Fall 2015 MBA Consulting Practicum

Course Files

Student Application

Interview Stream Instructions

Course Description

BUSI 758 – MBA Consulting Practicum for Evening and Weekend Students (2 credits)

Fall 2015 (Full-semester course Terms A & B)

Repositioning the University Libraries, University of Maryland

General Background

The University Libraries of the University of Maryland are a major research library system, ranked in the top forty libraries in the United States. The Libraries provide a wide range of services, collections and technologies to support teaching and research needs of faculty and students at the University. The eight-library system has an operating budget of over $23 million, with a collection of over 4 million volumes, nearly 1 million e-books, and over 350 databases.

In addition to McKeldin Library, the main general library, there are branch libraries for Art, Architecture, Chemistry, Engineering, Media Services, Performing Arts, and Special Collections/Archives that support a robust teaching program reaching over 20,000 students per year.

Primary Project Functional/Management Area: Marketing

Project Objective and Scope

The University Libraries, as is the case with most libraries, has a strong brand image related to books, physical collections and traditional library spaces. A major challenge for the Libraries is to reposition itself by raising awareness of the wide range of services and technologies that are provided to support the life cycle of the research process and to support teaching and information literacy efforts.

In order to better convey to users the wide range of modern services and spaces that are provided to support research and teaching, the Libraries would like to have a position that goes beyond “books.” The current image of “books,” shown to be the case in about ¾ of respondents in a recent national survey about library image, does not adequately represent the current range of services, is too narrow in scope, and is problematic in that physical books will continue to decline in number and importance over time.

Objectives of this project:
1. Conduct an audit and evaluate the current position held by the University of Maryland Libraries in the minds of University of Maryland students, in particular McKeldin Library.
2. Inventory library services and resources and develop an understanding of those services and resources which are currently undervalued or unknown to our student clientele.
3. Synthesize findings and develop and recommend a repositioning strategy for the Libraries.

Application Process

Dear PT MBAs:

The 2-page application form provided below is the application to the MBA Consulting Practicum for Fall 2015. Please fill out this form and e-mail it, along with your current resume, to nmoye@rhsmith.umd.edu by 11pm on Monday, April 20th, 2015.

Additionally, you will need to access Interview Stream to answer and submit taped responses to an additional two interview questions. Please refer to the attached document titled ‘Interview Stream Instructions’ that provides guidance for accessing the Interview Stream application and submitting taped answers to two interview questions.

This is a competitive process with limited project team slots available. Give thought to the answers you provide on the application and taped interview questions as this information will be used to form project teams. Our decisions need to simultaneously: satisfy the client’s needs; build your experience working on diverse teams, and; offer leadership opportunities.

Students will be notified of selections by Monday, April 27th, 2015. Contact me with questions.

Best Regards,

Dr. Neta Moye
Director, MBA Experiential Learning Program
nmoye@rhsmith.umd.edu

Key Dates