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The value of libraries hml
1. Defending the Academic
Library in Lean Times
Meeting
of the
Minds
June Heterick
1 Memorial
2012 Library
2. From a SWON workshop presented by:
•The Value Proposition of
Academic Libraries
• Amy Ensor Mary Jenkins
Alison Morgan
• Xavier University
• March 5, 2012
3. Librarians have skills no one else has:
• Organization, research, editing,
documentation, indexing, makin
g information accessible and
transparent….
4. But we have a branding problem, and we have
a cultural problem.
5. Fundamental changes in academic libraries
“…Academic libraries have changed more in the
past two decades than in the preceding two
centuries. Technology is a major driver... But the
real questions of interest are … the social impacts
and processes that have resulted.
Furthermore, we must address these changes with
the recognition that they have only begun, and that
they are irreversible.”
Andrew Dillon, “Accelerating Learning and Discovery:
Refining the Role of Academic Librarians,” 2008
6. #1 OVERARCHING RISK to academic libraries:
“Reduced sense of library relevance from
below, above and within.”
“User base erodes because library
value proposition is not effectively
communicated.”
“Availability of online and other
resources (e.g., Google) may weaken
the visibility and necessity of the
library.”
Research Libraries, Risk and Systemic Change
OCLC Research, March 2010 (James Michalko, Constance
Malpas, Arnold Arcolio)
8. …library value is being measured in terms that are more
difficult to quantify:
• How integral it is to the academy
• How well it supports learning and teaching
• How well it supports research
The Academic Library in a 2.0 World
ECAR Center for Applied Research, September 2008
Susan V. Wawrzaszek and David G. Wedaman
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dnnya/2559183847//
9. What do our users
(and non-users) need today?
Assessment/Surveys
10. Changes to access
It is not obvious that investing in
renovating the traditional technology
platform will substantially reduce systemic
risks facing libraries.
Legacy library technology is not a risk
inherent in the surrounding information
environment; it represents an obstacle to
effecting meaningful change in the library’s
operations and value proposition.
Research Libraries, Risk and Systemic Change
OCLC Research, March 2010 (James Michalko, Constance Malpas, Arnold Arcolio)
11. Change and Risk
• Libraries can’t adjust fast enough to keep up
with rapidly changing technology and user
needs
• Libraries often face inefficiencies and
expenses due to lack of functionality and IT
support
• Replacement parts are hard to find
• Digital content is lost because it’s not
properly managed and preserved
Research Libraries, Risk and Systemic Change
OCLC Research, March 2010 (James Michalko, Constance Malpas, Arnold Arcolio)
12. Legacy tech systems:
could we do more with less?
Search engines trump libraries for
speed, convenience, reliability, and ease of
use; libraries trump search engines for
trustworthiness and accuracy.
OCLC, Perceptions of Libraries, 2010, Context and Community
14. Information Literacy
“What’s so frustrating to me about
conducting research is the more you
know, the more you realize how little you
know – it’s depressing, frustrating and
suffocating.” – undergraduate humanities
student
Information is now as infinite as the
universe, but finding the answers is harder
than ever.
Alison J. Head and Michael B. Eisenberg, Project Information Literacy, University of Washington
15. How college students search for information:
• 83% begin information searches using search engines
• 57% use the library website for finding online
information
• 10% use online librarian question services
(chat, IM, etc.)
• Top reason for not using the library website is the
perception that other sites have better information, not
that students don’t know the library website exists
• One in three college students report that they use the
library less than a few times a year
OCLC, Perceptions of Libraries, 2010, Context and Community
and Ithaka S+R Library Survey 2010: Insights from U.S. Academic Library
Directors
16. Support of teaching and learning is priority.
• Undergraduate information literacy is primary
role
• Supporting discovery of content is important
• Priority is on research and teaching support
functions more than traditional collections and
preservation
• User-facing functions rank higher in importance
than collections development and maintenance
• Research and teaching support will grow in
importance in the next five years
Ithaka S+R Library Survey 2010: Insights from U.S. Academic Library Directors
17. • Libraries will be assessed on how they
contribute to teaching and learning
• Shift from functioning as information
repositories to learning enterprises
• Services and resources must be
embedded in teaching and learning
activities
• Focus must be on information
skills, not information access
• Librarians must think like
educators, not service providers
Value of Academic Libraries, ACRL
19. Concerns about staff, cited by academic
library leaders:
• Staff lack skill set for future needs
• Conservative nature of library inhibits
timely adaptation to changed
circumstances.
