Keywords
Change readiness, library service environment, libraries, library management
Description
The new normal has changed the nature of work and services, and a library's readiness, considering these abrupt but mandatory changes, has challenged, and influenced their response to meet the demands of the new service environment. This paper seeks to explore how the library management in academic and school institutions has been adapting to this change, how their priorities have shifted in reinventing their action plans and innovative library responses, to ensure meeting new expectations to support the perceived needs of their communities, especially in the next normal future. It specifically probes into managing change in charting strategic plans, upper management involvement and workforce support. Employing the change readiness concept as a framework, it encompasses inquiry into service and innovation initiatives, staff agility and sustainability of library performance vis-à-vis the adaptability to change and change readiness. Quantitative design was employed for this study, and self-selection strategy as a non-probability sampling technique was used in collecting data from respondents. Findings reveal that respondents have achieved quite a lot in preparing to adapt to change and generally agree that they are ready to deal with the perceived, future-wise changes in all aspects. The study offers insights on the value of integrating measures pertinent to the emergence of new roles and needs in the changing service environment. The results of the study are seen to have a potential contribution to the library organization's growth as they oversee their operations, prospectively.
Included in
Face‐to‐face with the new: Libraries readiness and perspectives towards the changing service environment
The new normal has changed the nature of work and services, and a library's readiness, considering these abrupt but mandatory changes, has challenged, and influenced their response to meet the demands of the new service environment. This paper seeks to explore how the library management in academic and school institutions has been adapting to this change, how their priorities have shifted in reinventing their action plans and innovative library responses, to ensure meeting new expectations to support the perceived needs of their communities, especially in the next normal future. It specifically probes into managing change in charting strategic plans, upper management involvement and workforce support. Employing the change readiness concept as a framework, it encompasses inquiry into service and innovation initiatives, staff agility and sustainability of library performance vis-à-vis the adaptability to change and change readiness. Quantitative design was employed for this study, and self-selection strategy as a non-probability sampling technique was used in collecting data from respondents. Findings reveal that respondents have achieved quite a lot in preparing to adapt to change and generally agree that they are ready to deal with the perceived, future-wise changes in all aspects. The study offers insights on the value of integrating measures pertinent to the emergence of new roles and needs in the changing service environment. The results of the study are seen to have a potential contribution to the library organization's growth as they oversee their operations, prospectively.