Achieving Cultural Change in Networked Libraries

Citation

Fisher, D. (2000), "Achieving Cultural Change in Networked Libraries", The Electronic Library, Vol. 18 No. 6, pp. 448-469. https://doi.org/10.1108/el.2000.18.6.448.20

Reading this book I was struck by just how many acronyms our information rich world has spawned. It’s not that the work itself is uniquely jargon laden, but simply that the digital arena within which the book is situated is particularly prone to indulging in such nomenclature. The editors are to be congratulated in their provision of a useful glossary – with Web addresses for further information where appropriate – to offset any confusion. The inclusion of an index further aids navigation. The book’s aims are twofold: to identify “pre‐existing cultural dispositions which inhibit optimum interaction between users and…electronic resources” and to provide “approaches, concepts, models and tools which will facilitate cultural and organizational change in this area.”

The focus is mainly on academic with some consideration of special libraries, which belies the work’s origins in the TAPin project (Training and Awareness Programme in Networks), part of the eLib (Electronic Libraries Programme), funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) – and that’s quite enough acronyms for one paragraph!

One of the strengths of the book is that it doesn’t simply remind one of how obscure the lexicon of the information world has become, but unpicks and gives a context to much of it. For instance, if you want a succinct analysis of eLib or the TAPin model, then this is the place to look. Such topics occupy two of the 15 chapters, others deal with, among other things: convergence of services, organizational culture, models and theory, and working with stakeholders. The volume is an excellent source of literature reviews, which makes it especially valuable for one of its target audiences – students.

The book is also intended to appeal to information and library managers and assist them in their quest to facilitate organizational change and adaptation to new networked environments. There is certainly much information in the generally well‐written and referenced chapters to interest the professional in the field, but if you are looking for a practical ten easy steps kind of work then this isn’t it. Mind you, I would be suspicious of any volume which suggested that change management was such a simple affair!

Achieving Cultural Change in Networked Libraries doesn’t have all the answers, but it is a collection which may both inspire reflection on current practice in those already working in academic and special libraries and offer the library school student an insight into the increasingly frenetic world they are considering joining. I will leave you to ponder the book’s concluding remarks: “Designing the information future we want, rather than accepting the one that is thrust upon us, can only be achieved by a combination of proactive awareness‐raising, accommodating stakeholder perspectives, cross‐boundary cooperation, and the eliciting of refined end‐user feedback.”