Success Stories

Temporary Staffing For An Academic Library

Our Client, a 4-year college, engaged LAC Group for a special, short-term project to correct some problems with their Integrated Library System (ILS). LAC Group provided a team of 3 staff members – 1 Project Manager, 1 library technician, and 1 library clerk – that we recruited locally for the project. The Project Manager was a librarian with a MLS, and the technician and clerk had academic and special library experience. The specific scope of the project was to inventory, create, update, and upgrade MARC serial holding records as necessary in the Client’s ILS. The Project Manager reported to the Client contact as well as a senior LAC Group project manager on a weekly basis with progress reports. This year-long contract was completed on schedule and under budget.

Retained Search For An Executive Director Of A County Law Library

LAC Group was engaged by the county law library’s Board of Trustees to find a new executive director when its long-time director retired. LAC Group met extensively with the Board, and developed a job description that included much change and innovation as the Board was seeking to take the library in a new direction that required a new, take-charge leader. After the director was hired, beating out 4 other good candiates, LAC Group was asked to provide an in depth staffing analysis and organizational audit to help the new director fully understand the relationships and roles of the existing staff, many that had been in their jobs more than 15 years. LAC Group has provided on-going consultation to assist the executive director, as well as several other recruiting assignments to fill new positions or replace those that left.

Information Resources Audit For A Global Law Firm

Our client, a global law firm with multiple offices, has law libraries in several offices, each staffed by law librarians and containing print collections of varying sizes, as well as many electronic resources licenses and contracts. Library Associates Companies was engaged by the Firm to undertake a comprehensive information resources audit that involved an extensive survey of the research habits and information needs for all attorneys and professional staff. In addition to conducting on-site interviews with representatives from each of the Firm’s practice groups, administrative and library staff, Library Associates Companies’ consultants prepared a firm-wide electronic survey with mandatory participation, as directed by the Firm. The Firm’ s primary goal was to evaluate how well the Firm’s library collections, inclusive of virtual and print resources, was serving the attorneys’ needs. LAC Group delivered an extensive needs assessment and specific recommendations.Following this successful project, LAC Group was engaged by the Firm to review their electronic resources and assist in contract renegotiations.

Staffing For A Technology Giant

Our Client, a giant global technology company, needed professional librarians and library assistants to work in the company’s 3 main staff libraries. LAC Group staff members are responsible for the management of each library’s resources and LAC Group’s corporate support team is responsible for recruiting, supervising, mentoring, and evaluating the on-site staff while managing the financial, personnel, bibliographic, equipment, and space resources for all regional site Libraries.

Cataloging For An Electronic Content Provider

Our Client, a content provider/publisher, engaged LAC Group to assist them in providing the MARC records for their electronic resources to their subscribers. LAC Group handles records which could not be processed via automatic means/machine-processing and those that require special processing. Under the Project Manager assigned to Client, the team of catalogers and cataloging technicians provides copy cataloging, original cataloging, Library of Congress Subject Heading assignment, Library of Congress Call Number assignment, and Cataloging-in-Publication upgrades in accordance with the Client’s specifications. The materials cataloged include books, journal issues, offprints, reproductions, and computer files that have been converted into electronic books. Subject matter has included business, medical, scientific, humanities, and other fiction and non-fiction items from academic, mainstream, and publishers.

Retained Search For CEO For ILS Company

LAC Group was retained by a private equity firm that had recently acquired on of the few “giants” in the Integrated Library Systems (ILS) market space to find a new Chief Executive Officer to lead the newly acquired company. LAC Group worked directly with the private equity firm to identify their strategic plans, survey the landscape for ILS competitive firms, and craft a detailed job description. LAC Group recruiters conducted a confidential search and interviewed over 30 individuals from within and without the ILS software space. We collaborated closely with our client, and worked together to vet candidates. As the search coincided with the library market’s major annual conferences, LAC Group actively recruited while attending and exhibiting several major library trade shows. The search began in mid-winter and ended by the beginning of summer.

Starting With A Successful Plan

Expert project management requires experience, leadership and a well-executed plan. LAC Consulting & Project Management provides that and more. Our qualified staff members are available to advise and implement strategies for all your information management needs: records, intellectual and digital assets, library operations, archives, and research operations.

Whether you are looking to streamline a current process or implement a newly recommended plan, our consultants and project managers can help. We have the expertise, knowledge, and diligence to effectively analyze your situation and goals, strategize, develop solutions, offer insights, and implement plans that are sure to lead to your success.

From workflow analysis and staffing audits to managing and planning and moving, LAC Consulting & Project Management offers services that are customized for your circumstances. From the earliest planning stages through completion, working at your site or ours, we partner with you to bring your project to a successful conclusion – meeting or exceeding all requirements, on time and within budget.

• Consulting & Project Management Services include:
• Digital Asset Management (DAM) strategies and implementation
• Metadata standards and enrichment
• Archive Projects
• Intranet Development & Content Management System Selection
• Workflow Analysis & Process Improvement
• Virtual Collaboration Strategies
• Business Intelligence
• Competitive Intelligence
• Technical Services Projects
• Much more…

Client Testimonial:

“Within a very tight deadline of six weeks, LAC Group and their partners thoroughly investigated all aspects of the Library’s operation and our role within the NHM. They questioned and tested all our assumptions, expanded our ideas and crucially helped us to present proposals for future development of the Library and its spaces to the Museum’s Directors. All those involved in this project and senior colleagues were impressed by the professionalism and expertise throughout the project and with the excellence of the final report. The time given by all the partners to understanding not just the Library but the whole Museum was impressive and ensured the success of the project.” 

Jane Smith
Head of Library Collections & Services
Natural History Museum
London, England