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Library Organization, Management
and Administration
Prof. Dr. K.M. Saiful Islam
Dept. of Information Science & Library Management,
Faculty of Arts, University of Dhaka
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh
e-mail: ismk99@yahoo.com
This study delineates
subtle distinctions in organization, management and administration
which may be equally important for organizers,
managers and administrators of all types
of institutions and enterprises- either academic, business, industrial or
learned, and the study may be useful
and applicable not only to library and information science, but also to
management. public administration,
finance, economics, statistics, mathematics, psychology, sociology, and
the like.
Organization vs. Management
'Organizing'
literally, is a process of doing work
or making arrangement for work, while 'organization'
is a structure in which the work takes
place. In this study, however, to
avoid confusion, we will refer to organization as a step or method
of making logical arrangement of work of an enterprise as a part of
management and administration. It is relatively easy for one to
separate organization from management
and administration, but it may be
generally difficult for him to bring a succinct distinction between 'management'
and 'administration' since
the later two terms are closely inter-woven,
and there is a greater possibility
of one being mixed up with the other. The present study, however, is an
endeavour to remove such probable
confusion and controversy and is intended
to establish the distinctions, through
appraisal of the thesis of
distinguished writers and thinkers in
the field, so the study is useful not
only to library and information
science, but also to other disciplines
including public administration,
management, finance, statistics, sociology, mathematics, economics,
psychology and the like.
Organization may be termed as a process of making logical combination of
various units of works to assign them to suitable workers in order to
attain the avowed objectives of an
enterprise or an institution or a library, whilst management
may be briefly
termed as a process
of getting things done through men and
materials. Sheldon defines organization
as "the process of so combining the
work which individuals or groups have
to perform with the faculties necessary
for its execution that the duties, so
formed, provide the best channels for the efficient,
systematic,
positive, and co-ordinated application of the available effort."'
Hicks and
Tillin, while defining
organization, give emphasis on (a) human relationships, (b) group work and (c) social structure. They maintain
that organization is mainly 'concerned
with human relationships in a group activity that, when taken together,
equate to the social structure.'2
It is the most effective
method to pool the co-operative efforts of staff and channel them
into productive processes.
Library and Society
Society sanctions the organization
since it considers the organization
capable of satisfying some
need. 'If such a need is reasonably wall
satisfied by a particular device,
society transmits that device to
future generations as integral part of its culture. This
has been true of the traditional library, which was basically book oriented,
and which has been passed on by society as a useful organization.3 The traditional book library is today unable to meet the
increasing multifarious needs of the
society. This necessity has given rise
to the
development
of multimedia library to face the challenge
of the society through its diversified
materials including audio-visual aids,
techniques, and contemporary technology including
computerization and on-line
literature search. An organization is
composed of persons who share common interest to attain the same objectives.
'It is characterized by a management; or leadership which
defines the roles and tasks for both
the group and its individual members.
The roles of these members are
structured around the activities or functions necessary to the
accomplishment of present objectives.
Management furnishes them with
the needed tools, equipment, and facilities to achieve the tasks and
objectives assigned. The organization
creates, through management adequate
policies, procedures,
authority, accountability, and responsibility for the fulfillment
of organizational
objective. Organizing is a distinctive basic managerial
function which is
concerned primarily with formal
structure as a means of gaining effective
group action.4
Organization vs. Administration
Library organization and library administration are closely related to each
other. The distinction between the two is
very subtle. Organization
comes before
administration. The latter
starts where the former ends. One
lays down theoretical principles,
whilst the other puts those principles into practice.
An institution or enterprise is established
with the aim of attaining certain
determined objectives. But 'how'
and 'who' is to achieve
it ? For this, 'an organizational structure is
raised, an administrative machinery is created, and management authority is
appointed.'5 The
administrative machinery is responsible
for laying down the basic policies of
the institution; for providing a proper organizational
structure; and for appointing the management personnel for achieving the
desired aims. Organization is a
process of classification and arrangement of various
functions and jobs of an institution to assign them to respective,
classified individuals in various units or departments,
while administration involves setting
out of definite methods,
plans and policies to carry out those
functions to achieve the pro-determined
objectives. Administration is that phase of an institution—academic
or business enterprise—which concerns
itself with the
overall determination and achievement
of the major policies and objectives.
