A Model for Academic Libraries 2005 to 2025 David W. Lewis “Visions of Change: Academic Libraries in Transition” California State University Sacramento

A Model for Academic Libraries 2005 to 2025

David W. Lewis

“Visions of Change: Academic Libraries in Transition” California State University Sacramento

January 26, 2007

"You've got to be careful if you don't know where you're going ‘cause you might not get there!"

— Yogi Berra

“Because of the fundamental role that academic libraries have played in the past century, it is tremendously difficult to imagine a college or university without a library. Considering the extraordinary pace with which knowledge is moving to the Web, it is equally difficult to imagine what an academic library will be and do in another decade.”

— Jerry D. Campbell

A Model Academic Libraries

• Assumptions

• Parts of the Puzzle

• Putting the Parts Together

• Organizational Issues

Assumptions

1. Libraries are a means, not the end

2. Libraries confront a variety of disruptive technologies and these technologies will disrupt libraries

3. Real change requires real change

4. We have a window of opportunity

Parts of the Puzzle

1. Complete the migration from print to electronic collections

2. Retire legacy print collections

3. Redevelop library space

4. Reposition library and information tools, resources, and expertise

5. Migrate the focus of collections from purchasing materials to curating content


• Reference Works - Indexes – Use: complete– Purchasing: nearly complete

• Reference Works - Other– Use: Not sure - probably nearly complete– Purchasing: Some change


• Journals– Use: Complete– Purchasing: Some change

• Books– Use: Beginning transition– Purchasing: No real change


• IUPUI Journal Use in 2006 - 2,400 titles– 1 was used (reshelved - current and last

two years bound) more than 100 times - Science News

– 24 were used more than 50 times– 208 were used 10 or more times– 934 were not used at all


• Finish transition in purchasing in reference and journals - be assertive

• Plan for transition for books - be prepared

• Capture efficiencies– Less processing– Less collection develop work (maybe)


• Print will become a less important part of the library’s working collection

• Little-used print materials in prime campus real estate will not be acceptable over time


• Move collections to dedicated storage facilities or discard

• Provide access to these collections

• Preserve collections for the long term

• Needs to be done collaboratively– Indiana federal documents project– JSTOR


• Allows for the repurposing of space

• Will require additional staff in the short term

3. Redevelop the library space

• Create a diversity of user study spaces– Academic Commons– Quiet areas– Wood-paneled reading rooms

• Trade space for relationships– Writing Center– Center for Teaching and Learning

3. Redevelop the library space

• Will require additional funding– Good philanthropic opportunities

• Might become the next “must do” campus project


• Library needs to be where the users are– Google– Course management systems

• Different mix of in-person and embedded services


• New services and systems to support research and scholarship– Managing personal collections– Intellectual property

• Librarians will play different roles and will require different skill sets

5. Move from purchasing materials to curating content

• Open Access will succeed

• Users will be less dependent on local library collections

• Libraries will not have to purchase as much content


• New role for librarians — curating content created on or important to the campus– Digital– Campus contribution to the open access

universe


• Libraries have always done two things:1. Purchased materials for local users

2. Curated content for the world

• Today the split is 80/20

• In 20 years the split will be 40/60


2005 2015 2025

Traditional Special Collections

Curated Digital Content

Purchased Materials

Percent of Library ResourcesAllocated

10%

60%

Putting the Parts Together

• Moving from print to electronic collections will:

– Save staff time– Save other costs - binding, postage,

cataloging fees


• Retiring print collections will:– Require some staff time in the short term– Require cooperative storage facilities– Free up space


• Redeveloping Space will:– Require new resources– Philanthropic opportunity– Adjustments in staffing


• Reposition library and information tools, resources, and expertise will:– Require rethinking service models– Different mix of staff skills - less

“traditional” librarian work and more hybrid librarian/technologist/instructional design work

– Some staff savings (maybe)


• Moving from purchasing materials to curating content will:– Require discipline in moving resources

from one area to the other– New staff skills and more staff– Some external funding opportunities -

grants– Maybe a net savings


Migration from Print to Electronic

Retire Legacy Print Collection

Redevelop Library Space

Reposition Library, Tools, Resources, and Expertise

Space

$

$

$

Transition form Purchasing to Curating

Staff

To Campus

External

$

Organizational Issues

• Staff Composition

• Flexible Staffing and Flexible Staff

• Principles of Disruptive Innovation

Staff Composition

• In the next 20 years a 25% decline in the number of clerical positions. Ratio of librarians to clerical staff goes from 2:1 to about 1:1. Will not begin immediately

• Number of technology position will increase by about 25%

Staff Composition

• Number of librarians will remain about the same.

• Librarians will do less selection, reference, and instruction.

• New librarian roles will include, teaching new information skills, developing and managing systems and building collections of curated content.

Staff Composition

• If librarians will appropriate cannot be found, non-librarians will those skill sets will be hired.

Flexible Staffing and Flexible Staff

• Culture that values learning and exploration

• Strategy for hiring and retaining people with needed skills and personal characteristics

• Commitment to invest in staff and organizational development

Principles of Disruptive Innovation

• Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor, The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth, 2003

• Clayton M. Christensen; Scott D. Anthony, and Erik A. Roth, Seeing What’s Next: Using the Theories of Innovation to Predict Industry Change, 2004


Mantra: Make products and services more reliable, more convenient, and cheaper


• Exploratory project development

• Be impatient for success with small projects, but don’t be in a hurry to grow the project to full scale– Encourages action and risk taking


• Begin with simple projects that meet the needs of undemanding users and then move up market to provide services to more demanding users

• Don’t ask users what they want, rather watch what they do


• We should encourage standards that allow for modularization of the scholarly information value chain– SFX and OAI over ScienceDirect®

• Add value where things are “not good enough” and don’t worry where they are “good enough”


• Look for solutions outside the library world

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the

Cat.“I don't much care where—“ said Alice.“Then it doesn't matter which way you go,” said the Cat.“--so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.“Oh, you're sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long

enough.”— Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Questions ?

David W. [email protected]

Paper available at: http://idea.iupui.edu/dspace/handle/1805/665

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

A Model for Academic Libraries 2005 to 2025 David W. Lewis “Visions of Change: Academic Libraries in Transition” California State University Sacramento