Snapshot of future library priorities

Thanks to Alyson Tyler for alerting me to this:
Snapshot of future library priorities

Of particular interest to academic libraries is A snapshot of priorities & perspectives: UK Academic Libraries

Working together: evolving value for academic libraries

Thanks to Alyson Tyler for alerting me to this Guardian article

It discusses ‘Working together: evolving value for academic libraries’ a research project, commissioned by SAGE Publications Ltd, aiming to investigate the value of academic libraries for academic departments.

The full report can be downloaded here.

 

2012 top ten trends in academic libraries

Thanks to Andrew Brown at Swansea University for this interesting link:

A review of the trends and issues affecting academic libraries in higher education

http://crln.acrl.org/content/73/6/311.full

A new chapter – the Carnegie UK Trust report on public libraries

Have a look at Alyson Tyler’s very interesting blog post for a Welsh perspective: http://libalyson.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/a-new-chapter-the-carnegie-uk-trust-report-on-public-libraries/

Beloit College Mindset List 2012

Each August for the past 11 years, Beloit College in Beloit, Wis., has released the Beloit College Mindset List. It provides a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college. It is the creation of Beloit’s Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief. The List is shared with faculty and with thousands who request it each year as the school year begins, as a reminder of the rapidly changing frame of reference for this new generation.

The class of 2012 has grown up in an era where computers and rapid communication are the norm, and colleges no longer trumpet the fact that residence halls are “wired” and equipped with the latest hardware. These students will hardly recognize the availability of telephones in their rooms since they have seldom utilized landlines during their adolescence. They will continue to live on their cell phones and communicate via texting. Roommates, few of whom have ever shared a bedroom, have already checked out each other on Facebook where they have shared their most personal thoughts with the whole world.

http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2012/

Trends in Academic Libraries, 1998 to 2008

New study from the ALA Office for Research and Statistics shows increased need for academic libraries.

The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Research and Statistics has released a new study, ‘Trends in Academic Libraries, 1998 to 2008,’ showing that the impact of technology has increased the need for library space.

The report provides an informative look at how the academic libraries continue to provide valuable resources to their community through technology and increased service hours despite a loss of non-librarian staff.

To read further or download the study: http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pr.cfm?id=7963

Unique & Distinctive Collections: a career opportunity

RLUK seeks to commission for the period of 12 months a Unique and Distinctive Collections (UDC) Project Manager (part-time, £35,000 at 1/5) to coordinate the implementation of the Unique and Distinctive Collections strand of the RLUK Strategic Plan 2011-2014. The officer will ideally be seconded from a research library, will have experience of working with unique and distinctive collections, and be confident working in an academic environment.

This is an exciting, rare opportunity to conduct research, analysis and outreach in the context of some of the finest collections in the UK and Ireland, with impact both at home and internationally.

Job Description and Person Specification:

http://www.rluk.ac.uk/content/rluk-seeks-fill-unique-and-distinctive-collections-project-manager-post

The deadline for applications is 1 September 2011.

Any queries should initially be addressed to:

Mike Mertens
Deputy Director
RLUK
Email: mike.mertens@rluk.ac.uk

Value of academic libraries

The American Library Association (ALA) has just published a useful report: ‘Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report’.

You can download the report from http://www.acrl.ala.org/value/

SCONUL Top Concerns Survey 2010

With thanks to Chris West of Swansea University who organised it, SCONUL have announced the posting of the 2010 Top Concerns Survey on their website at
http://www.sconul.ac.uk/members/topconcerns/report2010.pdf

Challenges for academic libraries in difficult economic times

A new guide from the Research Information Network focuses on how academic librarians are experiencing and responding to financial cuts in the current economic climate.

Based upon data gathered in the UK and internationally, and focus groups with senior librarians during late 2009, the guide looks at the financial position of libraries, their strategies for dealing with challenging economic circumstances, and the value of libraries.

After a decade of growth in budgets and services, academic librarians now expect a sustained period of cuts over the next three to five years. The scale of these cuts means librarians are having to reconsider the kinds and levels of service they can provide in support of their universities missions.

This guide shows how librarians are responding to the issues of balancing expenditure between information resources and staffing and how they plan to sustain levels of service, as well as developing new services to meet new needs. It demonstrates that library directors need the support of senior managers across the higher education sector, as well as from publishers and other information providers, to help address the challenges, as well as the opportunities, faced.

The guide is available to download from this link  along with a short two-page briefing.