"Administration", William Schulze
maintains, "is the force which lays
down the object for which an organization and its management are to strive
and the broad policies under which they are to operate." Administration is
that function of management which, in reality, executes or carries
out the objectives for which the
institution is planned, established and then
organized. Organization ensures that men, materials, jobs,
various units and their included activities are properly
classified, defined and nicely arranged showing harmony
and functional relationships, whilst
administrative function ensures that personnels are
properly fitted to the jobs; works are performed properly with
satisfaction; and that men, materials,
finance and working conditions are congenial and satisfactory to yield the
avowed result.
Administration
includes various functions or elements, and organization is one of those
elements. Organization 'relates to the
establishment of a structure of authority and responsibility which is
further defined and co-ordinated for the attainment of specific objectives.'6
It is a design of the structure, the
grouping and classifying of positions, on the basis of which staff is
chosen, whereas administration finds out devices to best carry out
library's planned goals with the help of judiciously selected
staff.
Organization involves: (a) identifying the activities
and positions necessary to carry out library's plan and purpose;
(b) logically
grouping and arranging them according
to their functional relationships ,
including work organization and job
descriptions so as to assign them to
respective personnel ;
(c) defining
the extent and scope of each department or unit and its included activities; and (d) a statement of working
relationships between the units and positions, and of the obligations,
lines of authority'7 or the
span of control. Administration, on the other hand, means essentially
the directing and executive functions that get these jobs done. It
involves
comprehending purposes arid
needs ;
planning, defining problems, making decisions, finding ways
and means, managing
and following through; organizing, or recognizing and defining, then
putting together in sound and simple relationship
the component elements or divisions of the operation as a whole, then of
its smaller parts-departments, and individual jobs; selection
of personnel ; the
understanding,
choosing and appreciation of people and their development;
giving instructions and making supervision 10 ensure that each does his
work with distinction. The
administrative
function also involves
certain external
and financial aspects, viz. (a) the governmental connections of the
library, partly through the board
of trustees; (b) its
relations with the government or municipal
departments ; (c) the
financial structure of the library and the sources for securing adequate
funds ; their
budgeting and
use : (d) public
relations and the
methods by which the library keep?
the entire
community aware of its
purposes, problems, services, accomplishments, and maintains constant
awareness of what the community thinks of its
library.8
Organization, on the contrary,
has nothing to do with all these external
activities. The domain of organization is
basically internal and limited, while that of
administration may be both external and
internal, and, of course, wider.
Organization is the formal side of
administration, and, in some way, subordinate to it. And one duty of
administration is to provide its own administrative instrument, which
means to organize. The art or technique of administration is the art of directing and inspiring
people, while that of
organization is of relating specific
duties and functions in a co-ordinated whole. The technique of organizing
is prior, in logical order,
to that of administering. A good skill of
organizing is a necessity antecedent
to efficient administration.
Administration always presupposes something
tangible to administer, and this something only organization
can supply.9
Next
1. Sheldon, Oliver. The philosophy of management.
London: Isaac Pitman.
1930. p. 32.
2. H;cks, Warren B. and
Tillin, Alma M. Managing multimedia
libraries.
New York : R. R. Bowker, 1977. p. 20.1.
3.
Ibid.
4. Hicks,
Warren B, and Tillin,
Alma M., op. cit,
p. 21 -2.
5. Mittal,
R. L. Library administration ; theory and practice,
5th edn, Delhi: Metropolitan
Book, 1983. p. 36.|
6. Wilson, Louis Round, and
Tauber, Maurice F. The university
library :
the organization,
administration and functions of academic libraries,
2nd edn, New York :
Columbia University Press, 1966- p.
116.
7. Wheeler, Joseph L- and
Goldhor, Herbert, Practical administration of public libraries. New
York : Harper, 1962.
p. 165.
8. Wheeler, Joseph L.
and Golahor, Herbert, op, cit , p-35
9. Mooney, James D. The principles of organization.
New York : Harper & Brothers, 1947, p.
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