Constructing A Model For Mexican Libraries in The 21st Century - Alberto Santiago Martinez

ConstructingaModelforMexicanLibrariesinthe21stCentury|AlbertoSantiagoMartinez
This is a preprint of a chapter accepted for publication by Facet Publishing. This

extract has been taken from the authors original manuscript and has not been
edited. The definitive version of this piece may be found in Dynamic Research
Support for Academic Libraries. Facet Publishing, London. ISBN:
9781783300495, which can be purchased
from http://www.facetpublishing.co.uk/title.php?id=300495
Introduction
Changesintheacademicpracticesofuniversitiesarerequiringresearchlibrarieswhichsupport
themtotransformthemselvesinordertoprovideeffectiveandrelevantinformationservices.
Theriseofdigitalscholarshipinsocialsciencesinhumanitiesisrequiringliberalartsinstitutions
toadoptnewstrategiesforconductingresearchandinstruction.Unfortunately,inmanycases
olderlibrariesareillequippedtosupporttheevergrowingneedsofitsacademiccommunity.
ThisisespeciallythecaseincountriessuchasMexicowheremanyresearchlibrariescontinueto
upholdtraditionalservicemodels.Thisinitselfcanposeasignificantchallengetoknowledge
productionanddisseminationofthelocalcampuscommunity.
Thischapterpresentsacasestudyofthelibraryrenovationandexpansionprojectimplemented
atTheDanielCosoVillegaslibraryatElColegiodeMxicoinMexicoCity.In2012,the
universitytookonthetaskofrenovatingandexpandingtheUniversity'ssolelibrary.Thegoalof
theprojectwastocreateandimplementaworkingmodelfor21stcenturyresearchlibraries
acrossthecountryofMexico,throughthecreationofthisflagshiplibrary.Definingwhata
Mexicanlibraryshouldbeforthe21stcentury,however,isadauntingtaskgiventhatnational
literatureisfewandfarbetweenandmodelsthathavebeenproposedoutsideofthecountrymay
notberelevantfortheMexicanlibrariesingeneraland,inparticular,theuniquesituationofthe
libraryandcampusitself.Thelibraryconductedaseriesofstudiestounderstandthebehavior,
opinionsandrequirementsofthecampuscommunitywiththeintentofcreatingauseroriented
solutionforthelibrary.
Throughaniterativeplanningprocess,theprojectmanagedtoelaborateaplanthatpairs
traditionallibraryservicesthatthecommunitywasaccustomedtoalongwithnewtypesofdigital
scholarshipsupportservices,withspacesthatadapttotheevolvingresearchandpedagogical
practicesoncampuswhilealsoconsideringtheregionalcontextofthelibrary.Theresultofthis
endeavorisaplanthatwilltransformtheclassicalmodeloftheDanielCosioVillegaslibrary
intoonethatcaterstonewmodesofinformationaccess,interaction,learning,creation,and
dissemination.Theimplementationoftheplanwillresultinsignificantorganizational
restructuring,acquisitionandthedevelopmentofnewtechnologies,tools,andservices.
Background
ColmexisaprestigiousinstituteofhigherlearninginMexicoCitythatisdedicatedtoresearch
andInstructioninHumanitiesandSocialSciences.Theacademiccommunityiscomposedof
approximately443students,ofwhich205arePHDstudents,164masters,and64bachelors.The
teachingandresearchfacultyiscomposedof399professors.Thecommunityisofdiffering
nationalitiesfromNorthandSouthAmerica,Africa,andEurope.However,theyareprincipally
ofMexicanandLatinAmericanDescent.
CoursesareofferedinPoliticalScience,Demography,Economics,Asian&AfricanStudies,
History,Linguistics,Literature,andSociology.UndergraduatecoursesareofferedinPublic
AdministrationandInternationalStudies.Scholarlycommunicationoncampusisusuallycarried
outthroughtraditionalavenueswhichincludeprintpublications,organizingacademic
gatherings,roundtablediscussions,seminarsetc.
