The archaeology of habit: excavating past practices in technical services

Purpose – While laying the foundations of any libraries' collections, technical services (TS) play an important role in the expenditure of a library's materials and personnel budgets. Budgetary crises, increased user expectations, and growing workloads create challenges for TS to continually do more with less. When old practices cannot survive weakening budgets, it is time to dig into the layers of established procedures and see how they stand the test of relevance. This paper aims to address the issues regarding TS workflows. Design/methodologyapproach – The paper describes a study into TS at California State University Northridge (CSUN) Oviatt Library. Findings – Examination of long‐established procedures and workflows reveals a treasure trove of superfluous traditions, outdated mechanisms, and a visible failure to adopt the progress of the past decade. The discovery led to the reorganization of the department, the redesign of existing workflows, and the introduction of innovative technologies. Consequently, TS reduced processing time throughout the supply chain of information, improved service, and saved money. In addition, the reliance on vendors to assist in data management can greatly increase the efficiency of technical services. Originality/value – The paper highlights how continued revision should keep technical services' workflows and procedures fresh and relevant.