TITLE

PLANNING FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION AND THE UNIVERSITY’S LIBRARY MANAGEMENT POLICY

Ioannis Clapsopoulos, Ph.D.

Organising Director of the University of Thessaly Library

University of Thessaly - Central Library

61 T. Oikonomaki St., Volos 382 21

Tel.: +1030 421 36165, Fax: +1030 421 38492, e-mail: clib@uth.gr

ABSTRACT

The primary objective of the present report is to propose a number of measures, which could contribute to the improvement of the current status of the relationship between the Administration of Greek Higher Education Institutions and the management policy applied to their Libraries.

The administrational interdependence between a University and its Library in Greece still remains problematic, undetermined and greatly fluctuating between individual Institutions. The main goal of the Libraries should be the modification of the above relationship in the light of the fact that the University Library is a dynamic tool of both education and research. The principal cause for the present situation is the failure by the majority of the Greek Universities’ faculty staff to acknowledge that the fundamental role of a University Library is an educational one. A fair share of the responsibility lies with Library management and staff, as they have not yet been able to convince faculty staff about the quality of the provided service and as a result they have not formed internal interest groups supporting library issues, which in turn could initiate improvements of the current operational status of the University Libraries. Moreover, Greek Academic Libraries have not yet managed to shape a common view about the type of the desired administrative relationship with their own Institutions and to form a group, which could negotiate library issues with both Academic Institutions and State Authorities.

Taking for granted that the University Library should constitute an autonomous academic Department (Service) and that the Library Committee should plan the library policy in collaboration with Library Management, a series of measures is proposed which could advance the realisation of the above-mentioned goals. Such measures could be the development of internal public relations aiming at creating library support groups within the individual Institutions accompanied by the promotion of the library’s academic profile, the continuing education of library staff in order to be able to keep up with contemporary developments and the appointment of skilled staff members with postgraduate studies in Library Science.