TheUniversitybuildingwasdesignedbythearchitectsAbrahamZabludovskyandTeodoro
GonzalezdeLeonandconstructedin1976.Thebuildingisaregisteredlandmarkandwas
recentlyfeaturedinanarchitecturalattheNewYorkMuseumofModernArtin2015.[Cruz1]
Theoriginaldesignrequirementsforthecenterspecifiedthatthearchitecturenotonlysupport
traditionaluniversityactivities,butalsobebuiltsothatitfomentinterdisciplinaryinteraction
betweentheentirecampuscommunity[Cruz2].
TheDanielCosoVillegasLibraryistheuniversityssolelibrary.Sinceitsfoundationin1976,
theuniversitydirectorshiprecognizedtheimportanceoflibrarysroleinsupportingtheacademic
activitiesoncampus.Assuch,thelibraryiscentrallylocatedinthecenterofthecampusand
comprises30%ofthetotalbuildingrealestate.Thelibraryiscomposedofeighteenacademic
librarianswithfacultystanding,threeITprofessionals,andeightyclericalstaffand
paraprofessionals.Thecuratorialeffortsbythelibraryhavetransformedthecollectionintoone
ofthemostimportantLatinAmericacollectionsinitsareasofspecialty.Thelibraryhasplayed
animportantrolebothforthecampusandthenationalacademiclibrarypracticesbydriving
variousinitiativesnationallysuchasthemigrationtoonlineOPACsystemsinthe90s,which
spurredotherinstitutionstofollowinkind.
TheExpansionProject:
Theoriginallibrarysmaterialsstoragecapacitymeasured27,000linearmeters,withamaximum
capacityrateofcloseto700,000volumes.Thelibrarywasdesignedwithanexpectedgrowthof
20years.However,thisdidnotoccuruntil2003.Uponreachingitslimit,theoriginallibrary
planner,AriaGarzaMercadotookonthetaskofelaboratinganewlibraryexpansionprojectto
supportgrowthuntil2024.Unfortunately,thisprojectwasneverputintoplacegiventoalackof
resourcesandbudget.In2012,thepresidinguniversitypresidentsuccessfullysecuredfinancing
fortheprojectfromthefederalgovernmentandtheuniversityofficeofdevelopment.Following
this,thelibrarydirectorwaschargedwiththetaskofelaboratingtherenovationandexpansion
plan.
Acorecommitteewascreatedtoassistthelibrarydirectorintheprojectplanandwascomposed
oflibraryfacultywiththeaimofoutliningtheneedsofthelibrary.Thespecificobjectiveand
scopeofthecommitteewereasfollows:
i.
Definespacesforthenewlibraryexpansion.
ii.
Proposeequipmentandfurniture.
iii. Proposespaces.
Thedirectorfacedthechallengeofcreatingaplanofactionassoonaspossibleduetopolitical
andlegalconstraintsinwhichtheprojecthadtobecompletedwithin3years.Passingthis
deadlinecouldresultinthelossofmoneyandincompletionoftheproject.
GiveninfrastructuralneedsandthesecuringofadditionalfundingbyboththeuniversityITunit
andtheofficeofdevelopment,theprojectscopeexpandedsothatitincludedarenovationofthe
libraryspublicspacesandtheentireelectricalandcommunicationinfrastructure.Duetothe
extentoftheprojectanditsimpactoncampus,thecommitteedecidedtointegratethegoverning
body,architects,universityIT,andbuildingandmaintenanceintothecommitteetoassistinthe
projectdefinition.Nevertheless,thedefinitionoftheprojectwasspecifiedbythecore
committeememberswiththeaidofthenonlibrarystakeholders.
