schaarse middelen cq investering in technologie die besparingen en betere
dienstverlening mogelijk kunnen maken.
bibliotheken hebben volop keuzemogelijkheden.
===
Leveraging Technology for Success in a Challenging Economy
Breeding, Marshall.
Copyright (c) 2010 Information Today
http://www.librarytechnology.org/ltg-displaytext.pl?RC=14872
The global economic crisis of the past 2 years has brought harsh
circumstances to most libraries, calling into question many of the ways
that we allocate resources. Lean budgets force us to devise strategies
that make the very most of the resources available. Many libraries face
the reality of doing more with less, often much less. It seems like each
week brings news of libraries forced to close branches, reduce hours, trim
their work force, or reduce or eliminate new collections acquisitions.
Even in the best of times it seems that libraries find themselves making
due with fewer resources than optimal. I've rarely encountered libraries
flush with generous levels of funding such that they don't have to make
painful choices among competing priorities. In recent times, this pain has
been extreme. This context of libraries struggling through the economic
downturn makes it necessary to consider the ways that technology can be
used not only to reduce costs but, hopefully, to strengthen libraries'
standing relative to more prosperous times.
When it comes to technology, I think that libraries need to form their
strategies on how they allocate their resources based on a formula
involving value and expense. The key challenge lies in finding the right
balance in an equation between cost savings on one side and the value
added to the organization on the other. Depending on the circumstances,
the library might need to focus more on the expense side of the equation
or on value propositions. For some libraries, circumstances require that
they find ways to eliminate cost, including expenditures on technology.
Others, however, may need to operate within lean budgets but still have
the flexibility to make some investments in technology in order to
preserve or improve their operations and services. Either approach should
result in helping the library make a more powerful strategic impact
through technology. It's the tough times that force libraries to think
hard about how to make the best strategic use of technology. While we
should have that mindset all the time, it's easy to be complacent until
circumstances demand action.
Organizations of all types are often able to lower their operational
expenses through improved automation infrastructure. The entire history of
automation involves creating ways to help libraries operate more
efficiently, increasing the productivity of each person in the
organization. It's hard to imagine libraries working today without the
computer-based systems that automate the routine tasks involved in every
aspect of their operations. The current economic climate presents
libraries with the challenge of finding any additional efficiency that
might be gained beyond the automation systems in common use today and what
new ways of delivering library services might be possible that will
improve the relative impact of the library on its users.
Cost Savings
Collaborative technologies. Libraries facing budget reductions may need to
look at how they can maintain their current services in ways that involve
savings, including the basic automation support. The different
infrastructure deployment models available today involve a range of budget
scenarios. Deployment options span a range between local computing, where
a library owns and maintains its own servers, and cloud computing, which
involves an abstract computing platform provided externally. Each approach
involves technical considerations, but especially relevant in this context
are the opportunities to make choices between facing higher upfont
expenditures with more modest, ongoing operational costs or avoiding
initial capital investments in favor of somewhat higher annual payments.
One of the most expensive computing models involves a library operating
its own discrete automation platform. The classic example of a library
operating its own integrated library system falls into this category. The
costs of this approach include not only the server hardware and software
but also the technical personnel to manage the installation, the
facilities overhead including physical space allocations, and the energy
costs to power and cool the equipment. Maintaining a single installation
for a single organization provides the fewest opportunities to spread
costs and gain efficiencies through economies of larger scale.
Libraries that find themselves in the position of bearing the full burden
of supporting an independent automation platform and all its ancillary
costs may find substantial savings through alternative arrangements -
especially arrangements involving a shared automation platform. Finding
ways to share automation platforms can result in lower costs for each
institution involved. Libraries have a long-standing tradition of banding
together in consortia to lower automation costs or to gain favorable
pricing through collective procurements. The current economic pressures
may drive some libraries to join a consortium for automation that they
might not otherwise have considered. We've also seen some consolidation
among consortia as they combine to form even larger organizations that can
offer automation and other services at even lower price points. In times
past, due consideration had to be given for creating an automation
platform within the limits of what the hardware or software might handle.
Today, computing equipment scales practically infinitely, imposing few
hard limits. That said, organizational or political factors may impose
their own boundaries on the scale of cooperation that is possible as
libraries form consortia. Yet, moving from an independent,
single-institution automation platform to a shared system can provide
financial savings and increased opportunities for resource sharing for
many libraries.
