Central Technical Services reshuffles

by Jonathan O'Connell

Over the past two months, the largest division of the UW-Madison Libraries has undergone a reorganization that will hopefully ease the momentous task of processing of library materials for the General Library System.

The reorganization of Central Technical Services includes a change from four major units to two -- a Cataloging Department, and an Acquisitions and Serials Department. Karl Debus, who has held positions at the National Agricultural Library, the Executive Office of the President, and the National Library of Medicine, heads the Acquisitions and Serials Department. Irene Zimmerman, who has worked in CTS for 19 years, is in charge of the new Cataloging Department.

CTS Assistant Director Richard Reeb says he hopes the changes will "make operations more efficient, increase our output, decrease the throughput time, and most important, make our faculty and students more pleased with our services."

According to Reeb, the previous system, which had been in place since 1989, had encountered two major difficulties in recent years. One was managing the quickly increasing usage of the library’s growing Internet resources -- materials that are more difficult to track than traditional print materials. The other was a lengthy transition to a new, more complex library operating system.

To go along with the alteration in staff structure, CTS is also undergoing a physical reorganization of its space on the third floor of Memorial Library. It should be completed by next spring.

One of Reeb’s hopes for the new organization is that with training and redesigned workflows there will be a larger pool of staff available to help with specific tasks.

"We believe this organization will position CTS to respond much more positively and quickly to the needs of the GLS," Reeb said.

To read more about the reorganization, see:
http://www.library.wisc.edu:4000/dept/cts/ctsreorginfo.htm