Process
Althoughtherewasnoformalizedplan,theeverchangingdynamicandrelativelyshorttimeto
developandimplementtheprojectcausedtheLibrarycommitteememberstoadoptanagile,
iterativeprocessthatforthepurposesofthisdocumentwillbedesignatedasRounds.Given
thefactthatourscopewaslimitedtothecreationofdocumentation,wedidnotcontemplate
reviewoftheimplementation.However,theproposedarchitecturalsolutionsweresubmittedfor
reviewtothelibrarycommitteebeforebeingapprovedbytheuniversitygoverningbody.
Round1.
Thecommitteeinitiateditsworkwithaseriesofinformalbrainstormingsessionsinwhichthe
entirelibrarystaffwasencouragedtoproposeideasregardlessofprice,space,orviability.The
intentoftheexercisewastogaugepeople'sperceptionsofwhatthelibraryshouldbeandto
cometoanunderstandingamongthecommitteememberswhichhelddifferingviewsofthe
projectattimes.Muchoftheproposedideaswerebasedonvisitstootherinstitutionsand
previousliteraturereviews.Someoftheseideasincludedbuildingaspaceforacaf,
constructingaresearchcommons,andcreatingafullfledgedmultimediaproductionstudio.
Alongwiththis,theadoptionofspecificlibrarymodelswerealsoproposedthatincludedthe
LearningResourceCenter(CRAI)andTheCommonsModel(McMullen).
Simultaneously,thecommitteealsoconductedathoroughliteraturereviewoftrendsinresearch
libraries.TheyvisitedlibrariesbothinMexicoandTheUnitedStatesofAmericaalongwith
attendanceinworkshopsdealingwithAcademicandResearchLibrarybuildingprojects.Much
oftheliteraturereportedthatbothpedagogyandresearchwereincreasinglybecomingmore
collaborative(DEFF2009)whileotherliteraturedeclaredCollaborationshouldundergirdall
strategicdevelopmentsoftheuniversity,especiallyattheservicefunctionlevel (CLIR2008).
Librarieswereincreasinglychallengedtorethinktheirroleoncampusandasaninstitution
(Dillon2008).Whilethemissionofmanylibrariesareevolving,thelibraryshouldcontinueas
thelocusofexpertiseandinnovationregardingscholarlyinformation,howtofindit,andhowto
useit (Courant2008).Thenotionoflibraryasaspaceforbooksisbeingchallengedaslibraries
increasinglyacquirenewtypesofresourcesbothphysicalanddigital(Pena).Thepreferencefor
digitalmaterialsisalsoconvertingthelibraryasastorehouseforinformationintoinstitutions
dedicatedtodigitizingandopeningnewformsofinteractionandaccesstoresources.
Fortunately,thereseemstoexistpatterninthecreationoflibrarybuildingprojects.Forexample,
AndrewMcDonald(2007)specifiesthekeyelementsthatshouldbeconsideredduringthe
planningprocessofalibrarybuildingproject.Theseelementsincludethatalibrarybe
functional,adaptable,varied,interactive,efficient,andsuitableforinformationtechnologyand
haveoomph.ThiswasechoedbySteelcaseswhitepaperthatstatedthatlibraryspacesshould
beadaptable,furnitureshouldfomentcollaborationandinteraction,andoverallbeaesthetically
pleasing(Steelcase2015).
Theplanningcommitteeconductedaseriesofinformalinterviewswithvariousreference
librarians,librarycoordinators,andthefacultydirectlytounderstandtheneedsofthe
community.Thisexerciserevealedatrendamongfacultyinwhichtheywerebecoming
increasinglyinvolvedorinterestedindigitalprojects.Manyofthetenuredfacultymembers
werebeginningtorequestassistancewiththecreationofpersonalwebsites,thematicblogs,
publishingebooks,onlinevideointerviewsandpresentations,andtheuseofcomputing
resourcestoworkwithdatasetsbothforresearchandcommunication.
