Project Management in Libraries

A project, by nature and definition, is a temporary initiative. The Project Management Institute, or PMI, defines a project as “a temporary endeavor that is undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result”, (2008, p. 5). In libraries and other types of service organizations, projects are usually undertaken that seek to enhance the patron or user experience. Larger projects initiated by libraries, whether they redesign space, digitize collections, or implement a new integrated library system, tend to have long term effects on the services libraries provide.

Libraries are functional organizations, with personnel located in specific departments responsible for the daily tasks associated with each specific department. Different libraries utilize different departmental names, but generally there are four major components of within library services; reference services, technical services, and circulation services, administrative services. Larger libraries may split services within these functional areas into multiple departments creating a more specialized organization, while smaller libraries may tend to combine these functional areas, for example even personnel in administrative roles may perform some reference or circulation services at times. Often even in larger libraries, staff members depending upon their duties, can provide service in and be assigned to more than one department simultaneously.

While smaller projects generally stay within a single department, as departments within a library are interrelated to produce a consistent service, larger projects usually involve selected members from each library department. Consequently, when larger projects are undertaken libraries tend to resemble matrix organizations. In such instances the manager of the project will be a person whose department has either initiated the project, has the most influence in its outcome, or whose department will be most affected by the initiative.

Projects are characterized by a life-cycle that includes: initiating the project, organizing the project, working on the project, and closing out the project, (PMI, 2008, p.16). In library modernization initiatives, as projects tend to involve newer technologies that librarians might not be fully familiar with, and concrete project management procedures may not be utilized, projects may have a tendency to linger. Ira Revels discusses how library software projects often continue without a formal plan due to the fact that libraries add additional features and incorporate system maintenance into the project, (2010). Revels goes on to maintain that this may occur for one of several reasons; proper closeout procedures are not followed, the project’s completion was not signed off , the scope of the project was not well defined initially, or leadership has not formalized an additional project for maintenance.

Shtub, Bard, and Globerson state that project managers must have a blend of technical skills, interpersonal skills, and administrative skills, (2005). Like project management, librarianship is both a highly interpersonal profession and a highly task focused profession, necessitating employees have good interpersonal skills, good technical skills, and good administrative skills as well. Assisting patrons with their information needs involves librarians having high people-focused skills, organizing and maintaining often complicated collections of information involves having high task-focused technical skills, and additionally librarians routinely administrate personnel, budgets, and policies and procedures. Unlike project managers library administrators are usually either highly interpersonal leaders, focusing primarily on interpersonal relationships, or highly task oriented leaders, focusing primarily on the successful completion of tasks.

References:

PMI, (2008). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (4th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.

Revels, I. (2010, April). Managing digital projects. American Libraries, (41)4, 48-50.

Shtub, A., Bard, J., & Globerson, S. (2005). Project management: processes, methodologies, and economics (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.