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The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the restructuring process of the University of Arizona libraries. The paper focuses more specifically on the research support services (RSS) team, one of the librarian teams, that moved from a subject liaison model to a domain model focused on different work areas.

The paper details the three phases of restructuring: building the general frame of change by the restructuring team, staffing outline by the implementation team, and how the resulting team, the research support team, managed its assigned work.

The restructuring resulted in a few changes to the library as whole but the largest change was the creation of the RSS team and the move from a subject specialist model to a domain model. The RSS model has allowed the team to accomplish their work with fewer staff.

The paper provides a new approach of how a research university is responding to economic and technological challenges.

As a result of rapid environmental changes, organisations of all types are rethinking their organisational structures in an attempt to provide greater effectiveness and efficiency. A few years ago business process re‐engineering (BPR) was considered the most promising way to restructure an organisation, but has become less popular as shortcomings associated with the process have become evident. Today, greater emphasis is being placed upon modifying the actual organisational structure. Most restructured organisations have moved away from rigid hierarchies to flatter, more flexible structures. Many of the same forces (including increased automation, changing information needs and expectations of users, reduced budgets and the need for staff to have more autonomy over their own work) that have precipitated the reshaping of other organisations have also affected academic libraries. This paper describes some of the factors leading to changes in the organisational structures of academic libraries and provides an overview of trends, excluding convergence, discernible in North America. The paper includes suggestions for steps to be taken to facilitate successful reorganisations, and comments on possible future developments that might radically alter the organisational structures of academic libraries.

This paper examines the impact of restructuring on the usage of resources and services in the Indian Institute of Technology library, Roorkee. Library users were approached to know their preferences between an electronic and traditional resources and services. Additionally, the study focused to know the extent of change in users' awareness, dependency, usage, frequency and satisfaction from library resources and services after restructuring these due to the availability of abundance of e-resources.

The study adopted survey-based research design, for which a questionnaire was used as the principal instrument for data collection. This questionnaire was distributed to the library users when they physically visited the library. Notably, all the questionnaires distributed were returned, yielding thereby a cent percent response rate. One questionnaire was administrative on the librarian for getting the data regarding the changes made in the subscription of e-resources and services. The collected data were further analyzed with appropriate statistical techniques of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) as chi-square test, mean and standard deviation.

The results showed that the use of both restructured resources and services had increased, and was found to be helpful for users. Also, the users' dependency on library had increased, showing thereby an upward trend for usage in the future. However, although the users’ awareness, usage and frequency of e-resources and ICT-based services have positively changed, and partially been satisfied, the study suggests that further revision is needed for further strengthening e-resources and services as per user's needs satisfaction.

This study would create interest in rethinking library resources and services among librarians that tend to respond positively to user satisfaction and library functions; it also provides a strategic position of a library per se for its users in the future. Importantly, the assessment of the usage of restructuring resources and services, vis-a-vis their impact on users, may also serve as a key tool, which possibly could be applied to both public libraries and other types of higher education libraries.

Many libraries find it difficult to balance between electronic and printed materials, especially in the fields of science and technology, due to the preferences of the users. Thus far, there have not been too many studies that have looked to assess restructuring of library resources and services, vis-a-vis their impact on library users. Therefore, the results of this study would provide a clear understanding to the library profession as to how users use e-resources and services in the digital age, and how much they are actually influenced by these.

The purpose of this paper is to report on the development of a flexible and robust academic library structure that meets the demands of an ever changing user community and remains relevant and fit for purpose in a technology-driven age. The new structure makes provision for the delivery of new and innovative services responding to the need for a paradigm shift in twenty-first century academic librarianship. The move away from subject librarianship, which has been the bastion of South African academic librarianship, is significant.

This paper used the exploratory method to gain new insights into library structures that have restructured for the twenty-first century. The exploratory study was used to gain new insights into functional librarianship. Despite the short comings of the exploratory method, the method was deemed most appropriate as UCT Libraries was not seeking definitive answers but a process that would provide opportunities to explore possibilities for subsequent processes.