Theplanningcommitteeconductedaseriesofinformalinterviewswithvariousreference
librarians,librarycoordinators,andthefacultydirectlytounderstandtheneedsofthe
community.Thisexerciserevealedatrendamongfacultyinwhichtheywerebecoming
increasinglyinvolvedorinterestedindigitalprojects.Althoughtheuniversityfacultyhasbeen
workingwithdigitaltechnologiessincethe1970s(Lara),itwasn'tuntilthemid2000sthata
greatermajorityofthetenuredfacultybeganleveragingtechnologiesforacademicpurposes.
SuchprojectsincludeLingmex(deLeonPortilla),anonlinelinguisticbibliographicdatabase,a
digitallibraryfocusingonthehistoryofpetroleuminMexico,quantitativeeconomichistory
databases,andprimaryresourcedatabasesforthestudyofarmedpoliticalmovementsinLatin
America.Alongwiththis,in2012,Theuniversitythecreatedadigitaleducationprogram
dedicatedtorecordingandbroadcastingvideolecturesbynotableacademicfiguresbothon
campusandnationally.Theprogramhasbeenmetwithmuchsuccess.Inthemajorityofthese
cases,thelibraryplayedasignificantrolebothascollaborators,projectleaders,programmers,
evaluators,andasresourcecurators.
Thelibrarysparticipationindigitalprojectsisduetothefactthatithascontinuallypioneered
digitalinnovationnationallyandoncampussinceitsinception.Thelibrarywasthefirstamong
itspeerinstitutionstomigratetoanOnlineOPACinthe90sandpavedthewayforstandardized
catalogingprocesses(Arriola).ItsfirstnonOPACdigitalprojectinitiatedin1998withthe
digitizationandcreationofLegislacinMexicana anonlineresourcesystemthatallowedthe
searchingandfulltextaccesstoMexicosLegislationfrom16871902.Sincethen,libraryhas
participatedinaplethoraofdigitizationprojectsthatincludetheCasadeEspaacollection in
theSpanishBibliotecaCervantes,aswellasthecompletebodyoftheuniversitysacademic
journals,dissertationsandthesisandaprimaryresourcedatabasethatprovidesaccessto
MexicanIndigenousLinguisticResourcescreatedbytheSummerInstituteofLinguisticswith
resourcesdatingbackto1936.Alongwiththis,thelibraryhaseitherparticipatedinorled
variousinitiativesthroughoutthecountryforthecreationofnationaldigitallibraryand
informationaccessnetworks.
Thedigitizationofthelibrariesresourceswaseitherdonethroughsubcontractingoratan
informaldigitizationunitoperatedbyatwopersonteamworkingwithaflatbedscanner.More
so,agreatmajorityofthedigitalprojectsoncampuswerecarriedoutinanadhocfashion.
Decisionmakinginregardtodigitization,metadatacreations,andsystemsdevelopmentwas
donewithoutalackofdocumentationorformalizedworkflows,andwithalittleregardtolong
termaccess,continuedgrowth,orsystemsmaintenanceandsupport.Nonetheless,theseprojects
demonstratedthelibraryscapacitytoinnovateoncampusandincreasethevisibilityandaccess
totheuniversitysintellectualworksandinformationresourcesbothtoacademicandnon
academicpublics.
Inconsideringthisinformation,thelibrarydecidedtobegindesigningsolutionsforthelibrary
expansion.Oneofthefirstproposalswastoimplementamodelthatwasbasedontheboththe
LearningResourceCenterandCommonsModels.Bydoingsuch,thelibrarycanprovide
supporttoanevergrowingundergraduatepopulationthatwasnotcontemplatedintheoriginal
planningofservicesandspaces.Alsowiththeincreaseindigitization,thecommitteealso
agreedthatthelibraryshouldhaveadedicatedstateoftheartdigitizationcenterwithspecialists
availablebothforthelibraryandits community.
