Drexel University



Rebecca Cooper

October 11, 2010

INFO 640 – Managing Information Organization

Instructor: Michael Krasulski

I certify that:

•        This paper/project/exam is entirely my own work.

•        I have not quoted the words of any other person from a printed source or a website without indicating what has been quoted and providing an appropriate citation.

•        I have not submitted this paper/project to satisfy the requirements of any other course.

Your Signature: Rebecca A Cooper

Date: 10 Oct 10

Table of Contents

|1 |Organization Information |3 |

|2 |Organizational Structure |3-4 |

|3 |Manager’s Information |5 |

|4 |Manager’s Style |5-6 |

|5 |Evaluation of the Information Organization |6-7 |

|6 |Appendix |8 |

|7 |Bibliography |9 |

1. Organizational Information:

a. Name of the Organization: Barksdale Air Force Base Library

b. Industry Sector: Library, Non-profit, Open only to Military ID card holders and their dependents

c. Mission, Goals & Objectives: To provide centers of access to knowledge and information essential to accomplish the Air Force mission; support professional military and voluntary off-duty education programs; and offer library facilities, resources and services that meet the personal needs and promote the productive use of leisure time for the Barksdale community.

d. Location: Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. On average the Barksdale Air Force Library serves 250 people per day. “Barksdale serves a large population made up of over 7800 active duty and reservists; 7700 military family members, and over 2150 civilian employees (appropriated and non-appropriated).  In addition, Barksdale services approximately 40,000 retirees and their family members living within a 50 mile radius of the base” ().

2. Organizational Structure:

The Barksdale Air Force Library provides information services to the Barksdale Air Force Base military members and their families by providing mission, education, and quality of life support services. These services include research, interlibrary loan, document delivery services, reference support, online database access, publications, research skill and orientation classes, reserve collections, reference librarians, coordination of off-campus library support, provide full library service to children and youth, including story hours and summer reading programs (p 7, AFI 34-270).

The library maintains copies of all materials that are on the Chief of Staff of the Air Force recommended professional reading list for the military personnel to check out and read to gain knowledge to enhance warrior ethos in mission, doctrine, and profession. The library offers an expensive collection of CLEP and DANTES books to allow members to enhance their off-duty education. The library also offers a wide range of language learning options such as MANGO Online, Playaway MP3 Audiobooks, CD Audiobooks, books, Transparent Language USB Software, and Rosetta Stone to enable military members and their families to prepare for duty assignments in overseas locations. Their online databases include links to “Air University Library, NetLibrary eBook Collection, Dudley Know Library, U.S Air Force Education Resource Center, Stratfor, and WorldCat” (Online Research). All of these services that the library provides are essential to providing for the military members and their families to support the military mission, on/off-duty education, and quality of life issues.

The library’s organizational structure is hierarchical in that it falls under the command of the 2nd Bomb Wing, 2nd Mission Support Group, and 2 Force Support Squadron. The organizational structure within the library is more of a matrix type structure in that the duties of employees are categorized by job functions such as a director, systems administrator, acquisitions technician, cataloger, and circulation clerks. This organization is also unique in that besides having rules like any other library located in a city, it also has rules to follow per Air Force Instructions to ensure they meet the needs of the military installations and the military members that use them.

3. Manager’s Information:

The library director at the Barksdale Air Force Library is Fran Morris and holds the duty title of Manager of Library Operations. She holds a B.S.M. in Education and MLIS degrees. She gained her management experience as a high school teacher and school librarian for twenty-two years, was a public library assistant director for five years, and is now the Barksdale Air Force Base library director for the last eight years. She is responsible for personnel, programs, facility, reports, budget, collection development, policies, procedures, and public relations for the library. She manages four full time employees, and three part time employees. Ms. Morris only maintains membership in the American Library Associations.

Ms. Morris is planning on retiring from the profession in two years, so her goal is to maintain currency of the military information resources needs and support the military families by increasing their quality of life in a location that is not their home of record. Also Ms. Morris wants to provide resources and information to families that are moving to new locations around the world to better prepare them for what to expect in new cultures and environments. Ms. Morris’s goal is to provide a variety of resources to assist military member and their families with and adjusting to all the places where military families have the possibility of living in to make their move as smooth as possible and reduce their anxiety when moving to a new place.

4. Manger’s Style:

Ms. Morris uses an affiliative management style that promotes harmony, cooperation, and good feeling among employees. This is supported by her employees in that they love working for and with her on projects and programs that are assigned to them. They state that Ms Morris is easy to approach and they are not intimidated to ask questions. They feel that they can come to her concerning any subject matter and know that they will receive an answer satisfactory to their needs. Ms. Morris stated that the small staff that she manages encourages more interpersonal relationship between herself and her staff and between her staff members.

Ms. Morris stated that her greatest mentor is Carol Emery, the former Air Combat Command librarian and fellow library directors Becky Sims, and Leslie Smail. She stated that Carol Emery has provided a wealth of knowledge in running an Air Force library. Ms Emery helped her to understand how her role as a base librarian fit into the military mission and was able to support military members, and their ever changing environment.

Ms Morris says she has and maintains a good and open communication with management above her. She says that she can communicate freely, openly and through email with her bosses to help her answer their questions and her questions are answered in a timely and satisfactory manner. Ms Morris feels that her boss is reasonable and communicates freely on what is expected of her and her staff to support the Air Force mission and objectives in the area of library support to the military.

5. Evaluation of the information organization:

The Barksdale Air Force Library overall does an excellent job in meeting its organizational goals and objectives. There are sixteen computers for patrons so use to enable military families to conduct internet research and maintain connection with their families back home. Having access to internet and video connections is vital to the single and deployed military members to keep in touch with their families and increases the morale and welfare.

I observed the staff and they were extremely helpful in teaching and instructing patrons on the use of the computers, the online catalog, and locating material within the library. The staff also commented on all of the available resources that they had to offer on particular subject matter that a patron was researching for their assignment for their Airmen Leadership course which enables them to progress in their military career.

The library’s collection of CLEP and DANTES material is beneficial to the military personnel to achieve their degrees in higher education. Continuing education is a must to achieve higher rank in the military. The library maintains several copies of study guides and videos for the military members to sign out to study toward passing CLEP and DANTES test for college credit. Continued off-duty education is one of the U.S. Air Force’s goals to improve the quality of its members to meet the Air Forces mission.

The Barksdale Air Force Library has a very unique information organization compared to the normal public library. I think that Ms Morris has done an excellent job in the management of the library and instructing and convening the unique mission, goals, and objectives to her staff so that they are more able to serve the Barksdale community with their unique needs. Ms. Morris affiliative management style is effective and when you walk into the library you can see and feel the harmony, cooperation and good feeling that the staff has for each other and their superiors.

8. Appendix:

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9. Bibliography:

AFI 34-270. (June 23, 2005). Air Force Library and Information System. Retrieved October 9,

2010, from

. (n.d.). Barksdale Air Force Base. Retrieved October 9, 2010, from



Online Researh (n.d.). Barksdale Air Force Library. Retrieved October 9, 2010, from



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