british library

About

The British Library's collection includes 150 million items ranging from newspapers and magazines to manuscripts, music scores and patents, and is used by 16,000 people each day. The Library incorporates approximately 3 million new items to its collection each year and receives a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland. It also operates the world's largest document delivery service, delivering 4 million items each year to customers all over the world.

Challenge

New initiatives, including a Web archiving project, a digital object management project, and the introduction of an integrated library system, had placed additional support requirements on the Technical Operations Department. There was a growing concern that current staffing levels in the Technical Operations department were inappropriate and it was apparent that the department was increasingly relying on the goodwill of staff to work extra hours and weekends to deliver the minimum support requirements to the organisation.

The Library's management therefore identified a requirement to develop a robust and scalable staffing strategy for its Technical Operations department which is responsible for the maintenance and support of a diverse range of systems, including over 200 servers and software from over 800 suppliers. The Library's management took the decision to engage external advisors to ensure an all round, objective view of its requirements.

Solution

The Library selected independent IT consultancy, NCC Group, due its independence from hardware and software suppliers and past experience of its work.

NCC Group was engaged to undertake a strategic staffing review of the technical operations department. The main objectives of the exercise included; identification of technologies and systems support expectations including out-of-hours support requirements, definition of realistic staffing levels for the department to fulfill the service levels required by the organisation and benchmarking of salaries for the job roles within the department.

Drawing on experience of similar assignments, NCC Group undertook an intensive consultation exercise. Business managers representing the diverse functions of the Library were interviewed to establish current and future requirements of systems supported and user perceptions of the services provided, face to face meetings were held with a cross section of staff representing Technical Operations job roles in both London and Boston Spa locations, and the views of the senior management team including the IT Director were canvassed.

Following the consultation exercise, recommendations were made covering appropriate staffing levels for different job functions, revisions to service level agreements and the scheduling and prioritisation of tasks. Other recommendations relating to customer service, operation of the help desk and communications with users were also made.

Results

The project report delivered an independent, impartial view of the technical operations department's current staff numbers and those required to meet the Library's expectations. A clear way forward for the implementation of the recommendations was identified.

Paul Haley, Head of IS Operations at the British Library, comments: "The study provided us with a greater understanding of the work performed by IS Operations. The project ran smoothly and addressed real issues, providing excellent value for money."

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NCC Group is a leading global provider of independent IT assurance, security and consultancy services. As a trusted advisor, we help over 15,000 public, private and not for profit sector organisations, including 92 of the FTSE 100, to make the most efficient use of information and technology and to manage the associated risks.

Quote

"The study provided us with a greater understanding of the work performed by IS Operations. The project ran smoothly and addressed real issues, providing excellent value for money."

Paul Haley, Head of IS Operations, British Library

Challenge

The Library's management identified a requirement to develop a robust and scalable staffing strategy for its Technical Operations department

Solution

The Library selected independent IT consultancy, NCC Group to undertake a strategic staffing review of the technical operations department

Results

The project report delivered an independent, impartial view of the technical operations department's current staff numbers and those required to meet the Library's expectations