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Academic Library System

Notes remain pretty much the same, so change management has evolved to become a discipline from
a set of good professional practices.

14.1.3 Processes

The process of change management can be studied as an amalgamation of following subprocesses:
• The Change Process as “Unfreezing, Changing and Refreezing”
• The Change Process as Problem Solving and Problem Finding
• The Change Problem

• Change as a “How” Problem
• Change as a “What” Problem
• Change as a “Why” Problem.

It becomes easier when problems are formulated in terms of “what, Why and How” questions.
The formulation depends on where in the organization the person posing the question or
formulating the problem is situated, and where the organization is situated in its own life
cycle.

14.1.4 Libraries and Information Centers
Change from an existing setup to a new environment has its own set of inherent problems and
the problems become multifold when apply in a service institution as library. Libraries have
been pioneers in adopting any new technology, the same holds true for information and
technology also. The role of libraries has gradually changed from the traditional storehouse
of information to access providers. There has been a paradigm shift in the ways libraries used
to be managed. The problems associated with the transition in the case of libraries have both
content and a process dimension. The reason is that not only the library operation has got
automated but also at the same time there have been drastic changes in the way information
content used to be presented and organized. The tools and techniques that were suitable for
traditional documents don’t hold good for born digital documents, so, a whole new approach
needs to be developed to handle the situation.

Did u know? The process of change management in a library setup raises basic issues
such as ‘what and how’ questions to cluster in core and buffer units. And
the ‘why’ question is typically the responsibility of top management. The
skills and strategies involved in managing change in libraries and information
centers are multifaceted.

14.1.5 Skills

1. Political skills: These skills are required to motivate people and convince the management
at the same time for the maximum benefit of the organization and users

2. Analytical skills: The ability to analyze the situation judiciously and to act wisely is the
primary requirements of a good manager. Further, if the property to be managed is
change, then the analytical skills are of greatest significance.

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