Theplanningcommitteerecognizedthestrategicopportunitytobetterthedevelopmentofdigital
projectdevelopmentoncampusbyexpandingandpromotingitsserviceofferingsthroughthe
creationofacademicsystemsdesign&developmentworkshopsfortheentirecampus.Along
withthis,thelibraryalsodecidedtooffertechnologicalequipmentloaningthatincludetablets,
audioandvideoequipment,andadaptors.Alongwiththis,thelibraryseeksalsotooffersystems
developmentconsultingservices.Inordertodothelatter,thelibrarywouldneedtoproducea
seriesofformalizedpoliciesandmanualsforthedevelopmentofdigitalprojects.Thiswould
includedigitizationpoliciesforpreservationandaccess,workflowsformaintenanceandsupport
ofthedigitizedobjectsandsystems,metadatapoliciesfordigitalsystems,bestpractices,and
digitalcurationpolicies.Inessence,weproposedwhatwilleventuallybecometheLibrary
Digitalscholarshipsupportserviceunit.
Thepreliminarysolutionswerepresentedtothecommunityviaaquickanddirtyfocusgroup
composedof15students.Overall,thestudentsbelievedthattheproposedsolutionswereagood
startandmadesuggestionsoftheirownthatwouldhelpincreatingtheoverallsolution.The
projectcommitteeproceededwithaguidedtourwiththestudentstoascertaintheiropinions
regardingthelibrarysspacesandservices.Incarryingoutthisexercise,thecommitteesought
informationregardingbothuseandnonuseofthelibrary.Thewalkthroughrevealedthat
studentsfeltthatthelibrarydesignwasdated,lackedcolor,andwasbothuninvitingand
uncomfortable.Thestudentsconfirmedthatmuchoftheirworkwascollaborative,andthe
libraryspaceswerenotconducivetothattypeofwork.Furthermore,thegroupagreedthatthe
furnitureintendedforindividualsilentstudywasnotsuitableforlongtermusage,theinformal
spacewastoocloseinproximitytosilentstudyspacesanddidnotprovidesufficientsound
isolationtoallowthemtoworkingroups.Assuch,theystatedthattheirprimaryreasonfor
utilizingitwasduetotheresourcesandservicesitoffered.Assuch,manyoftherespondents
enteredthelibraryonlywhentheyneededtoconsultmaterialsorspeaktothelibrarian,but
rarelystayedtheretowork.
Additionally,thefocusgrouprespondentsmentionedvariouslibraryprojectsbothnationallyand
internationallysuchastheblackdiamondlibrary,andMexicosVasconcelosmegalibrary,asan
exampleofgreatlibraries.Theyexpressedadesiretohavealibrarythatwhilenotofthatsize,
sharesamoremodern,dynamicdesignandlayout.Thefocusgroupsessionsalsoconcludedby
requestingforthecreationofadigitalmapscollectionsandGIScenterwithfurnishedwith
tactileinterfacesformapplotting,visualization,andinteraction.
Round2.
Thefocusgroupdataprovidedmuchinsightintotheperceptionsofthestudentbodyand
surprisedafewofthecommitteemembers.Theexerciserevealedtheneedtocreateaplan
whichwouldrequirethelibrarytoundergoasignificanttransformationifithopestomeetuser
needs.Inordertodothis,thelibraryalongwiththeuniversityofficeofdevelopmentcontracted
twonotableAmericanconsultantswithexpertiseinlibrarybuildingplanningprojectstoassist
thecommitteeandvalidatetheirplantotheuniversitygoverningbodyandarchitects.Through
asecondseriesofinterviewsandmeetingswithcampuscommunityfigures,andthearchitectsin
chargeoftheproject(TeodoroGonzalezdeLeon),theconsultantscontributedtotheelaboration
ofaformalizingplanofactionwhichconsidersthefollowingprocess:
Understandneedsofthecommunity.
Outlinethestrategicobjectivestomeetuserneeds.
Identifyservicesbothcurrentandnewwhichwouldsupportthisstrategy.