Patron self-service. Providing facilities for self-service can offer
financial benefit for some libraries. Self-service checkout of library
materials, for example, has become a well-established routine. Especially
in libraries with very high circulation activity levels, providing
self-service checkout stations can provide some relief to a work force
stretched too thin. By allowing patrons to handle routine checkouts
themselves, library personnel can focus on other aspects of service where
they can make better use of their unique skills.
My main concern with self-service in libraries involves the potential to
lose some of the personal interactions that make positive impressions on
patrons and that strengthen the library's - and the librarian's - role as
a community resource. But when demanded by fiscal realities, self-service
facilities can help libraries operate with fewer personnel, providing
needed savings. Increased use of self-service also can help prevent
reductions in service hours or even branch closings. Implementing
self-check doesn't always have to be an expensive proposition. A wide
spectrum of technical options is available for the creation of self-check
stations, from options that rely on more sophisticated and expensive RFH)
equipment to those that are able to make use of existing bar codes and
lower-cost workstations and software.
Open source software. Open source software has gained quite a bit of
attention as an alternative to proprietary products that can result in
savings to libraries. Some library organizations have documented
significantly lower costs through the use of open source software, though
it's important to look at the big picture and consider the cumulative
impact of offsetting expenses. Libraries can find open source software
alternatives for almost any component of their technology infrastructure,
including the integrated library system, content management systems, web
server software, and operating systems. Open source software may not be
for all libraries, however, depending on the software's circumstances for
technology support.
Adding Value
These examples show a few obvious ways that technology can be used to
decrease the operational costs for a library. It's even more exciting to
consider some of the ways that, even in difficult economic times,
investments in technology can pay off through adding value to the
library's overall position. Innovative use of technology can help the
library improve its services in ways that will help preserve an increase
in its funding opportunities.
Website redesign. Investments in improving a library's website and
information delivery tools can make a dramatic improvement in patrons'
perceptions of the library. The website has the potential to influence the
perceptions of as many people as the library's physical facilities. A
website that looks great and that succeeds in providing high-quality
resources can be a great tool for building support for the library in ways
that also help support the library's financial position. Compared to the
costs of refurbishing its physical facilities, a radical makeover of the
library's web presence can yield a dramatic impact at quite a bargain.
Entrepreneurial opportunities. Creative use of technology can provide
relief for a library's challenging budget by opening up opportunities to
produce income. I've written previously how we were able to significantly
increase the volume of the fee-based services for the Vanderbilt
Television News Archive through the use of search engine optimization
(SEO) techniques. By exposing the metadata that describes the collection
of national news broadcasts, we were able to funnel in researchers who
found our content on Google and the other internet search engines, with a
dramatic financial benefit. For libraries and archives that license the
use of images or other forms of digital content or that offer additional
entrepreneurial activities, SEO or other technology-based strategies can
be a vital component of a business plan.
Although it's never a good thing to have to deal with the effects of an
economic downturn, such circumstances can spark creative thinking to make
the best of it. I hope those of us working in libraries can use technology
to ease the impact of difficult times and even to gain ground in the ways
that we serve our users as we arrive at the other end of the crisis.
Energy Efficiency - Turning Off All That Technology
Another opportunity for cost savings involves reducing energy costs
associated with computing equipment. Fve written in previous CIL columns
that it makes great sense to switch off computing equipment when not in
use. Turning equipment off and on, contrary to concerns expressed in
earlier times, does not decrease the life span of the equipment. When
considering new computer equipment, energy efficiency should be one of the
distinguishing factors. If the library operates its own servers or data
center, server virtualization allows the combination of multiple
applications. These are just some examples of the ways that a library can
find savings as it performs a careful assessment of its energy consumption
patterns. Reducing energy has great environmental benefits as well.
____________________________________________________________
Dit bericht is verzonden via NEDBIB-L@nic.surfnet.nl
Aanmelden? Afmelden? Info? Vacature plaatsen?
Zie de NEDBIB-L website op http://nedbib.reuser.biz/
Lijstbeheerder: Arno H.P. Reuser nedbib@reuser.biz
EEN ANTWOORD GAAT STANDAARD NAAR ALLE LIJSTDEELNEMERS
Wellicht is uw antwoord alleen zinvol voor de vragensteller
Houd hier a.u.b. rekening mee!
Freek Zegers
