[Libs-Or] Dealing with change

[Shirien Chappell]

I'm speaking at NWILL this year. My topic is about how we help ourselves
and our coworkers work through change. It's a very interesting and
important issue to me: sometimes I get to lead people at work through
changes, but also am going through changes in my personal life (as are
most of us due to economics, aging children and parents, and all those
things that we face every day which demand intestinal fortitude).

I would very much appreciate hearing from you about your experiences
dealing with change. Specifically:

1. What worked in some situations and what didn't work in others?

2. For the times when change was difficult, what would you have
preferred happen that would have made it easier for you?

Many of us been through reorganizations; some of us have experienced
major changes to our daily work assignments. Some of us have lived
through library construction projects in which our office spaces moved
around, sometimes more than once. Many of us are have been touched by
software changes that have a huge effect on our daily work lives.

Our libraries, cultures, expectations, and landscapes have changed a
great deal over the past year. Staff positions have not been
filled, supplies and services budgets curtailed, collections reduced,
demand has increased for existing services even while demand for new
services increases. To mitigate some of the effects of the economy there
have been calls for greater collaboration among Oregon and Washington
libraries, for sharing expertise as well as collections. Libraries are
called upon to change how they do business.

I'd very much like to hear from you about what helps you through
change. I'd like to learn more about how to present changes to staff,
especially the kind that can be difficult to hear.

If you would be willing to share your insights and experiences with me
please respond off-list to chappell at uoregon.edu.

If you prefer anonymity you can use the form on this web page:

http://www.uoregon.edu/~shared/change.html

Thank you for your help.

Shirien Chappell, Head
Access Services Department
University of Oregon Libraries
Eugene OR 97403

t: 541.346-1914
f: 541.346-3094
e: chappell at uoregon.edu