This paper presents the results of thirty-seven interviews of senior library leaders at American Association of University (AAU) institutions conducted in Spring 2023. The author replicated a 2016 study from "portal," revealing an increased focus on strategic plan-based decision-making along with new priorities of open scholarship and…

This article outlines some of the opportunities and challenges of changing what the library "brand" means to academic and professional services staff in the rapidly changing environment of UK higher education, taking the University of Leicester as a case study. It makes a practitioner contribution to the growing body of evidence of how…

In the future, what role will the academic research library play in achieving the mission of higher education? This essay describes seven strategies that academic research libraries can adopt to become future-present libraries--libraries that foster what Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown have called "a new culture of learning." Written…

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are online classroom content that can be reused, modified, and shared freely. The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) undertook a project to redesign its undergraduate curriculum using OERs in place of traditional textbooks. UMUC librarians have played a critical role in this project, helping to find…

The current "ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standard Review Task Force" presents information literacy practitioners with an engaging intellectual endeavor: how might these standards be revised, rethought, re-envisioned? Regardless of what the review yields, the process is an excellent opportunity for us to think broadly and…

Plagiarism is a vexing issue for Higher Education, affecting student transition, retention, and attainment. This article reports on two initiatives from the University of Bradford library aimed at reducing student plagiarism. The first initiative is an intensive course for students who have contravened plagiarism regulations. The second course…

The Authors@UF program series emerged to showcase the scholarship and creativity of faculty, creating an intellectual forum within the academic library, and providing informal, extra-curriculum, academic engagement between students and faculty outside the classroom. This article identifies steps to launch an author program, and considerations in…

Purposeful assessment of space for the understanding and improvement of the academic library is a relatively new area of inquiry. This essay offers a framework to consider different factors affecting such an assessment and insights for undertaking a meaningful inquiry about the relationship of space to an academic library's evolving purpose as…

As higher education confronts shortages in hungry times, will officials who previously viewed the library as a sacred cow think it's time for a barbecue? Don't light the charcoal yet. Interviews with chief academic officers and an online survey taken by over 130 leaders in academic affairs yield surprising results. It's no secret that academic…

The society relies on institutions of higher education to produce a literate workforce; one that is able to function in a dynamic, technological, information-overload environment. In support of this new thrust, most universities have incorporated the use of new media and ICTs in the teaching learning process resulting in a multi-modal approach…

Electronic communication technologies continue to change the landscape of reference services. For many users, virtual communication is the preferred means of conversing. Synchronous virtual reference, similar to other synchronous means of communication, is an important method for reaching students and for providing teaching and learning…

Causes for an expanded educational role for academic libraries are identified and discussed, and factors influencing change are described, including improving the ratio of professional to support staff, success of librarian/faculty interaction, and participation by librarians on university-wide committees, need for librarians to acquire new skills…

Examination of the downward trend of college and university enrollments and its possible effects on academic libraries notes that fewer undergraduates, fewer full-time students, and more graduate, part-time, and older students will affect clientele, services, and support. Other trends considered include fewer new academic librarians and the…

An article originally published in 1973 discusses the increasingly difficult role of the university library director and identifies factors contributing to the declining status of that position. Recommendations for ameliorating the problem are offered. The introduction discusses the applicability of the article to the current situation of…

Discusses the future of librarians, libraries, and library schools in the age of electronic information. Commentary includes the changing role of the librarian in information selection; organization and access in instruction; and suggestions for revitalizing library education and image improvement. (seven references) (KRN)