Becoming a Lean Library: Lessons from the World of Technology Start-ups

Becoming a Lean Library: Lessons from the World of Technology Start-ups provides a guide to the process and approach necessary to manage product development.

Using techniques and philosophies pioneered by Toyota's lean manufacturing success, Becoming a Lean Library provides library leadership advice and tips on making the library more nimble, lean, and responsive to technological change.

Early chapters introduce the reader to the idea of lean start-ups in libraries, followed by chapters covering library systems, lessons from lean manufacturing, and the build-measure-learn model. Remaining chapters discuss technology change and DevOps as a lean strategy, while also giving the reader the opportunity to earn a professional online "badge" on the subject material of the book.

Introduces lean startup and lean manufacturing theory and practiceApplies Lean Startup Principles to LibrariesAllows readers to earn two Openbadges to demonstrate professional education accomplishment through social networking and for compensation purposesOnly book in its market that illustrates lean principles at work

Introduction

Organizing library systems: A brief history and overview of typical library systems and technical services

Pull vs. Push - Lessons from Lean Manufacturing

Build-measure-learn as an OODA Loop: Understanding the lean start-up's build-measure-learn loop and its application to libraries as a learning organization

Innovation accounting and Francis Taylor: Gathering feedback on library projects through improved metrics

Defining hypotheses and managing complexity: Identify hypotheses in library services and projects to help improve outcomes in complex environments

Actionable metrics from patron activity: Using library patron activity to drive decisions

Pivoting with technology change: Recognizing and implementing a pivot in library services based on technological changes

DevOps as a lean strategy: Explains the DevOps (Development and Operations) approach in corporations as a lean strategy for library systems and technical services