Managing Outsourcing in Library and Information Services

Citation

Petuchovaite, R. (2006), "Managing Outsourcing in Library and Information Services", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 62 No. 1, pp. 160-162. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410610642129

There is a popular saying – if you are afraid of the wolf, don't go to the forest. For more than a decade, outsourcing has been one of those threatening ideas in library and information services (LIS). The literature presented successful and unsuccessful cases of outsourcing in LIS, followed by controversial opinions and emotive statements, most of them based on supposed danger to library service values and professionalism. However, by 2000 in a study published by ALA, we find an assurance that there is no evidence that outsourcing has a negative impact on library services, and that problems related to outsourcing of part or a function of library and information services were caused by inadequate planning, poor contracting processes, or ineffective management of contracts (Martin et al., 2000).

Thus a book Managing Outsourcing in Library and Information Services by Sheila Pantry and Peter Griffith could serve both – librarians who are still afraid of the wolf and library managers who have entered or are planning to enter the forest. The book may indeed provide insights for betterment of existing services as well as strategies for librarians and information specialists to be in the center of outsourcing debate and planning, rather than being swallowed by it.

The book consists of 12 chapters, the first introducing the concept of outsourcing and the other eleven following the logic of the outsourcing management process – from an information audit to communication strategies as a must to introduction of any change.

The authors define outsourcing as allowing on contractual basis another person or organization to provide a service or part of a service carried out inside the LIS or organization (p. 1). Answering the what question in the first chapter LIS outsourcing: an introduction, in the following 20 pages the authors proceed with answers to another seven essential questions about the phenomenon: the background, nature, pros and cons, effects on staff, customers and suppliers, etc. The text is presented in a clear and uncomplicated way so that readers get a good understanding of basic ideas. Even more, it dispels illusions regarding the novelty of outsourcing to the library world, providing a good example of the professional service (!) of duplicate catalogue cards copies sold by the Library of Congress to libraries around the world almost for 100 years. So it appears that libraries have a long tradition of outsourcing routine work and even professional activities. Though opponents may argue that buying services from the Library of Congress is something different than contracting out to the outsiders, today libraries in a number of countries have experience of outsourcing a range of key professional activities such as collection development, enquiry services, document delivery, information technology and technical services. Whatever it be, the most important thing is that outsourcing should provide the expected savings and improvement of the overall service quality, preferably including also the quality of the staff.

In the second chapter the authors suggest a “brutal” approach in appraising services already provided by library or information center. An information audit is a good starting point before deciding whether there is a need to outsource anything. An effective information audit may provide the librarian with a deeper knowledge and understanding of current situation, thus putting him or her in a better position for debates with the senior management and/or potential suppliers.

The third chapter discusses the ways to use information audit data and considers the question why to outsource or not. And the answer should be individual based on local LIS conditions, although one can expect savings and new services (quality) offered for a good price. However there is some evidence of training cost increases, as staff need to learn new ways of working.

The fourth chapter is dedicated to the current issue of information ownership and using an information service provider. While one cannot disagree with the importance of this to the outsourcing management, the given example of an information service provider appears to me as a case of badly hidden advertising rather than a critically assessed case.

In the fifth chapter the reader will find the answer to the question “How to outsource” and will understand that starting to outsourcing services is nothing other than a project. So an experience of project management would considerably add value to the overall management of outsourcing process. Attention should be drawn to the last section of this chapter Outsourcing the building – examples of co‐location, private finance initiatives and public‐private partnerships may be useful for library managers who face a need for a new or extensively renovated building for LIS.

Agreement related issues in details are covered in the following three chapters: “What to include in your outsourcing agreement”; “Elements of the outsourcing agreement”; and “What outsourcing agreement should look like”. All of them cover many practicalities and even may serve as a checklist while preparing and negotiating LIS outsourcing agreements. This information should safeguard an inexperienced library and information professional from critical mistakes, and thereby from a bad outsourcing experience.

The ninth chapter “Keeping the agreement on target” describes monitoring and control of the outsourcing process. The authors, giving twelve definitions of service failure, draw attention to the importance for both information professionals and providers to have a precise and shared understanding of what failure is, and what should be the consequences. Starting to outsource services, the librarian should not expect that a supplier will solve all problems related to those services. Constructive communication between partners and good timing is important for dealing with recurrent problems.

Chapters 10 and 11 deal with human issues of outsourcing management; respectively relations with users and staff. Human issues, although theoretically recognized as critically important in change management, are in real life sometimes overlooked due to complexity of the planning and implementing work going around the decision to outsource. But we should always bear in mind LIS responsibility for our customers, and that our decisions will have a direct impact on them. The risk that the selected supplier will fail to provide key services to the customers should be carefully analyzed and weighed, before the final decisions regarding the change are taken.

The last chapter draws attention to communication strategies and tools, which used effectively, can clear fears and misunderstandings of all parties involved – staff, customers, management and suppliers.

In summary, the book presents a practical approach to outsourcing management. It will not solve all the problems that LIS may face, but the knowledge shared by the authors will assist in solving many of them. It is worth reading and studying.