Academic libraries are experiencing drastic changes due to unprecedented advancements in technology. This advancement has caused changes in users' information-seeking behavior, increased information competitors, and easy access and availability to free information on the internet. It is unfortunate that all this is happening amidst the dwindling…

Nearly all academic librarians agree that academic libraries have to change in order to respond successfully to the new realities of the higher education environment, rapidly developing information and telecommunications technologies, and the crisis in scholarly communications. But there is little agreement on what must change, how the changes…

The authors compared Web usability definitions, collected from library professionals at academic institutions of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) through online surveys in 2007 and 2012, to determine whether library practitioners' perspectives had altered as information technologies evolved during this time. The authors applied three…

This report is a sequel to the 2005 "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources." This new report provides updated information and new insights into information consumers and their online habits, preferences, and perceptions. Particular attention was paid to how the current economic downturn has affected the information-seeking behaviors…

Discusses the uses of micrographics in higher education, based on a 25-year period at Wake Forest University's (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) Library. Discusses acquisition of scholarly collections in microform on a subscription plan; the trend away from microopaques to microfiche and the advent of the reader-printer; improved access to microform…

Over the past 20 years, academic collection development specialists have dealt with changes, brought about by decreasing purchasing power and the growing importance of electronic resources. Throughout, collection managers have rethought their efforts and revised criteria for selection of materials in new formats while maintaining traditional…

The purpose of this book is to identify some of the trends being confronted as information technology becomes more pervasive in university libraries and campus agencies. The seven papers in this volume address issues and concerns that the transformation will raise while campus administrators, faculty members, and others work to find ways to move…

Over the past 10 years, many changes have affected the roles of librarians and other professionals in research libraries. The changes have been caused, in part, by technological advances, reorganizations, more focus on libraries as learning organizations, the use of teams and team-based approaches to tasks, and a recognition of diversity's…

This clinic's goal was to address questions arising during the process of transition from theory and research development to deployed useful and usable (and used) digital library systems. The idea was to use the Digital Libraries Initiative (DLI) based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and entering its final year, as a detailed…

Advances in information technology are forcing librarians and administrators to reinvent scholarly information exchange. The old question of what constitutes a research collection remains, but is transferred to a new medium. This is an opportunity to take advantage of the new possibilities and to correct some previous mistakes in collection…

Examines the collective agreements of Canadian public and academic libraries to determine the nature and frequency of technological change clauses. Findings indicate that overall, Canadian librarians have not been able to use the collective bargaining process as a means to claim a proactive voice in the introduction and integration of technology…

The 129th meeting of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) focused on anticipating the future of higher education in North America and identifying responses from research libraries that will contribute to emerging agendas for change. An opening session (convened by Nancy Cline, ARL Presiding President) began the meeting. The first session,…

Current library automation practices and new technologies have forced library managers to seek some means of reducing carpal tunnel syndrome, and a case study of Texas A&M's library provides insights. Highlights include identifying and assessing the injuries, adjusting work surfaces, testing and selecting new keyboards, and developing…

Reviews change strategies implemented by Harvard College Library (Massachusetts) in response to environmental changes and increased technological developments. The library increased productivity and innovation, and improved the work environment through staff and organizational development. (JMV)

This paper traces the roots of higher education from Ancient Greece to the first universities in European countries where the idea of upper education became centered on the interactive dialogue between a teacher and student. The report discusses the role of the university library today in an age of ever-developing technologies and ever-increasing…