Abstract : This paper discusses how the technique of benchmarking—comparing local practices with best practices—can make a restructuring program easier, more credible, and more effective. During the 1990s, librarians have shown increasing interest in mechanisms of organizational change such as benchmarking because higher education, as a whole, must either restructure to meet new challenges or stagnate. This chapter blends an account of benchmarking initiatives at Penn State Libraries with broader assessments of this approach to restructuring academic libraries.