Communicating and managing change is perhaps one of the most important aspects a manager must employ in order for the operations of their department, their library, to function at its best. By nature, people are not receptive to change, they don’t know to handle the differences that are now occurring at their library. When the changes are communicated in a positive manner and managed with a mentality that change is an opportunity, library employees will better understand what is happening and not be fearful.
One example of assisting librarians to embrace and manage change is through a collection development resource guide. Through such a guide, new librarians can quickly get acclimated with their new surroundings and current librarians can get updated with policy and department changes and updates at their convenience. This central location for a resource guide also provides one place for all librarians to communicate when a wiki or discussion board is added to the guide.
Review the guide I created for the University of Illinois Rare Books and Manuscripts Library
Another example of change in a library is the process of weeding. Addressed in this presentation is why weeding is necessary, the fears and misconceptions, positive ways to communicate and manage the process, and several case studies of how poor management and communication negatively affected the library’s perception to the community.
The Librarian of Spark and Spirit 