Futures and trends in academic libraries (with technology in mind)

Here are two academic-library-minded items that speak to (1) trends in current library activities and (2) 26 possible scenarios for academic libraries' future. As you might imagine, they both lean heavily on technology.

2010 top ten trends in academic libraries [College & Research Libraries News] lists one trend specifically noting technology ("Technology will continue to change services and required skills") and yet most of the remaining trends reflect changes in publishing and research methods, our conception of the library as place, librarian skill sets, budget demands, etc., are all impacted by technology.

'Futures Thinking for Academic Librarians: Higher Education in 2025,' a report from ACRL, posits 26 possible scenarios for where academic libraries will stand in 2025. It was written by David Staley, a historian at Ohio State University, and Kara Malefant of ACRL, and was based on a survey of ACRL members. The future could be rather dark for libraries in two of the scenarios, one in which libraries are all but extinct, and another where librarians no longer earn tenure (which is already true in a number of settings). Other alterations would have huge impacts, but have more positive outcomes. There is also a brief podcast on the 33 page report at the link above.

I am intrigued to study these suggested futures and ongoing trends to see how well they fit what we're doing in our library and how we're envisioning the future. It's interesting to learn from the perspectives of others.

Disruptive Innovation and the Academic Library

Presentation materials from David W. Lewis, who spoke at the OhioLINK Annual Directors' Meeting in March 2006. I think this PowerPoint captures the elements he spoke about regarding the transition in libraries from physically-owned and licensed electronic resources to open web and open access resources over a 25 year span. He analyzes libraries and their provision of information using the ideas developed by Clayton Christiansen in his "Innovator's Dilemma" and other books.

I apologize for being somewhat academic-focused, but does the sort of transition Lewis forsees for academic libraries have relevance for public libraries? Can public libraries continue as more (though not all or, in time, even majority-) print focused institutions when compared to academics?

It's the end, or is it?

A great presentation by Thomas Dowling of OhioLINK at the May 3, 2006, Southwestern Ohio Council on Higher Education (SOCHE) Library Conference: "Academic Libraries in a Googleized World": "Imminent Death of Libraries: Film at 11"

One interesting part of Thomas' presentation involved the need for a single search box (whether a meta-search or a site search option) on every library web site. You can see what I'm doing at our library site. Does everybody have one of these? Should we all?

The End of Books

The End of Books

See? Even in 1894 they saw the end coming. Right. Any day now. 8-)