So, what do you think. Will we look back in 40 years and see nothing but the memories or bones of academic libraries? Or, will there still be units performing related duties that we still label, or at least think of occasionally, as libraries?

This blog post links to three, related commentaries. What do you think from the unique perspective of a SCUPer? Reply in the comments below, or go to SCUP's LinkedIn group and engage with the discussion there. Be sure to share not only your thoughts, but links to related resources. Thanks!

Early in 2011, before most of academia was even out of winter holiday hibernation, Brian T. Sullivan of Alfred University wrote a letter to The Chronicle of Higher Education, which is written from the perspective of a 2040 autopsy on the body of the dead academic library. His autopsy concluded that the death of the library could have been avoided by more realistic planning now.

In summary, it is entirely possible that the life of the academic library could have been spared if the last generation of librarians had spent more time plotting a realistic path to the future and less time chasing outdated trends while mindlessly spouting mantras like "There will always be books and libraries" and "People will always need librarians to show them how to use information." We'll never know now what kind of treatments might have worked. Librarians planted the seeds of their own destruction and are responsible for their own downfall.

As you might expect, there was a lot of buzz in the comments.

Nearly three weeks later, The Chronicle published another opinion, by Patricia A. Tully of Wesleyan University, who writes (labeling Sullivan as a Cassandra) that the end of the library is a long ways off:

Mr. Sullivan ends his article by stating that librarians "planted the seeds of their own destruction and are responsible for their own downfall," and he implies that this was in part by participating in the digitization of print materials and the development of a variety of online, unmediated services. But librarians should not be resisting these efforts to increase and enhance access to content—a central value of our profession is to make content as discoverable and accessible as possible to as many people as possible.

And in leading these efforts, we are not making our professional obsolete. Librarians in 2050 will be doing the same thing we are doing now—making content accessible to our users. We will be doing this very differently, of course, just as we are doing things very differently now than we did in 1960. The library will look and operate differently, and perhaps provide a different kind of experience for students and faculty. But the library's end is a long way off.

 Then, last week, James C. Pakala of Covenant Theological Seminary (St. Louis), asserts that Sullivan's autopsy report "Overlooks Libraries' Other Roles," saying that libraries do more than serve undergraduates, and also that faculty and staff require a great deal of information searching and analyzing assistance.

And as to IT taking over libraries, the opposite tends to predominate, owing to such factors as librarians' faculty ties, organizational ability, relational skills, etc. Ironically, the last Educause Review issue of 2010 even warns that campus IT operations could fade as technology becomes ubiquitous and consortia or other competitors beckon.

So, what do you think. Will we look back in 40 years and see nothing but the memories or bones of academic libraries? Or, will there still be units performing related duties that we still label, or at least think of occasionally, as libraries?

This blog post linked to three, related commentaries. What do you think from the unique perspective of a SCUPer? Reply in the comments below, or go to SCUP's LinkedIn group and engage with the discussion there. Be sure to share not only your thoughts, but links to related resources. Thanks!

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Blogging at Inside Higher Ed, Barbara Fister makes the case that ... well, read our title, Not Every Library Has to Preserve All Books, Just in Case. It's Not Feasible. This would be good reading for any campus that has a team looking at library space:

Going into the stacks and taking the books off the shelf one at a time is instructive. Today, I pitched a handbook for secretaries published in the 1980s and career guides from the 1970s. I ditched a shelf of how-to books for budding executives published in the 70s and 80s. (Really, how many of these do we need?) I eighty-sixed software guides for dummies stupid enough to run software that's generations old. These books will not be missed. Even in their prime most of them were never checked out, not even once.

What's even better is that removing books can lead to adding them. When an entire subject area turns out to have no books with a publication date newer than 1975, and we are offering courses in that subject area - or it concerns a region of the world or a topic that is not in the curriculum, but is in the news - it's time to track down book reviews and acquire some more current material.

