Cooper announces organizational changes in Emory Libraries

photo of employee

Yolanda Cooper, dean and university librarian.

As mentioned in our last All Staff meeting on January 28, 2020, the Libraries are implementing a number of changes in the organization to enhance efficiency and transparency, and to align titles across the organization where possible, with our peers at other institutions, and with the university’s organizational structure. Please note the following:

    • We will change the titles of individuals in the operational areas holding the title of assistant director to director, and the next level of individuals reporting to directors will now be department heads. In some cases, exceptions will be made based on an inability to adjust classifications or internal titles or a lack of similarity in titles or levels in the department. We are working with HR to make these determinations. A new organization chart is being developed to better outline the structure of the organization. Any future changes will be noted in the Library Staff folder.
    • With the change in title for the four directors, the title of Directors Council will change to the Senior Management Team. Please review the charter if interested in more information.
    • To expand decision making in the areas of personnel and budget allocation, we have convened a new group called the Operations and Management Team. Please review the charter for more information. Due to the complex challenges associated with Emory Healthcare’s budget and operations, OMT will remain significantly influenced by information, input, and recommendations from the Director of the Health Sciences Center Library.
    • In response to a need to engage more staff in the decision-making processes, relevant discussions, and information gathering, we will convene a Leadership Forum which will meet bimonthly to review and weigh in on library initiatives. A charter is currently in development and will be shared when complete. The members of the Senior Management Team will select one to three people from their areas to participate.
    • To provide a view of the Libraries flow of decisions and governance a chart has been developed and is available in box. The Operations and Management Team decides how library resources are distributed based on proposals and input from library directors, directors and others. Senior Management Team and Cabinet decide on how those resources are used with input from others, and the Leadership Forum allows for broader discussion and transparency.
    • To allow for the delegation of high-level administrative tasks and decision-making, to encourage a broader strategic focus across the Libraries, and to better integrate with major university initiatives, four former directors have been promoted to the level of associate dean. They include Kim Braxton for Academic Technology Services, Lisa Macklin for Research, Engagement, and Scholarly Communications, Lars Meyer for Access and Resource Services, and Rosalyn Metz for Library Technology and Digital Strategies. This new structure was recommended by managers in the Employee Engagement Survey in 2017, and in the most recent External Review.

After the All Staff meeting, there were a number of questions about reporting. There are no real reporting changes. We have promoted four directors to take on more responsibility, adjusted some of the titles in their areas to accommodate this change, and we have created a new Leadership Forum to engage more leaders in the organization. There were also questions about levels and responsibilities, so an overview was developed and is available in the Library Staff folder in Box. We hope this provides more clarity. We still need to have some conversations with librarians on job codes so some of this information is subject to change.

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