Inherent Strategies in Library Management

Sumiko

Preface

Masanori Koizumi

After the economic crisis in 2008, during the global recession that took place in the latter half of the 2000s, libraries fell into a state of hopelessness, in which many librarians lost confidence in their work. Within the domain of library management, news of staff reductions or restructuring due to business management theories like business process re-engineering or outsourcing was frequently seen, all of which was a result of decision-making by the government or library directors in response to the recession. However, the author strongly felt that despite the difficult financial situation, library management should have considered other options. The author came to the conclusion that there was a need to elucidate the influence of business management theories on library management, as well as to examine inherent management theories in libraries. This was the impetus for the research in this book.

Despite initial worries about the state of libraries, the author began to develop a conviction in the soundness of library management, as well as hope for the future of libraries as this research progressed. In other words, even if library management was not conspicuously visible, it had in fact been well established. Furthermore, as can be seen in this book, core knowledge and skills that have long been cultivated by libraries can be adapted in response to the constant changes in environment or library operations, or form a foundation for the development of new knowledge or information. The management strategies presented in this book conceptualise these implicitly performed library operations and core knowledge as inherent library management. These inherent strategies in library management consist of general and specific strategies that will be defined later.

In short, the influence of business management theories on libraries makes up the first part of this book, and the inherent strategies comprise the rest.

This book is an expansion of the author’s doctoral thesis in 2013 and his work in 2016, ‘Theory of Management Strategies for Libraries: Triggers for Innovative and Fundamental Changes’. The author sincerely wishes to express his appreciation for Shuichi Ueda (Professor Emeritus, Keio University), Keiko Kurata (Professor, Keio University), and Itsuo Miura (Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo), who have offered many suggestions and criticisms concerning the concepts incorporated in his thesis. At the phase of publishing this book, a huge debt is also owed to Sophia Chow (close friend, independent writing specialist) who has continued to encourage and assist the author, and check his logic in the writing process of this book. Without her sincere assistance and kindness, this book could never have been completed. Nicholas DeDomenico (close friend, Japanese translator, software engineer at PNC Bank, alumnus of the iSchool at the University of Pittsburgh) and Michael M. Widdersheim (close friend, PhD candidate at the iSchool of the University of Pittsburgh) also spared their precious time to proofread. The author could not have finished his research without them. Appreciation has been expressed to the many librarians whom the author visited and interviewed.

Lastly, thanks beyond thanks to Namiko. Just as the author began to focus on the writing of this book, our second son was born. Taking care of both children simultaneously was enough work for more than two parents. Thank you so much, Namiko, for your patience and your perseverance. Finally, the author would like to express his appreciation for his mother, Sumiko. After she recommended him to enter Keio University in his high school days, his journey studying library and information sciences started. While the author was writing this book, she always selflessly took care of her grandsons even while taking care of her mother, who has been suffering from dementia. Thus, the author dedicated this book to both women, Namiko and Sumiko, with love.

December 29, 2016

Chapter 1

Overview of Library Management

Abstract

This chapter consists of an overview of library management history based on past core research. Library management has followed and applied business management theories around a decade later than in the business world. In the 1960s, library management also experienced a paradigm shift from the traditional management of libraries into strategic management, emulating business management. Finally, the author outlines the objectives of this book, which include (1) understanding the influence and impact of business management on libraries by examining cases where strategic management theories have been applied; and (2) describing the inherent strategies in library management by using in-depth case analysis of library management.

Keywords

Library management; history of library management; business management; strategic management; core research in library management; framework of analysis

Public libraries walk a fine line between a commercial and a public world, and the competing languages of citizenship and consumption, which often produces stresses and strains in library management philosophies and policies.

Greenhalgh, Worpole, Landry, and Landry (1995), Libraries in a world of cultural change.

Contents

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Historical Background of Library Management 3

1.3 Past Core Research on the History and Theories of Library Management: The 1900s to the 1950s 4

1.4 Modern Strategic Management: After the 1960s 6

1.5 Object of Analysis and Framework of Analysis in this Book 9

References 10

1.1 Introduction

This book describes library management strategies from the first half of the 20th century, when numerous management theories emerged, to the present day. Library managers have been earnestly learning business management theories and applying them to libraries since few management theories have been developed specifically for libraries.

We must acknowledge that libraries have been referencing management theories meant for private enterprises to develop their own management strategies, but these management theories have continued to exert positive and negative influences on libraries. The negative influences have been especially critical for libraries over time, since once the culture of a library is changed radically, it is very difficult to redevelop and cultivate it again. In Usherwood’s book, Rediscovering Public Library Management (1996), he cautioned against this kind of library situation. Thus, it is necessary to look carefully at what has been going on in the library world. A multifaceted discussion of this subject from a variety of perspectives has been undertaken in this book.

In the library world, if one were to take the approach typical of traditional case analysis in which a single aspect of a particular time is assessed, one would only find librarians who are being pulled and swayed by momentary trends and fads. However, if we look at the gamut of library systems over time, we realise that change is inevitable for libraries, which operate in the realm of knowledge and information, and which have steadily and successfully adapted to on-going changes.

