Ways of change: an acquisitions department in the 1990s

Abstract

The evolutionary change that has occurred in the workflow, job assignments, and organization of the acquisitions department at the University Libraries of Notre Dame during the past four years is described. Many changes have occurred not through an administrative mandate but through staff initiative. Convergence is illustrated by the merging of functions through internal reorganization and by collaboration with other departments in carrying out critical functions. The means by which change occurred and the factors most influential in bringing it about are examined. The perceptions of support staff who have been the active agents of change are reported. Finally, the authors speculate about what such methods of meeting the challenge of a changing environment can contribute to academic libraries seeking their “preferred future.”