Managing Web Projects in Academic Libraries

Abstract

Today’s academic library web sites are mission-critical library locations providing access to research content and online services. Managing these web sites and related projects has grown increasingly complex. The authors conducted a 24-item survey via a listserv to gain a better understanding of the current state of web project management in academic libraries today. Responses from 121 managers of web projects were received. The survey results provided quantitative and qualitative information about project managers, project management techniques and organizational structures used by libraries to manage web projects, the responsibilities of standing web committees, best practices, and remaining challenges. Web project management in libraries continues to be informally defined and is managed from a variety of organizational locations. The function of project management is still often only one part of a hybrid job and is not often included in job descriptions. Some project management techniques are used frequently, but the most formal practices are not. Web teams and workgroups vary widely among libraries and are occasionally the source for contention. While the survey data is not statistically generalizable to the larger population of academic libraries, it points to the need for research into specific aspects of library web project management, most notably in the area of web team effectiveness.