Designspacesthatwouldbebestsuitedforcarryingoutsaidservices.
Specifyingrequiredequipment&technologyfortheseservices.
Determinehumancapitalrequirements(staffing,skills,andcapabilities).
Producetechnicaldocumentationinconjunctionwiththearchitectsandcampus
buildingandmaintenancestaff.
Tocontinuewithoutlineuserneeds,thecommitteeconductedaseriesofobservationexercises
toascertaintheservicesandresourcesbeingprovidedbythelibrarytothecampus.These
exercisesconsideredusageofboththephysicalandvirtualofferingsofthelibrarywhichinclude
informationresources,spaces,andservices.Thestudyofthelibrarysonlineservicesincluded
thelibraryportalsandotheronlineproducts.Thiswasachievedbywayofusabilitystudies
usingMoraeUsabilitySuite.Usagestatisticswereanalyzedwithgoogleanalyticsservice,and
examinationofserverlogsforsearchterminologyandreferenceservicereports.Thesestudies
revealedapatternofincreasedusageofthelibrarysonlinesystems.Analysisofthesearch
patternsofthelibraryportalrevealedanincreasingpreferenceforebooksandonlinedatabases.
Webanalyticsreportsrevealedthatuserswereincreasinglyutilizingmobileplatformsforaccess
tothelibraryportalswhichcoincideswithnationalstudiesofinternetusageinMexico
(AMIPCI)
Theexercisesalsosoughttoexaminecirculationstatisticsandreferenceservicereports.The
observationexaminedthestudentsstudyandworkhabitsthroughoutcampusanddemonstrated
workflowsinwhichstudentsevolvefromcollaborativeworkintheirearlyyearsofstudyto
isolationandindependentstudyintheirlateryears.Thiscouldbeinpartduetothefactthat
moststudentsarerequiredtopublishathesisordissertationinordertograduatefromtheir
respectiveprograms.Thisworkflowwascontrarytothetraditionalnotionthatstudentstendto
preferindependentstudyearlyon.Muchoftheoriginallibrarydesignatteststothispremise.
Thisexercisealsorevealedapatternwhereinearlycareerstudentsutilizedspacesoutsideofthe
libraryforworkthatwasmoreconducivetocollaborationsuchasthecafeteriaoroutdoorpatios,
whilegraduateorupperlevelworkwasdonewithinthelibraryfacilities.
Uponreflectingonthefindingofthestudies,thecommitteeelaboratedastrategythatsoughtto
pairservicesthathavecharacterizedthelibraryasaninstitutionofexcellence,alongside
solutionsthatexpanduponthelibrarysmissionandmaintainits relevancebothoncampusand
amongitspeerinstitutions.Withthisgoalinmind,aplanforcomprehensivetransformationwas
createdtosupportnewformsofinteractionwithdigitalresources,andnewtypesofpedagogical
approachescarriedoutoncampus.Theendresultistheconstructionofspacesthatadapttothe
changingneedsandrequirementsofthecampuscommunity,thatsupportdistancelearning,
virtualandphysicalcollaborativeworkflows,andinterweavingofphysicalanddigitalresources
thataredeviceneutral.
Intermsoftraditionalservices,thelibrarybelievesthatitscuratorialapproachtoacquiring
pertinentphysicalresourcesandthefactthatLatinAmericanpublishingiscouldbeexpectedto
continueproducingprintonlymaterialsfortheoncomingyears.Assuch,thelibrarymust
designaplanthatconsidersanincreaseinshelfspace.Ontheotherhand,giventhatthereisan
increasedpreferenceforelectronicresources,wealsoconsiderascenarioinwhichthelibrary
spacewillnolongerbeaplaceforstoringbooks,butratherforinteractingandproducing
information.Assuch,adesignwasproposedthatincludedtheconstructionofabasement
storagefacilitywithhighdensitycompactshelving.