 An important document for planners:

For academic librarians seeking to demonstrate the value of their libraries to their parent institutions, it is important to understand not only the current climate. We must also know what will be valued in the future so that we can begin to take appropriate action now. This document presents 26 possible scenarios based on an implications assessment of current trends, which may have an impact on all types of academic and research libraries over the next 15 years. The scenarios represent themes relating to academic culture, demographics, distance education, funding, globalization, infrastructure/facilities, libraries, political climate, publishing industry, societal values, students/learning, and technology. They are organized in a “scenario space” visualization tool, reflecting the expert judgment of ACRL members as to their expectations and perceptions about the probability, impact, speed of change, and threat/opportunity potential of each scenario. Finally, the study draws out implications for academic libraries.

For scenarios which have been identified as high impact with a high probability of occurring, it is incumbent upon library directors and those who set strategic agendas for academic libraries to plan to act now upon these scenarios. This report reinforces the notion that academic libraries are part of a larger ecosystem, and librarians should be consistently scanning the environment to look for signs of the changes that may come. It includes an appendix with a suggested activity to engage library colleagues in stretching your imaginations and considering possible futures. This can build capacity to engage in strategic thinking and planning, supporting librarians in making better decisions now that can address a variety of possible futures.

 

Thanks to SCUP executive director Jolene L. Knapp, who spotted this excellent blog post with links to hours of reading.

This guide - Guide For Planning Higher Education Library Spaces - from the Association of College & Research Libraries and the Library Administration and Management Association compiles a number of "guidelines" and links to specific resources as well as to sets of related resources. It is a must-bookmark resource for architects and designers in higher education. "In response to frequent inquiries for information about planning academic library buildings, [we] provide a basic framework for architects, planners, and librarians embarking on planning and design of libraries for higher education."

Maybe you use Wikipedia, maybe you sneer at it, maybe you contribute to it. No matter, it's an important part of academic life in 2008 and if you read this article, subtitled "Why the online encyclopedia's epistemology should worry those who care about traditional notions of accuracy," you will certainly know more about how Wikipedia content gets to where it is than almost anyone else you know:

Why should we care? Because Wikipedia's articles are the first- or second-ranked results for most Internet searches. Type "iron" into Google, and Wikipedia's article on the element is the top-ranked result; likewise, its article on the Iron Cross is first when the search words are "iron cross." Google's search algorithms rank a story in part by how many times it has been linked to; people are linking to Wikipedia articles a lot.

This means that the content of these articles really matters.

Because we have a great webcast coming up soon about libraries (See The Engaged Library
Strategies for Building Vibrant Learning Communities, Friday, September 12.) we thought we'd bring you - courtesy of the bibliographies at the National Clearinghouse for Education Facilities (NCEF) - a nice set of links to some comprehensive case studies and other related information that are originally from Learning Spaces by Diana Oblinger:

• Center for Integrated Learning and Information Technology, Michigan Technological University (PDF). Profiles this linked library addition and computer science hall that together provide an integrated learning environment, group study rooms, wireless networking, high-tech instructional spaces, and flexible labs. The chapter also describes how these spaces are used, what makes them successful, how technology is used, design principles, and what is unique about the project.

• Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia (PDF). Profiles this blend of new and refurbished space that serves at a library addition for the University. The building houses collection, meeting, and social spaces, including a lecture hall, classrooms, seminar rooms, cafe. These spaces host programs for the faculty, staff, and general public. The chapter describes the spaces and how they are used, what makes them successful, how technology is used, design principles, and what is unique about them.

• Perkins Library, Duke University (PDF). Profiles the expansion and conversion of this outdated, but ideally located library. The concept of the building's transformation from a "gatekeeper" to a "gateway" function that now serves as an "information commons" for the institution. The chapter also describes what makes the project successful, how technology is used, design principles, what is unique about the project, and includes one reference.

• Peter H. Armacost Library, Eckerd College (PDF). Profiles this new library that features 72 carrels wired with power and data connections, eight of which have multimedia stations. Several open lounges and a screened patio serve as casual settings for individual or group study, a 28-seat meeting room permits users to connect with remote sites worldwide, and a 30-person multimedia instruction lab provides multimedia training to augment instruction, research, and writing. The chapter also describes what makes the project successful, how technology is used, design principles, what is unique about the project, and includes one reference.