Abstract
This paper discusses the implementation of Kanban as the framework for managing electronic resources workflows by presenting case studies from the University of Saskatchewan Library and at the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Library in Saskatchewan, Canada. Librarians at both institutions independently chose to adopt Kanban to manage electronic resources work, applying the essential Kanban framework of lists titled to do, in progress, and done. Examining the similarities and differences in each librarian’s experience and discussing two different software programs used, we have included descriptions of our implementation, in-depth information about the origins of Kanban, and its more recent applications to technical work. We found numerous benefits-including reduced email communication and improved due date tracking-to our implementation of Kanban and no significant drawbacks. Interest in applications of Kanban in libraries is on the rise, and we found there were significant benefits of using Kanban for electronic resources teams when used in conjunction with other tools (e.g., spreadsheets, email, ERMS).
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© 2018 Jaclyn McLean, Robin Canham, published by De Gruyter
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