Though there may occasionally have been slight delays in libraries’ responses/reactions to changes in the external environment, they nonetheless have demonstrated the capacity for business management in a changing environment, and they have executed their mission within the realm of knowledge and information. Indeed, libraries have demonstrated that the knowledge and skills they have cultivated over their long history remain useful, even though these assets may change in shape and form, and they provide a firm foundation for responding to the realm of knowledge and information despite the constantly emerging tasks and demands that are placed on library operations. The problem is that those library management strategies had been invisible for a long time. If we are able to successfully describe the inherent/underlying strategies in library management, they could become robust and consistently used for libraries.

The management strategies developed and presented in this book are based on libraries’ long-standing management practices. These are management strategies unique to libraries, premised on ideas and purposes specific to libraries that are not evident in the management theories of private enterprises, which have the pursuit of economic efficiency as their ultimate purpose. For instance, Wrigley and McKevitt pointed out the huge differences between public and private sectors (1994, p. 83):

For public sector managers, the major implication is that the public sector really is different from the private sector, and all those ideas about reinventing government to bring in management practices of private enterprise are just cocktail party chatter.

It is thus necessary to analyse library management over a long period of time, since short-term observation cannot reveal the management strategies that have been used implicitly and effectively by librarians so far. In so doing, we will be able to elucidate the inherent management strategies of libraries.

The purpose of this book, then, is to describe a theory of library strategy based on library priority values. As Pfeffer (1993) mentioned, the library management field has long used the same paradigm as for-profit organisations, and researchers need to build a foundation for a new paradigm developed for library management. In order to construct a fundamental theory of library management, we need to formulate a strategy that encompasses all basic and common services from the perspective of librarians into a strategic management theory for the library world. This will make libraries become more resilient to outside environmental influences, and allow the library director to focus on obtaining a clear understanding of fundamental strategic management for libraries in order to explain it to stakeholders both inside and outside of the library.

This book also aimed to include both management practices of academic and public libraries, because recently boundaries between different types of libraries are diminishing. For instance, a public library director may often become an academic library director, and collaborative works between public and academic libraries often occur. Furthermore, information technologies have blurred the differences in the functions of different types of libraries.

Additionally, this book is intended not only for researchers but also for managers who wish to put these findings into practical use, because library and information sciences are tightly connected to the actual operation of libraries. Managers may find these library management strategies helpful and applicable as they are constructed based on actual research data.

1.2 Historical Background of Library Management

In the latter half of the 1970s, Mittermeyer and Houser (1979) pointed out that until that time, there had been few library management theories based on research. Later on, textbooks appeared with titles that included ‘Library Management’. In much of the literature, however, business management theories were introduced with partial modifications for application to libraries, despite the fact that these theories were developed with private enterprises in mind. If the literature did not reference business management theory directed at profit-making enterprises, many of them only introduced library operations such as ‘cataloguing’ or ‘reference services’.

The reasons for this disregard toward researching or theorising about library management can be seen in McClure’s article (1982). The article presents the following ideas: (1) library work was considered ‘woman’s work’ since it fell into the category of ‘cultural and community activities’; (2) the library was considered to be ‘a good thing’ and little justification of its existence needed to be provided; and (3) the library was simply ‘to hold books’. The notion of the library as integral to the development of a larger institution or community was generally ignored and held only by cultural dilettantes who had nothing better to do. In brief, McClure suggests that the library world, until now, has not only ignored management theories, but management itself. Biddle (1992) pointed out a similar result in his research: ‘Little managerial expertise was required’.

1.3 Past Core Research on the History and Theories of Library Management: The 1900s to the 1950s

This section reviews historical and theoretical research on library management, starting in the early 20th century when business administration began until the present. The few detailed historical reports in existence include those by Kittle (1961) and Biddle (1992). These two studies make up the core research of library management. Kittle carried out a case study and interviews with library personnel to uncover the history of how public libraries were run from 1925 to 1955, as based on management theories targeted at profit-making companies. Biddle used a document survey to elucidate the history of how university libraries were operated, starting in the early 20th century until about the 1970s. He first set the period he would survey beginning in 1636, when the first university library was opened in the United States. In order to focus on the history of library management starting in the early 1900s (strategic management theory did not officially appear until the 1950s), this research paper refers to the work of Kittle (1961) and Evans (1976). Biddle mentioned university library management beginning in the 1980s based on his own survey. In addition, some scholars have discussed the history of library management in libraries of all kinds (Hayes & Becker, 1970; Rizzo, 1980; Wheeler, Goldhor, & Rochell, 1981).

As for describing library strategic management, Kemper (1967) consolidated theories of management planning for profit-making companies and performed a fact-finding survey using library case studies. He also carried out a questionnaire in order to build a theory of strategic planning for libraries. Judging from past research, the 1900s through the 1930s was an era when library management was not emphasised. Libraries during this period were able to employ a large number of staff and house huge collections thanks to generous budgets. Libraries almost never had to depend on outside funding, and external organisations rarely demanded reports on the current state of management. Consequently, libraries could expand even without being overseen; without anyone being aware of the need for management, little effort was devoted to