column specifying function and/or role in the HUL system. In any given position, the managerial factors may be required or are evidenced to varying degrees. Library management jobs at Harvard do require, however, that staff members at the exempt level first and foremost either be trained as librarians or be thoroughly conversant with the tenets of librarianship. In every instance, the effectiveness of librarians as managers rests on their mastery of the professional skills that guide the development, organization, presentation, and preservation of the knowledge base embodied in libraries. Management responsibilities become increasingly important at successively higher levels of the grading system, but they must always be understood in relation to the professional activities commonly required of the staff member under review and must be measured along with them in determining grade.
    [Show full text]
  • Library Management Systems
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Directory of Open Access Journals Aspects regarding Library Management Library Management Systems Dr. Ionel Enache Department of Information and Documentation Sciences Faculty of Letters, University of Bucharest E-mail: [email protected] Dr. Ionel Enache is professor the Department of Information and Documentation Sciences of the Faculty of Letters at the University of Bucharest where he teaches courses of management and marketing in library. His areas of research are management and marketing of library services, planning and organization of library services, human resource management and ergonomics in infodocumentary structures. Abstract Today’s libraries are faced with the innumerable challenges posed by an information universe on rapid expansion. The increasing expectations and the users’ needs to access faster and easier the relevant information is in a constant relation to the institutional demand for the increasing of operational efficiency. The library integrated systems enable all types of libraries with accessible instruments and the necessary assistance needed in the working flow in order to cope with personal and institutional demands both in present and in future times. The integrated system can be configured in order to meet every type of library policy or procedure thus allowing the creation of a sole working flow. Key words: management systems, library integrated system, database system administration (DBSA), metadata A library integrated system is a system for a library resource planning, used to access the documents held, orders, payment or lending all made by the clients. Sometime, a phrase like library management system is employed, especially in the UK.
    [Show full text]