Reframing Failure: Post Mortems for Library Projects

Apfelbaum, Danielle S.; Stadler, Derek

Publication:
Reframing Failure: Post Mortems for Library Projects

dc.audience	Community College Library
dc.contributor.author	Apfelbaum, Danielle S.
dc.contributor.author	Stadler, Derek
dc.contributor.department	Farmingdale State College
dc.contributor.department	LaGuardia Community College
dc.coverage.location	Mayflower Room
dc.coverage.location	New York
dc.coverage.temporal	2018-05-04T11:50:00-07:00
dc.coverage.temporal	2018-05-04T11:00:00-07:00
dc.date	2024-04-03T15:56:38.000
dc.date.accessioned	2024-04-26T08:10:56Z
dc.date.available	2024-04-26T08:10:56Z
dc.date.issued	2018-05-04
dc.description.abstract	As librarians, we often take part in or lead projects and initiatives, but not all of these endeavors succeed; we sometimes experience failure. Whether a solo research effort or a collaborative attempt to improve information literacy skills, not every endeavor may go as planned. Yet, how often do we take a step back and investigate how, what, when, where, and with whom a critical breakdown occurred? The post mortem -- a systematic method for discovering, documenting, and disseminating an actionable summary of the ups and downs of a project’s execution -- offers librarians a valuable tool for reframing failure as an opportunity for ensuring future successes. Built upon the premise that similar projects face similar pitfalls, post mortems yield lessons learned that can be used by team members to prevent and/or plan for the mitigation of obstacles within and beyond their control. Although the project post mortem has its roots in the field of software development, many of the processes and principles upon which the post mortem is built can be applied and scaled for library projects of all sizes. By participating in this presentation, attendees will gain an understanding of the purpose and value of post mortem analyses for library projects; identify steps associated with planning for, conducting, and communicating the results of a post mortem analysis; consider how to scale post mortems for individual and team-based projects; and be able to develop a post mortem analysis plan for a past or current project upon returning to their home libraries.
dc.description.abstract	As librarians, we often participate in or lead initiatives, but not all of these endeavors succeed. The post mortem -- a systematic method for discovering, documenting, & disseminating an actionable summary of a project’s successes & missteps -- offers librarians a valuable tool for reframing failure as an opportunity to support future successes.
dc.identifier.doi	https://doi.org/10.7275/4kv0-gm30
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14394/654
dc.relation.url	https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1062&context=acrl_nec_conf&unstamped=1
dc.source.status	published
dc.subject	Assessment Professional/staff development
dc.subject	Failure
dc.subject	Assessment
dc.subject	Post-mortem
dc.subject	Library and Information Science
dc.title	Reframing Failure: Post Mortems for Library Projects
dc.type	presentation
dc.type	event
digcom.contributor.author	isAuthorOfPublication\|email:apfelbds@farmingdale.edu\|institution:Farmingdale State College\|Apfelbaum, Danielle S.
digcom.contributor.author	isAuthorOfPublication\|email:dstadler@lagcc.cuny.edu\|institution:LaGuardia Community College\|Stadler, Derek
digcom.identifier	acrl_nec_conf/2018/presentations/5
digcom.identifier.contextkey	11306380
digcom.identifier.submissionpath	acrl_nec_conf/2018/presentations/5
dspace.entity.type	Publication