Recipe for Change

Abstract

Interlibrary Loan staff were suffocating under a heavy burden of an ever increasing workload. Was it possible to change from an environment where the process controlled the staff, to an atmosphere where staff control the process? Interlibrary Loan had to get ready for change. Staff needed time to shift from being apprehensive about change, to embracing it as solution for a better workplace. A Continuous Quality Improvement Team was formed, out of which emerged a new culture and a new structure. The reorganization formed two process teams (Borrowing and Lending) and a management team (Coordinating). Interlibrary Loan had to get set for change. Reorganization into teams removed many familiar routines and structures that apply meaning to one's job. Each team member sought to define his role as he learned to work unsupervised in a team-directed atmosphere. Interlibrary Loan changes. Interlibrary Loan staff members successfully moved from an environment where the process controlled the staff, to an atmosphere were staff control the process. During this transition, staff members gained invaluable experience in teamwork and developed quality service guidelines. Equipped with these new skills, ILL Teams are prepared and empowered to meet the challenges of continuous change. This is Penn State Interlibrary Loan's recipe for incorporating change. This is what worked for us. Instead of trying to make our department fit into a textbook team structure, we took the concept of teams and teamwork and applied them to our office culture, working within the University Libraries' hierarchical structure.