Library and Technology Service’s recent strategic plan for 2010 to 2014, a review of the costs and values of the various services offered by LTS, mentions further outsourcing as a way to reduce costs, although members of the LTS senior management team have since said that this possibility is unlikely.
LTS service that may be outsourced include Computer Help, Database Administration and Student and Faculty Administrative Systems Support, as stated in the report.
LTS has already outsourced jobs including book cataloguing, building wiring and book purchasing to the cable operator Comcast. These types of jobs involve routine processing work, whereas LTS has reserved its more technical roles for in-house staff. In 2000, for example, LTS used outsourced labor to deliver cable television to student dorm rooms, according to Hanson.
However, Vice President and Vice Provost for Libraries and Information Technology Perry Hanson and Chief University Librarian Susan Wawrzaszek believe it is unlikely that any more jobs in LTS will be outsourced.
“There’s no guarantee that outsourcing saves money,” said Hanson.
“It’s an issue of looking at the most cost-effective way to provide services to the University, so we’re looking to see whether we really need to own the service or whether outsourcing makes more sense,” said Wawrzaszek.
LTS releases a strategic plan every five years. The senior management team, including Hanson and Wawrzaszek, began reviewing finances in January when it learned of new budget constraints. It presented a first draft of the document in May to the LTS Advisory Committee, made up of faculty, staff and student representatives. In June, they submitted a final version to the senior administration, according to Hanson.
The plan, which was released in June, takes into account the current financial crisis and the University’s increased budget constraints. The senior management team intended to cut costs by making the recommendations included in the plan.
During two phases of reorganization, one in January and another in June, the senior management team at LTS reviewed each “core service” offered.
The core services available through LTS include Computer Help and Library Operations.
Each evaluation included a cost-risk-benefit summary for its respective services.
The plan’s authors directly addressed their concerns over budgetary constraints.
The plan states, “We shall seek all and any ways of reducing operational costs.”
In constructing the plan, LTS also took into account recent developments in computing and information availability, according to Hanson. The challenge LTS faces, the plan states, “is to determine the most cost-effective way of providing technology resources without compromising security of data and information or stifling creative use of new technologies.”
Also included in the plan is a summary of reductions LTS has made since 2008, including a 14-percent reduction in operating expenditures and a 16-percent reduction in staff.
LTS currently employs 98 people, as opposed to 117 last July, according to the plan. These job losses include employees who quit or were laid off when the University reduced its staff last January.
“We feel fairly secure [about our positions in LTS], but one never knows,” said LTS employee Ani Hovsepian.
“[Staff reductions] are certainly an unpleasant thing; you worry about your colleagues and feel bad for them, but you feel lucky that you’ve stayed on.”
The next step for LTS is to meet with its advisory committee again to review the plan post-publication. “This is a strategic planning process, so it’s ongoing,” said Hanson. “By presenting this plan, we are saying what we think is important to Brandeis.”
“This plan is meant to be a conversation, a transparent process with community,” said Wawrzaszek.
Source: http://media.www.thejusticeonline.com/media/storage/paper573/news/2009/10/20/News/Outsourcing.Option.Considered.For.Library.And.Technology.Services-3807498.shtml
