SPEC Kit 327: Reconfiguring Service Delivery · 47
At about the same time that we consolidated Media and Music Media into the Media Center, we closed our
Presentation Services, considering that the service was not core to the Libraries’ mission. While we did not really
outsource the services that Presentation Services formerly provided, we felt that faculty and other groups that were
our users were finding new modes of delivery of films and other media formats. This has freed up the manager of
Presentation Services to devote time to preservation of media resources and to some support in the Media Center and
the Sharon Fordham Lab.
Our collaborative partnership provides 24/7 chat support to our users, but also allows questions that we can’t get
to during our regular service hours to roll to a national queue for support as well. This variable allows us to manage
multiple types of reference (in-person, phone, and chat) all at once while knowing that some users can get support from
external service providers.
Transferring responsibility for student printing fully to IS&T (by bringing them into the building) and away from
information students and reference staff was a favorable outcome. Library previously had inadequate 25 IS&T computer
stations that were driving approximately 25% of campus printing on inadequate and inadequately staffed printers
demonstrating that the library was a logical place students were looking to for this service. Lines were continual.
We phased out our Billing Services unit of the Access Services department. Users can now pay their bills online using
a credit card or they can go to the central billing office on campus to pay fines in person. We also provide reference
assistance 24/7 via a chat service ~75% of the online coverage is outsourced to librarians not affiliated with the
university. Librarians now have more time to devote to scholarly communication, outreach, and instruction.
13. Please make any additional comments on the factors that drove this service reconfiguration. N=13
Availability of most journal literature in electronic form made closing these science libraries easier.
Budget reduction combined with maximizing deployment of staff and other resources.
Information commons model of providing a suite of services in the library a major factor. Commitment made to continue
providing a librarian as prominent walk-up reference service in Research Center among the services. Observation of
student interaction with offices throughout campus, such as Writing Center and Educational Resource Center, drove
adoption of appointment model. Information Services &Technology (IS&T) added a staffed IT Help Desk and moved the
main student and faculty account printing facility into the library, Print Center. The library Copy Center became the Scan/
Copy Center incorporating formerly IT scanning service.
It was mostly a desire to improve services to our user community and respond to their needs, while creating a better
space for the collections and service delivery.
Just to state again that the change in this service provision was initiated to improve service to the user and also did
create opportunities for support staff and librarians in terms of promotion into more senior positions.
MIT has just entered into new strategic partnerships with Harvard University, the HathiTrust, and the Ivies Plus Borrow
Direct network, which will shape some of our services in the future. These partnerships were not the driver for our
reorganization or reconfiguration of services, but are in line with the goals of our reorganization.
Need for remodeling for aesthetics.
At about the same time that we consolidated Media and Music Media into the Media Center, we closed our
Presentation Services, considering that the service was not core to the Libraries’ mission. While we did not really
outsource the services that Presentation Services formerly provided, we felt that faculty and other groups that were
our users were finding new modes of delivery of films and other media formats. This has freed up the manager of
Presentation Services to devote time to preservation of media resources and to some support in the Media Center and
the Sharon Fordham Lab.
Our collaborative partnership provides 24/7 chat support to our users, but also allows questions that we can’t get
to during our regular service hours to roll to a national queue for support as well. This variable allows us to manage
multiple types of reference (in-person, phone, and chat) all at once while knowing that some users can get support from
external service providers.
Transferring responsibility for student printing fully to IS&T (by bringing them into the building) and away from
information students and reference staff was a favorable outcome. Library previously had inadequate 25 IS&T computer
stations that were driving approximately 25% of campus printing on inadequate and inadequately staffed printers
demonstrating that the library was a logical place students were looking to for this service. Lines were continual.
We phased out our Billing Services unit of the Access Services department. Users can now pay their bills online using
a credit card or they can go to the central billing office on campus to pay fines in person. We also provide reference
assistance 24/7 via a chat service ~75% of the online coverage is outsourced to librarians not affiliated with the
university. Librarians now have more time to devote to scholarly communication, outreach, and instruction.
13. Please make any additional comments on the factors that drove this service reconfiguration. N=13
Availability of most journal literature in electronic form made closing these science libraries easier.
Budget reduction combined with maximizing deployment of staff and other resources.
Information commons model of providing a suite of services in the library a major factor. Commitment made to continue
providing a librarian as prominent walk-up reference service in Research Center among the services. Observation of
student interaction with offices throughout campus, such as Writing Center and Educational Resource Center, drove
adoption of appointment model. Information Services &Technology (IS&T) added a staffed IT Help Desk and moved the
main student and faculty account printing facility into the library, Print Center. The library Copy Center became the Scan/
Copy Center incorporating formerly IT scanning service.
It was mostly a desire to improve services to our user community and respond to their needs, while creating a better
space for the collections and service delivery.
Just to state again that the change in this service provision was initiated to improve service to the user and also did
create opportunities for support staff and librarians in terms of promotion into more senior positions.
MIT has just entered into new strategic partnerships with Harvard University, the HathiTrust, and the Ivies Plus Borrow
Direct network, which will shape some of our services in the future. These partnerships were not the driver for our
reorganization or reconfiguration of services, but are in line with the goals of our reorganization.
Need for remodeling for aesthetics.
