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Tough Choices for Academic Research Libraries
Academic research libraries face significant challenges due to pressures from evolving educational demands, financial constraints, and declining usage. Addressing these requires innovative thinking, collaboration, and a willingness to embrace failure as part of the transformation. The document emphasizes the need for libraries to balance traditional and new services while being responsive to the changing landscape of higher education.
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Tough Choices for Academic Research Libraries
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- 2. Challenge: What arethe 3 toughest choices academic research libraries face in support of teaching, research, and learning, and how would you address them?
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- 4. Universities are underenormous pressures from within and outside the academy to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.
- 5. These changes callinto question the value of higher education.
- 6. Our graduates facean uncertain future.
- 7. This has ledto calls for greater affordability, transparency, and accountability.
- 8. All of thisis happening while we witness the “unbundling of education.”
- 9. Get your content,credentialing, testing, and textbooks from the vendor(s) of your choice.
- 10. Remix & recombinein ways that are more affordable & customized to learners.
- 11. Technology change israpid, relentless, & unpredictable.
- 12. We are ona roller coaster of rising expectations while budgets have (at best) leveled off or declined.
- 13. Sometimes you justwant it all to stop...
- 14. This is thecontext within which academic research libraries operate.
- 15. Forces tugging onthe university, are exerting pressure upon libraries as well.
- 16. There is nosafe space to hide. This is the “new normal.”
- 17. The predictions aredire. Pundits & prognosticators tell us most institutions will not survive.
- 18. ? How do wesurvive in this time of rapid change? (Especially when we have full time jobs already.)
- 19. When there isno sun, we can see the evening stars. - Heraclitus
- 20. The fact thatyou may not see all aspects of your current situation, does not mean they don’t exist.
- 21. The sun representsthe traditional, the familiar. The stars represent less obvious aspects of our situation.
- 22. When we lookup at the night sky, perhaps new stars (or new opportunities) come into view.
- 23. What are wenot seeing in our current situation that may help us navigate this changing environment?
- 24. A word aboutthe sun: It’s warm & should be appreciated. We need both sun and night skies.
- 25. Let’s return toour intrepid diver who is considering taking the plunge. Fad
- 26. Perhaps she doubtingshe has what it takes. Or, she can’t swim. Or, the water is cold. Fad
- 27. Maybe no onewill notice if she just stands there for a while and then leaves... Fad
- 28. Probably this wholeswimming thing is a fad like MOOCs and digital humanities. Fad
- 29. But what ifit’s not? What if...
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- 32. Declining usage Unsustainable costs Viablealternatives
- 33. Declining usage Unsustainable costs Viablealternatives Demands for new services
- 34. Declining usage Unsustainable costs Viablealternatives Demands for new services What if all are indicators that we truly are in the midst of a major transition?
- 35. The good newsis that Penn is ahead of the game. You’ve taken a holistic, longer term view than peers.
- 36. But it’s stillgoing to be a challenge.
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- 40. 1997 1999 2005 How will youdetermine into which technologies 2010 2008 to invest limited time & resources? 2011 2012 2013
- 41. What services willyou provide? Services?
- 42. Pew Internet andAmerican Life Project, Jan. 2013 Library Services in the Digital Age 80% Borrowing books is very important 80% Reference librarians are very important 77% Free access to computers/internet is very important
- 43. Pew Internet andAmerican Life Project, Jan. 2013 Library Services in the Digital Age 69% Tech “petting zoos” - likely to use 62% Redbox-like kiosks - likely to use 62% GPS in buildings - likely to use
- 44. The scale ofchange confronting research libraries is unprecedented, and successfully responding will require disruptive thinking and novel solutions. -- Rick Luce, No Brief Candle
- 45. How will youbalance traditional & new services?
- 46. Who will helpyou lead & manage the transition?
- 47. How do youthink differently when you have years of experience thinking in a particular way?
- 48. It can bedaunting.
- 49. Thought Let’s do athought experiment. experiment
- 50. Thought Imagine that allof the conditions are perfect. experiment
- 51. Thought You’ve decided upona new service to roll-out. experiment
- 52. Thought The team ison-board. The technology choice is made. experiment
- 53. You decide tojump!
- 54. And you fail.Utterly & completely.
- 55. It’s ok. Comeup for air. Learn from it.
- 56. Building the futureis too important to fear a little failure.
- 57. How can weapproach these challenges?
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- 61. Agency Values Intention This is thepoint from which we can act to make tough choices.
- 62. Try & assessas you go • Focus pilots on learning & do assessments • Agile approach: quick, iterative, responsive • Collect & publish data • Stories of real people Focus on learnin g
- 63. Try & assessas you go • Focus pilots on learning & do assessments • Agile approach: quick, iterative, responsive • Collect & publish data • Stories of real people Dashboards Videos Focus on learnin g
- 64. Make friends • Collaborate •Look up & cross institutional boundaries • Expand & leverage your network Radica l collab s
- 65. Make friends • Collaborate •Look up & cross institutional boundaries • Expand & leverage your network MOOC Research Streaming VIPs Radica l collab s
- 66. Communicate • Ask &listen • Publish your work & findings • Be open & transparent Ask + li sten
- 67. Communicate • Ask &listen • Publish your work & findings • Be open & transparent Blog Login page Ask + li sten
- 68. If we canimagine it, we can create it.
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