• Difficulty finding candidates for evolving
management/leadership roles.
• Not easy to provide cross-training and re-
training required to manage change
• Smaller pool of qualified candidates.
20. “Somebody will develop the services the new
researcher needs. If the library does not develop
those, there is no future for the research library.”
Requires a radical, fundamental transformation
process, focused on collaboration with others, that
will affect every aspect of the ‘library’ business.
Rick Luce (vice-provost and director of libraries at Emory University), speaking at LIBER 2011
21. Best practices for addressing these
challenges:
• Set high expectations; put into place an explicit
program of cultural change
• Move from hierarchy to adhocracy – a culture
of high flexibility and external focus
• Proactively work toward meaningful
library/faculty partnerships to deepen and
advance research
• Restructure traditional workflows to invest in
research support services
• Engage users in program and collection
development
22. Collaboration is crucial.
84% of library directors would withdraw print collections
if access to print copies existed through a trusted
network that provided on-demand access.
Ithaka S+R Library Survey 2010: Insights from U.S. Academic Library Directors
• Shared infrastructure
• Increased outsourcing
• Regional consolidation of services
• Shared repositories for books and print journals
• Industry-wide digitization initiatives
23. What to do? What’s being done?
• Self Study
• Environmental Scan
• Surveys
• Assessment
• Access
– Discovery Layer
• Tools
– Calculators
25. Photo/art credits:
Slide 4: Xavier University Archives and Special Collections
Slide 9: Slide 13 Scales – dnnya, via Flickr
Slide 10: City, Public Library – The Library of Virginia, 1956, via Flickr
Slide 17: Folly Beach, South Carolina – Alison Morgan
Slide 19: Pez collection – Karen Tucker, karen.tkr, via Flickr
Slide 23: Library of Celsus, Ephesus – Dachalan, via Flickr
All Flickr images are Creative Commons licensed
Notes de l'éditeur
[This is my transition – going from Amy’s intro about branding and risk into the alignment of library with current user needs across the org – and positioning the library to provide info and services.]The Univ of Illinois study on the value gap points to the measurement of value in terms of the library’s contributions to accreditation, its role in digitization and skilled use of digitized materials, the library’s demonstration of its buying power and ROI and impact on student learning outcomes, and its direct service to the university’s strategic goals
And what might they not even know that they need?Points: comments on disruptive change requiring new ways of engaging with our communities and adding value to mission – reaching current non-users, including beyond the classroom and library instruction. Role in using, instructing in, modeling technologies for presentation and analysis and creation, Role in influencing learning outcomes, Role in business/competitive intelligence
As Amy and Mary have alluded to, we are working in a culture that is challenging us and requiring us to think of the library in new ways, keep up with the flow of information and technologies, and meet evolving user needs and demands. But, we are, for the most part, still working with technologies, equipment, and systems that were not built with today’s opportunities in mind. Unfortunately, what that often means is inefficiencies, redundancies, and difficult workflow for us, and frustration for our users who turn to search engines to get their information needs met.
This is where our students get their information today, and where they focus a great deal of their time and energy. We are struggling to provide access to electronic research databases that require users to login if not on campus, which have varied and sometimes complicated search features and ways to limit, and which may or may not ultimately provide them with the full-text articles they are after. In the meantime, users can go to Google and almost instantaneously be linked to a webpage with information on any topic they type in. Now, we all know, of course, that that information is most likely not the most relevant, and probably not scholarly in nature. But our users don’t always know that…
ACRL offers this view of our future. We have to think like educators, focusing on teaching and learning, and moving away from some of our more traditional ways of thinking and operating. In addition to strategic planning, up-to-date technologies, and a new mindset, we need skilled professionals to make this future a reality. Amy is going to talk about the challenges of that…
Creative collaboration amongst ourselves will be key going forward as we make changes in mindset and operations. Focusing some of our energies into shared infrastructure, possible outsourcing, and consolidation of services would allow for more rapid deployment of these services and help mitigate some of the risks we are facing.Group storage agreements for print materials would offer opportunities to free up space, save money on maintenance, and ensure long-term preservation and yet, very few master’s level colleges or universities participate in such arrangements.Collaboration opportunities exist with digitization initiatives such as the Google project and the HathiTrust; licensing options, non-standard formats, and access issues are not insurmountable barriers.OCLC recently announced its WorldShare product, designed to help libraries connect, operate, innovate and share at webscale; truly a global collaboration for the libraries that participate.