Giventhatthelibraryexpansionwouldbeconstructedasaseparatewing,thecommitteedevised
alayoutthatcoupleswiththestudents evolvingworkdynamicfromcollaborativeworkto
independentstudy.Thiswasdonebyplanningthefirstfloorsuchthatitscollaborativespaces
wereplacedonthefirstfloorclosetotheentry.Thesespaceswouldbeincloseproximitytothe
referencelibrariansofficessothattheymereadilyavailabletoprovidesupport.Thefurniture
selectedwouldneedtobehighlyversatileandmobileinordertofacilitateteamworkand
reorganizationofthelibraryspace.Thiscollaborativecommonswouldalsoincludevarious
informalreadingspacesandseatingthatfomentedconversingwithoutfearofinterruptingothers.
Inthisway,thelibrarycouldreplicatethesettingofthecafeteria;oneoftheirpreferredspaces
forcollaborationandconversing.Onetheotherhand,thelibraryextensiondesignwasbuiltsuch
thatthetwobuildingwereinterconnectedthroughahallwayaccessoneachfloor.Thisdesign
madeitnaturallysoundisolatinginsuchawaythatthelibraryannexwouldbedesignedwiththe
intentofsupportingindependentstudy.Tosupporttheuseofelectronicequipmentwithinthe
library,alayoutwasproposedwithgridbasedflushmountelectricaloutletconnectivity
throughoutthefloorsofthelibrary.
Giventheageofthenetworkinginfrastructure,theUniversityITdepartmentalsoelaborateda
plantoupdatetheentirecablinginfrastructure.Inordertoexploitthenetworkinginfrastructure,
thelibrarydecidedtocreateroomsequippedwithvirtualconferenceandcollaborationsystems.
Alongwiththis,amultimediaroomwasdesignedtoassiststudentswiththecreationof
audiovisualprojectssuchasinteractivewebbaseddocumentarysystems.Theseroomswould
includeaudioandvideointerfacesforrecordingalongwithweb,audioandvideoediting
software.Theseserviceswouldtieinwiththeequipmentloaningandsystemsdevelopment
consultingservicesoriginallyproposedinthefirstiteration.
Thespecializedtechnicalnatureofthesenewerservicesrequiresthelibrarytorethinkthehiring
practicesitcurrentlyupholds.Thelibraryhastraditionallylimiteditselftohiringpersonsthat
comefromalibrarysciencebackground.However,duetotheincreasingcomplexityofprojects,
thelibraryreconsideredthisapproachandnowseekscandidatesfromthegreaterinformation
scienceswhichincludeInteractiondesigners,computerprogrammers,communication,digital
preservationists,amongothers.Withthisthelibraryhopestoexpanditsservicesthroughthe
creationofserviceswhichsupportandfomentdigitalscholarshiponcampusthroughthehiring
ofspecialistsfromdiverseacademicbackgroundswithadeepcommitmenttoservice,research
anddevelopment(Neal).
Thefinalplanoftheprojectrequiredpresentingaproposedinteriorspacedesignlayoutbasedon
previousdesignsthatwerepresentedbythearchitecttothecommittee.Thedesigncontemplated
furnishings,specifiedelectricalandnetworkcontacts,proposedspacesincludingdimensionsand
explanationsoftheproposeduseofeachspace.Thearchitectacceptedandadoptedthemajority
oftheproposeddesignandconvertedthemintoofficialtechnicaldocumentation.Theendresult
oftheprojectwasthecreationofspacesthatadapttochangingneedsandrequirementsofour
community.Throughitsdesign,itwillbeabletosupportdistancelearning,virtualandphysical
collaborativeworkflowsanddeviceneutralsystemsthatinterweavephysicalanddigital
resources.
