Redesigning technical services for the twenty-first century: A case study from the University of Alabama Libraries

Abstract

The University of Alabama Libraries began a workflow analysis over a decade ago. Primarily focused on traditional technical services areas, this process has been iterative and evolved from the need to seek efficiencies to a broader change in the culture and an acceptance of an ongoing process of improvement. This paper discusses lessons learned from workflow analysis regarding acquisitions, electronic resources, and cataloging/metadata, and examines how these changes impacted the broader library and philosophies of collection development and management.