Against the Grain Manuscript 8227 Squirreling Away: Managing Information Resources & Libraries — The Writing on the Wall Corey Seeman Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/atg Part of the Library and Information Science Commons This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. Squirreling Away: Managing Information Resources & Libraries — The Writing on the Wall Column Editor: Corey Seeman (Director, Kresge Library Services, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan; Phone: 734-764-9969) <[email protected]> Twitter @cseeman s I am writing this column, I am notic- position that anyone should be in — but alas, Dean Witter Reynolds (the large securities ing that my house is mostly free from it happens. firm). In 1984, they launched Prodigy with holiday decorations. It is not that I am IBM and CBS as one of the early ways that A About Sears a curmudgeon, but that given today is the first people could connect to the growing Internet. of the year, it is time to clean up the house and When I was a library school student, I In 1985, they introduced the Discover Card get it ready for the New Year. Put away are first learned about Sears List of Subject which for the first time, offered users cash the Christmas decorations and the tree. If we Headings. I remember thinking they were back on their purchases. In many ways, they can get this done by the first of the year, we incredible and delivered just about everything. were better suited to face the challenges of consider ourselves ahead of the game. However, the Sears List of Subject Headings their time than just about anyone else. Another important economic event that were published initially by Minnie Earl Sears But the 1990s and the 2000s were not takes place in the States is the assessment of in 1923, not by the namesake store. While a kind to Sears. People started shopping how the holiday season was for businesses, leader in librarianship, she was no relations more at places like WalMart, Target and especially retail. The early indications is to the famous retail operation. Mejier, where you can get your hard goods that it was a good year. From an article on Insofar as the familiar store, well that was and groceries also. In 2004 and 2005, Sears the Christmas day issue of the Wall Street a name that I knew very well. When you was purchased by Kmart, a retail chain that Journal, “Total U.S. retail sales, excluding needed tools, you bought Craftsman. When was emerging from bankruptcy, and would automobiles, rose 5.1% be- operate both stores under the tween Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 from name Sears Holdings. In a year earlier, according to 2006, they would operate over Mastercard SpendingPulse, 3,800 stores. As of this year, which tracks both online and that number would have shrunk in-store spending with all forms to just over 1,000. It will be of payment.”1 But on the bad reduced further when our Ann side, we have this: “Still, next Arbor Sears closes in a few year presents a challenging days. environment as buying contin- While the store closures ues to shift online — a trend have been steadily introduced that is hurting many retailers, to keep the brand name afloat, including department stores. the overall health of the com- Sales at department stores fell pany was waning. From 2014 1.3% in the period tracked to the present, Sears Holdings by Mastercard, in part due saw revenue decreases each to store closings. Stores that year in the double digit per- mainly sell apparel, howev- cents. Some of that was driven er, experienced robust sales, by store closures, but much was growing 7.9% during the same driven by an entity that was not period. Overall, sales from bricks-and-mortar you needed appliances, you bought Kenmore. finding its customer. On October 15, 2018, stores rose 3.3%.” Department stores seem When you needed a car battery, you bought a Sears Holdings filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy to be out of place in today’s economy. And DieHard. But more importantly, they were a protection and is still trying to work through maybe nowhere is that more pronounced than fixture in the minds of millions of consumers what a post-bankruptcy might look like for in one of the flagship department stores in the in the United States and beyond. They did this 130+ year old American giant. They States, Sears. this through their huge network of department have closed many stores and are planning to stores and a catalog that had everything that Writing on the Wall close more in the new year. They seem to could fit in your house. For that matter, it also be heading in the same direction that Toys The expression used as a title for this col- had the house that you could buy. The gran- R Us headed. umn, “Writing on the Wall” comes from the deur that was Sears was capped in 1974 with Book of Daniel in the Old Testament of the If you have been in a Sears store over the the completion of the 110 story Sears Tower, past few years, this all might not come as a Holy Bible. In chapter 5, the story is told of 3 at the time, the largest building in the world. surprise to anyone. They were rarely crowded Belshazzar’s feast, featuring drinks that were Now it is called the Willis Tower and there and you sometimes wondered how long they served in vessels looted from the destruction is virtually no reference there to the famous had left. My wife and I loved to go to the of the 1st Temple. During the feast, a hand retailer and its rise, and impending fall. appears and writes on the wall, but they are Land’s End store at Sears, but even that was Sears, in many ways, was taking the path not as busy as it might have been. And while unable to decipher the meaning. Daniel is that Amazon is taking now. There was little summoned and has the unenviable task to tell retails has been very difficult over the past few that they did not sell. They made lavish years, especially for department stores, there Belshazzar that God has numbered his days guarantees that made their brand even more and that his death is imminent and that the was a “writing on the wall” moment for me 2 valuable. The notion that you would never and Sears that happened last year. kingdom will go to other tribes. need to buy another screwdriver when you While there is a great deal of religious bought a Craftsman is a powerful message. FREECASH significance here, the fundamental meaning And in the early 1980s, the company diver- I am not sure when I started a Sears. is one of doom or misfortune. If you cannot sified in ways that was very much ahead of com account, but likely a few years ago. I read the writing on the walls, they you are their time (if such a thing is really possible). would not use them for online shopping, but oblivious to situation that you are in and there In 1981, they purchased Coldwell Banker as you bought stuff in the store, you would might be little that you can do. That is not a (one of the leading real estate firms) and continued on page 72 70 Against the Grain / December 2018 - January 2019 <http://www.against-the-grain.com> Change Management not sustainable. What will be Squirreling Away Once again, if you have made critical is that library leaders from page 70 it this far, you might be thinking understand change management what on earth does this have to and learn lessons from public earn “Shop Your Way Points.” Just a simple do with libraries. Sears is an institutions, higher education, means of providing some loyalty rewards to icon of American commerce and and some businesses to ensure your regular customers. When you buy an retail. Getting something from that we survive the pressures that appliance there, you can earn a bunch of these the Sears Catalog was akin to we know about and the ones that that can be used for just about anything. For Amazon long before Jeff Bezos we have yet to face. what it’s worth, I am a sucker for any loyalty was born. And yet it seems more To this end, I am going to program, but that is another problem. and more likely that the 2018 focus my writing this year on In November 2017, I noticed something holiday season might be its last. change management. We have different in my regular emails from Sears If they are lucky, it might be their gone through a very disruptive offering me FREECASH deals. Sears was penultimate season. And that change in 2014 when the de- offering points, but not making me buy any- brings us to libraries. I have thought of Sears cision to no longer provide us with space for thing. Now I am very used to getting coupons as something that would always be around. But a print collection. There are disruptions like in my inbox, but these were different. Right they are getting ready to join Pan Am Airlines, this that we face year in, year out. It is how now from Staples, I have a $30 off $60 and a Arthur Andersen, Lehman Brothers and we manage through this change that makes it $10 off $50.