Challenges
Duringthedevelopmentoftheprojects,thecommitteefacedadministrative,cultural,and
politicalchallenges.Oneofthefundamentalchallengesposedbythegroupwasthetraditional
viewofwhatalibraryis.Asignificantmajorityoftheuniversitygoverningbodyandthe
buildingplannerswhichincludedarchitects,interiordesigners,electriciansconfrontedthe
projectwiththeobjectiveofprovidingabookorientedsolutionthatwaslimitedtoproviding
spacesforsilentstudy,andamassedshelvingspace.Thisclashedwiththelibrarypersonnel's
objectivesoftransformingthisthecurrentlibraryintoaonewithdynamicspacesinwhich
peoplecollaborate,spacesadapttouserneeds,digitalproductsarecreated,andexcessivenoise
isproduced.Thistraditionalviewofwhatalibraryshouldbealsoresultedintheexpressionof
opinionsbythecampuscommunitywhoopposedtheprojectduetoaperceivedloweredusageof
thelibraryanditsservices.
Manyofthesechallengeswereovercomethroughdialogue,presentingfactualdataand
interventionsfromthelibrarians,andconsultants.Anotherfactorwhichinfluencedthechangein
perceptionweresitevisitsbygoverningbodymemberstoinstitutionsbothnationallyand
abroad,andIncludedStanfordUniversityLibraries,LemieuxLibraryatSeattleUniversity,UC
BerkeleyLibrarySystem,MonterreyInstituteofTechnologyandHigherEducationPuebla
Campus,andInstitutoTecnolgicoAutnomodeMxico.
RoadAhead
Asthisarticlewasbeingwritten,theclatteroftheconstructioncanbeheardthroughoutthe
libraryandcampus.ThebuildingofthelibraryisexpectedtoconcludeonAugust2015,eight
monthsfromthegroundbreaking.Thepurchasingofequipmenthasalsocommenced,andthe
libraryisslowlystartingtoundergoitsrenovationonespaceatatime.Whilethisisgoing
underwaytheorganizationitselfisalsostartingtoundergoatransformation.IntermsofHuman
resources,thecreatingnewpositions,andretrainingpersonneltosupporttheproposedsolutions.
Thisreformulationisresultingindutiessuchaselectronicresourcesmanager,digital
preservation,andprojectmanagement.Tosupportthesenewhires,thelibraryhasalsotakenthe
initiativetoincreaseinternshipsatthelibrarybothtoteachlibrarystudentsprofessionalskills
thatareabsentfromMexicanLIScurricula,andtofindstaffingsolutionsthatattimecanbe
economicallychallenging.Theresultoftheseendeavorsisatotalofsixdigitalsystemshave
beencreatedinhousesimultaneouslywiththelibraryrenovationandexpansionplan(twoyears).
Thisisdueinparttotheformalizationofdigitalsystemscreationandtheadoptionofproject
planningstrategiessuchasSCRUM.
Alsowiththisincreaseinsystemsproductionisagreaterprojectwhichhopestocreateamore
logicaldigitalecosystem.Everyunit,fromacquisitionstotechnicalservices,andreferenceto
IT,aswellasthewouldbeDigitalScholarshipstaffarehavingtoreflectonhoweachunit's
policies,servicesandprocessesimpactontheoverallecosystemofthelibrary.Moreso,theyare
havingtoworktogethermorethanever.
Thesechanges,however,arethefirstinaseriesthatmustcontemplatetheeventualneedfornew
typesofservices.Theseincludequantitativehumanisticresearch,text&datamining,
informationvisualization,semanticsystemsdevelopmentamongmanyothers.Theinteraction
withtheuniversitygoverningbodythatresultedduringthedevelopmentoftheprojecthas
changedtheirperceptionsofwhatalibraryshouldbeandhasresultedinincreasedopportunities
forthelibrarytoexpanditsroleoncampus,andinspecificallyinthedevelopmentofdigital
informationservices.Withthis,wehopethatthelibraryspacetoowillevolvewiththelibrary.
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Constructing A Model For Mexican Libraries in The 21st Century - Alberto Santiago Martinez

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