Paula’s E-Musings

Here in Central New York where outside temperatures are hovering around zero  and inside they vary from building to building, we often dress in layers. In the technology world we often think about layers: the layers in the TCP/IP and OSI models and  the overlay of various applications.  Recently we’ve been discussing the layers of software components during the process of integrating our e-Learning system (Blackboard’s WebCT) with our Student Information System (Sungard’s Banner), as part of our implemention of a campus portal (Sungard’s Luminis Platform IV).

We in Information Resources also think of our IT services in terms of layers. First we rely on the underpinning layer: the technologists who support the servers and the operating systems on which the software applications run. Those folks are part of our Administrative Computing group, responsible for enterprise systems. Next we have the software applications specialists, who install and maintain the software and are responsible for upgrades. Those technologists belong to the Academic Computing group, responsible for distributed computing. The final layer is the front-end team. The technologists in Academic Computing answer questions at the Technology Help Center. In Memorial Library the technology trainer, the instructional designer, production specialists and librarians spend their days working with faculty, staff and students. Of course staff throughout Information Resources offer direct assistance to our customers, whether or not that service is officially in their performance programs. Our success is measured not only by the work we do, but more importantly by how well our campus is able to use technology in teaching, learning and administrative work.

Lately there has been a lot of discussion about Library/IT collaboration. Just yesterday I participated in a Webcast on this topic. Eugene Spencer, previous CIO and current consultant to higher education and library groups, responded to questions and comments about merged organizations, the role of the CIO, and change management, among other issues. The transcript of the entire Webcast is available online.

The question of different cultures arises whenever the topic of blended organizations is discussed. Of course there are the distinct library and IT cultures, but there are also the administrative/enterprise and the academic cultures within IT to be considered, to say nothing of the media services culture, which is a hybrid of sorts. In actuality, there are probably more similarities than differences among the various cultures. In order to successfully meet the needs of the campus, a new culture with common values needs to exist. Everyone involved must be committed to working collaboratively, and must recognize the importance of new technologies to benefit students and faculty by enhancing the learning experience.

In Cortland’s blended organization, we recognize the unique characteristics of the four departments that comprise Information Resources. At the same time we work to create synergies among the departments. To this end, many of our IT initiatives such as Second Life and iTunesU are managed by cross-departmental teams, with each team member bringing distinct strengths and skills. We often include teaching faculty on our teams, since we need to understand their needs and specific teaching objectives. We recognize and respect organizational boundaries, but as we work together to be creative with emerging technologies, those boundaries have become less important.