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Management Review of The Library of Congress: Final Report, Volume 1

Published: May 07, 1996. Publicly Released: May 07, 1996.
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Highlights

This management review of the Library of Congress includes information on the Library's historical background and mission, management and operational processes, organizational structure, potential to increase revenue opportunities, infrastructure and facilities, security, technology usage, labor relations, competitive selection process, personnel management, human resources management, services deployment, and training. The review also contains numerous recommendations to improve the Library's functions.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Library of Congress The Library should capitalize on its strengths, provide for integration across the institution, and, most importantly, build commitment to ensuring accountability, proactive decisionmaking, and implementation. The Library should: (1) institute a comprehensive planning and program execution process that builds on components in place and links plans to explicit mission elements and outcome-oriented measures of performance; (2) improve the delivery of support services--technology, human resources, and facilities--and better integrate these functions into its operations with the Library mission and strategy; and (3) institute Library-wide mechanisms to measure performance and monitor results.
Closed – Implemented
The Library has established a strategic plan and a Directorate of Planning, Management, and Evaluation to implement and evaluate the plan. It has assigned a senior-level manager to evaluate performance measures and formulate an action plan. The Library has also improved the delivery of its support services.
Library of Congress In order to streamline its processes and resource utilization and effectively manage its collections, the Library should reengineer its operational processes by: (1) defining and managing its operations from a process management perspective; and (2) plan and manage special and large acquisitions as projects separate from the normal inflow of material.
Closed – Implemented
The Library has established two cooperative cataloging programs and national standards, freeing Library cataloguers to process unique materials and has moved from a functional "stovepipe" structure to a regional, functional structure in the Library services area.
Library of Congress The Library should make several adjustments to its organizational structure. Specifically, a number of changes in roles in the Library that should improve operations of key functions include: (1) establishing a permanent Deputy Librarian as the Library's Chief Operating Officer and clarifying the role of that position by investing it with Library-wide operational decisionmaking authority; (2) elevating the Chief Financial Officer position to focus greater attention on improving the Library's financial systems and controls; (3) establishing a Chief Information Officer (CIO) position to help implement an effective information resources management (IRM) strategy that integrates the requirements of the Library's broad commitments to internal and external customers and its future mission; and (4) assigning leadership and responsibility for major processes to individual process owners who have authority to provide leadership across organizational lines for security, facilities, and planning and program execution processes.
Closed – Implemented
The Library has established a Deputy Librarian but has not yet decided to establish a CIO or to elevate the CFO position. The Library's Executive Committee assigns responsibility through the annual performance planning review process through the Library's Management Improvement Process.
Library of Congress The Library should focus efforts on increasing revenue. Specifically, it should: (1) pursue full recovery of copyright costs; (2) develop a comprehensive plan to explore in detail the potential revenue from charging publishers a fee for cataloging and how to address stakeholder concerns; (3) develop a strategy and approach for qualifying potential fee-based services; and (4) develop legislative strategy to provide the Library with the financial mechanisms and authority needed to implement fee-based services.
Closed – Implemented
The Library has implemented new special service fees for copyright and has reviewed the legislation for full-cost recovery and decided to raise fees to a reasonable level. The Library has submitted revolving fund legislation to Congress for several years.
Library of Congress The Library's greatest challenge is to think more strategically about security, facilities, human, and information resources management and their relationship to fulfilling mission objectives. The Library should: (1) develop Library-wide strategic plans for security, facilities, human resources, and information resources; (2) establish integrated, consolidated, and shared databases for computer-aided facilities management, human resources information and tracking, and security-related data; (3) plan, design, and manage initiatives in infrastructure improvement as investments with appropriate controls and performance evaluations; (4) define functional personnel skill requirements for the future and develop plans to respond to new technologies, changing missions, and potential staff turnover; (5) update and simplify policies and procedures in infrastructure areas; and (6) designate qualified senior professionals, including a CIO, for each infrastructure support area to lead accomplishment of key needed improvements.
Closed – Implemented
The Library has established a Strategic Facilities Plan, a computer security plan, and improved security over IRM.
Library of Congress One of the Library's greatest challenges is to treat facilities as an important strategic element for accomplishing its mission. Accordingly, the Library should: (1) perform a comprehensive, forward-looking analysis of space needs against mission priorities; (2) centralize the prioritization and decisionmaking about space needs; and (3) develop comprehensive, uniform, qualitative, and quantitative space standards for all Library facilities and for each type of functional space.
Closed – Implemented
The Library has established a strategic facilities plan, all service units have prioritized their space needs, and the Library has established space standards for the majority of categories of positions.
Library of Congress The Library needs to organize and manage its security functions in a less fragmented manner. The Library should: (1) identify a single Library security officer responsible for all security functions; (2) implement a comprehensive risk assessment process; (3) establish a comprehensive and overarching security policy; (4) transition full responsibility for the design, component selection, installation, and operation of all permanent and temporary electronic security components and systems to the Architect of the Capitol; and (5) provide management with more detailed information on security program costs and performance.
Closed – Implemented
The Library has appointed a permanent Director of Security and established an Office of Security, and is providing an ongoing security training and awareness program for Library staff, researchers, and visitors. It has incorporated the security program budget into the Library's budget structure and monitors the expenditure of appropriated funds. The Library has completed risk assessments of major collections.
Library of Congress The Library should: (1) adopt an IRM approach to information, beginning by changing how it views, collects, and uses information in order to achieve its mission objectives; (2) expand the purview of its Information Technology Services organization to promote and sustain the IRM function; (3) develop a target architecture to support long-range goals, to include a structured configuration audit of all existing systems to establish an accurate configuration baseline, a plan to transition to the target architecture, and the mechanisms to control this architecture and keep it documented; (4) develop detailed, workable transition plans for Library legacy systems; and (5) determine whether to build new systems in-house or to outsource future systems development.
Closed – Implemented
The Library has established a Deputy Director ITS position, revised IRM strategies, and completed the IRM plan, and is integrating technology across the Library, deciding to build new systems in-house or by outsourcing.
Library of Congress The Library needs to make a concerted effort to improve its human resources management function. The Library should: (1) develop systematic ways to increase communication between labor and management; (2) continue implementing its many competitive selection initiatives and place an employee selection expert in an oversight role; (3) update and simplify all policies and regulations; (4) develop a strategic approach/plan to grow and sustain the expertise and intellectual capital required for the workforce of the future as the Library experiences significant retirements or turnover; (5) ensure standard application of all performance appraisals; (6) ensure that all Human Resources staff members are qualified; (7) investigate alternative methods for providing human resources services; and (8) strengthen the position of the Staff Training and Development Office, ensuring that staff development is of strategic importance in achieving the Library's missions and goals.
Closed – Implemented
The Library has completed a training and development needs assessment, piloted the use of OPM's Microcomputer Assisted Rating System to select Librarians, simplified and streamlined with the unions the merit selection process, revised personnel regulations, and revitalized labor relations training with management.

Full Report

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