This book presents and appraises seven college and university libraries designed by Perry Dean Rogers & Partners of Boston. The firm has been designing campus libraries for the past 30 years. These projects are the most recent in an oeuvre of some 29 libraries designed and constructed for some 27 colleges and universities around the country. The…

This paper first argues that the World Wide Web at its best, has been able only to imitate the resources and services of an exemplary research library. It then goes on to examine how academic research libraries can take advantage of their brand identity as market leaders in the information business. The basic concept of brands and branding…

This paper discusses the establishment of a research service in the Norwegian parliament. The first section presents some general assumptions regarding a research service in parliament. The second section describes the first initiative, a mandate in the 1970s to establish a commission to clarify the need for such a service. The third section…

Womens' studies librarians' view that women should be represented at the center of library collections and services generates conflict in the United States academic library. An examination of the development of a women's studies research library in the Rutgers University Libraries System between 1970 and the mid-1990s reveals the bibliographic and…

To meet user needs, the founders of a digital research library (DRL) must establish the repository of electronic scholarly materials and implement tools to use it; organizational, fiscal, and institutional commitments must be made. The establishment of DRLs is directly related to the changes taking place in the library profession. (Author/AEF)

Describes the framework in which the research library at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) reengineered its technical services operations. Focuses on the activities of the "Before Team" in evaluating, measuring, and redesigning the work processes that occur before the library receives an item. Discusses the results. (Author/AEF)

Identifies attributes that directors of the academic libraries in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) need. Present-day directors must possess a wide variety of attributes and are less likely to remain in the same position for as long as their predecessors did. With the aging population of academic librarians, matching the right individual…

Over the last decade, an increasing number of academic institutions have built satellite campuses and developed online courses to meet the needs of distance learners. As these academic institutions have expanded, demand for library service has increased significantly. In an attempt to expand its course offerings to distance learners, Regent…

The American Council of Learned Societies and the Council on Library and Information Resources appointed 36 scholars, librarians, and leaders of various academic enterprises to five task forces "to consider changes in the process of scholarship and instruction that will result from the use of digital technology and to make recommendations to…

Research libraries are taking on a range of new roles in the digital age as they become more deeply engaged in the creation and dissemination of knowledge. While some of these roles are extensions of traditional library activity, others are large new. This book explores some of these emerging functions, and includes several examples of how more…

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…

The program of the 128th meeting of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is designed around the notion of examining rapid changes taking place in individual institutions and becoming agile enough to adapt, to manage change, and to learn how to effectively lead libraries through these turbulent periods. The program is divided into three main…

Views academic libraries through the lens of the assessment and accountability movements. Illustrates how a research library at the University of Rochester (Rochester, New York) has created an assessment environment in an effort to focus on educational impact. Discusses principles of good practice, and formal and informal evaluation. (AEF)

Describes the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) advisory committees in terms of research, public, college and university, and special libraries. All four of the type-of-library advisory groups work to shape OCLC policies and programs, according to the particular needs of each group. OCLC's financial and programmatic success depends upon…

Integrating science and technology libraries into a single unit involves identifying what is unique about each, addressing user and staff concerns, establishing new communications patterns, encouraging staff participation in the change process, and redirecting identity and loyalties to the larger entity. Progress-to-date is described in…