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Accidental Project Management in a New Library Storage Facility

Project Management in the Library Workplace

ISBN: 978-1-78754-837-4, eISBN: 978-1-78754-836-7

Publication date: 1 June 2018

Abstract

Purpose

This chapter discusses the project to investigate, recommend, and create user-focused solutions for opening and operating Severn Library, a high-density storage facility, at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD.

Methodology/approach

This chapter takes the case study approach, discussing the practical application of project management techniques to various stages of a large-scale project to plan for a high-density storage facility.

Findings

Although the Severn Library project began with a large project team, lack of formal project management expertise and the massive nature of the project led to its breakdown into smaller constituent projects, with the two authors filling the roles of “accidental project managers” to complete the work on time. Although this approach was ultimately successful, the overall success of the project could have been improved through more formal application of project management techniques.

Research limitations/implications

This chapter discusses the experience of the authors at one large, public state university. The experience of other libraries and library managers may vary based on institutional context.

Practical implications

This chapter will be valuable to library managers interested in project management techniques in libraries, and/or in planning for high-density library storage facilities.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the only writing on the application of project management techniques to construction and operation of a high-density library storage facility.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments

A sincere thank you to the many talented University of Maryland staff and librarians and external partners who contributed to the Severn Library project, including: Joanne Archer, Sandra Ayensu, Marco Baker, Hans Breitenlohner, Larry Brookman, Tonita Brooks, Chris Bunn, Ken Carps, Cece Carson, Stephen Cole, David Dahl, Bryan Draper, Uche Enwesi, Frank Garcia, Margaret Garnett, Glenn Gonzales, Dave Gosnell, Paula Greenwell, David Griffith, Maria Gutierrez, Babak Hamidzadeh, Patrick Hanns, Tammy Hennig, Pat Herron, Bruce Hulse, Charlotte Johnson, Stephanie Karunwi, David Keifer, Charles Kersey, Donna King, Jerry Kisser, Matt Lentz, Daniel Mack, Doug McElrath, Kesi McFarlane, Mark McGuigan, Carla Montori, Kizi N’Kodia, Anna Nabity, Arthur Natishan, Bill Olen, Kathy Pickard, Nathan Putnam, Victoria Quartey, Sean Quinn, David Rivard, Jorge Rivas, Carlen Ruschoff, Edie Sandler, Lydia Savage, Susan Schwartz, Cynthia Sorrell, Rosemary Spellman, James Spring, Brian Still, Lee-Jong Teo, Hilary Thompson, Preston Tobery, Paul Tung, Ben Wallberg, Tony Wasef, Jerome Weiland, Andrea White, Gary White, and Lawrence Wu.

A special thanks to David Kiefer, Librarian II and manager of the Johns Hopkins University Library Services Center, for his invaluable help with the ins and outs of high-density storage facilities and the movement of collections therein.

The authors would like to thank Kelsey Corlett-Rivera for her feedback on a draft of this chapter.

Margaret Loebe would like to thank Lauren Young, for everything.

Tim Hackman would like to thank Jackie Hackman. MLTY.

Citation

Hackman, T. and Loebe, M. (2018), "Accidental Project Management in a New Library Storage Facility", Project Management in the Library Workplace (Advances in Library Administration and Organization, Vol. 38), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 261-278. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0732-067120180000038016

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018 Emerald Publishing Limited