The move from subject librarianship to functional librarianship has given the library the opportunity to restructure. The restructured library can now offer new and/or radically expanded services to meet the demands of a twenty-first century academic library.

The development of new and future roles and responsibilities commensurate with a robust and “future-driven” structure will consolidate the library’s role as a collaborator in the teaching and learning, and research agendas of a higher education institution.

This paper will be of interest and value to library managers and staff wanting to develop a library structure that responds positively to the redefinition of the professional roles and functions of the library and to strategically position the academic library for the future. It will also be of interest to library and information science academics who may want to re-examine their curricula for the incorporation of new trends.

Most academic libraries in Nigeria have retained the traditional organisational structure based on two broad divisions – reader services and technical services. Observes that developments in academic libraries have made the conventional structure inadequate and less functional. Examines the inadequacies, using the University of Ilorin as an example. Proposes a function organisation structure which groups library activities into four main divisions – access services, information services, special collections and training activities. Advises on the implementation of restructuring and the barriers the libraries are likely to face. Suggests the formation of an overall steering committee, and functionally oriented task forces that will undertake the analysis of library activities for restructuring.

This article examines why Korean academic libraries embarked on restructuring their organization and identifies possible solutions to some problems that these libraries face. The conclusion is drawn from the results of a case study on Sejong University Library that Korean academic librarians should become user‐centered professionals. After restructuring, the user service librarian’s job content has changed to concentrate on servicing users on specific subjects. The subject librarian will take care of reference services, SDI, DB instruction and book selection on the same subject.

Publication No. 49 of the Association of College and Research Libraries entitled Restructuring Academic Libraries: Organizational Development in the Wake of Technological Change states “the swift advance of computer networking has disrupted print‐age organizational structures in higher education and invaded the academic library’s traditional autonomy. Such fundamental change impels libraries to develop new institutional arrangements to support digital‐based research and curricular programs”. With this in mind, this paper examines the Meriam Library at California State University, Chico, using the four ranges of restructuring outcomes of boundary spanning, as described in the publication, as benchmarks to measure and assess what opportunities and achievements in organizational changes have occurred over the last decade.

The entire higher education legislation in Finland has been overhauled with effect from the beginning of 2010. The aim of the restructuring of higher education is to enhance teaching and research quality and increase effectiveness through a streamlined network of institutions coupled with stronger institutional profiling and priorities. University and polytechnic libraries form a key infrastructure in teaching and research, so it is vital for the development of higher education to ensure their operational quality. This paper seeks to describe the results of the work of a committee that was given the job of making recommendations on the successful implementation of the new legislation, especially from the point of view of library and information services.

The paper takes the form of a case study.

The committee suggests an efficient network of local libraries tied in with centralized services, as well as sound funding and legislation that will help fulfill the libraries' main tasks when building digital services for students and academics.

The paper is based on experience in Finland.

The paper gives examples of the action needed in restructuring the library network for the digital age.

The paper provides a model for national cooperation between centralized services and libraries at institutes of higher education.

At the beginning of 2010, new higher education legislation was enacted in Finland. As a result, 17 state universities were consolidated into three newly formed and autonomous universities. This chapter describes the merger process of the libraries in these new universities, namely Aalto University, University of Eastern Finland, and the University of Turku. Using a case study approach, the chapter describes different aspects of the merger process, particularly how to manage cultural change in formerly independent libraries into a single new organization, as well as how to define the new structures and alter directives for management, leaving the past behind. Although this is based on Finnish experiences, it is helpful for other libraries considering or engaged in similar mergers by giving examples and tools for the actions needed for new structures to succeed. Also described are the challenges that the three libraries met in introducing innovations, the necessity for broad communication, and marketing of the new structures within their respective universities. Also included is a brief background description of the overall impact of the new legislation on universities as a whole. Higher education in Finland encompasses polytechnic institutes and universities. This chapter addresses library mergers only in universities.