©: Evelyn Daniel, 1998. All rights reserved.
Page revised 2/1/98.

IST 614: MANAGEMENT OF LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTERS

TYPES OF DECISIONS

Notes - Feb. 1, 1998

Some decisions librarians and information specialists (not unlike other managers) have to make:

Personnel

How to manage people, Who to hire, How to evaluate performance, What tasks to assign, When to fire, When to promote, How much raise to give

Resources

How to allocate money, What budget categories are important, Which programs and services to invest in, Who gets which office, Where to place new computers,

Products/Services

What performance standards to set, What is the "marketing mix", Where is point of delivery, When to adopt of new product/service, When to discontinue an old one

Organization

How to divide up tasks, How tall/flat should the organization be, Who reports to whom -- in what manner --how frequently, What is flow of information between departments,

Technology

What level of investment to make, Make or buy decisions, Is training necessary -- what kind, to whom, when, how; When to abandon an old technology, How to determine which system to adopt,

There are many, many more. Please think about your own organizations and consider when/where/how decisions are made.

Is initative encouraged? Who proposes new ideas?

What is process of adoption?

Does change come as a surprise?

Are there policies?

Where are decisions made in your organization -- at top/middle/bottom?

Are they made by individuals, groups, or organization as a whole?

What distinguishes the different kinds of decisions?