Collaboration Across the Desk: Exploring the Evolving Relationship Between Public and Technical Services in Libraries

Description:

As libraries continue to adapt to new technologies, user needs, and reduced staffing models, the lines between departments are sometimes blurred. In some institutions, these departments remain distinct; in others, they may have some overlap or be reimagined entirely.

This e-Forum invites library workers from all types and sizes of libraries—public and academic, urban and rural—to share both ideas and real-world examples of how their institutions are approaching this shift, specifically between public and technical services. How have these departments collaborated in practice? What worked, what didn’t, and what was surprising? What skills are needed to thrive in these evolving roles? What organizational structures support or hinder effective collaboration?

Join us for a two-day conversation examining the Venn diagram between public and technical services, with a focus on practical strategies, lived experiences, and forward-looking ideas for building stronger partnerships across the desk.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this e-Forum, attendees will be able to:

• Identify common areas of potential overlap and collaboration between public and technical services in various library settings (e.g., academic, public, urban, rural);
• Compare different organizational structures and workflows that either separate or integrate these departments, including their benefits and challenges; and
• Reflect on evolving skillsets, communication practices, and cross-departmental strategies that can support stronger collaboration and service delivery.

Who Should Attend: This e-Forum is designed for anyone working in or alongside public and technical services in libraries of all types and sizes.

Moderator:

Chad Deets serves as Metadata Librarian at Arizona State University, where he supports accurate description and discovery of information within the university’s institutional repositories and specialized print collections. He has previously held positions working with government document collections. Chad earned a Master of Library and Information Science from San Jose State University and Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Political Science from Arizona State University.

How to Participate:

e-Forums are two-day, moderated, electronic discussion forums that provide an opportunity for librarians and library professionals to discuss matters of interest on an email discussion list. These discussions are free and available to anyone who wishes to subscribe to the email list.

To participate, subscribe to the list by sending an email to core-eforum+subscribe@groups.io. Your message can be empty. Your request will be approved within 1-2 business days. You will receive a welcome email from groups.io with instructions on how to create a user account to manage your notification settings.

If you have question, need assistance, or would like to propose an e-Forum topic, please write to core-eforum+help@groups.io.