Fred Heath, from the University of Texas libraries, reviews the challenges facing university libraries brought about by “disruptive technologies” - digital information resources and web-based discovery tools.
The article paints a broad picture of a crisis in the higher education sector within the United States. The author posits that the perception of a university education has changed from one of public good to one of a private good. This change in perception has adversely affected levels of government funding as the population questions the levels of funding flowing to universities. In addition, the Global Financial Crisis and ensuing recession in the US have reduced the amount of money flowing to the universities in the form of endowments.
The author, belonging as he does to one of the older, pre-eminent universities in the United States does not discuss the explosion in growth of new education providers, which indicate a burgeoning education field, and the amount of money associated with it. In addition, he does not consider the corollary to these changes– that as information is more and more available, even of very questionable quality, the value of information has been downgraded in public perception.
Some commentators have painted a pessimistic picture for universities in the face of change – Heath quotes Duderstadt (2002) in surmising that every aspect of academic life will change, and that some functions will be replaced by changing technology. (p.523). The article further refers to Louis Rossetto, the editor of Wired, a magazine biased in favour of technological change, who predicted a nirvana of knowledge and information, one in which all had access to information and the ability to publish. This world was predicted as needing no gatekeepers or navigators, all who were interested in debate could contribute.
In an environment of disruptive technologies, changes to perception and to funding, Mr Heath outlines the steps that the libraries at the University of Texas have taken to ensure they meet the challenge.
The article posits that the core role of libraries and librarians is : ”facilitating critical inquiry on the part of our university community.” (p.531), and throughout the article the author makes reference to the student body and faculty – the customer. This focus, although not stated so baldly, is the driver, the raison d’etre, of the library, at a time when the library has to demonstrate its worth.
There are five areas in which the University of Texas Libraries have focussed in order to meet the challenges.
Firstly the important function of teaching the undergraduates the skills to search, discover, evaluate, critique and test ideas was addressed. The university formed a School of Undergraduate Studies, and the library took the opportunity to work with the School to develop “baseline information literacy skills in all”. The integration of an information literacy program within the School of Undergraduate Studies allows the library to partner more closely with faculty, and elevates information literacy to a recognised learning outcome, with the library central to that process. This practical, and politically savvy, change allows the library to become a more visible contributor to student learning.
The libraries have also moved beyond the somewhat static, gatekeeper mode – librarians are no longer “the epicentre of the information universe.” (p.527). The author reports a significant drop in the number of reference inquiries as students prefer to find and evaluate information themselves. This trend is echoed by Hillier and Kyrillidou (2008) who found a drop of around one third in the number of personal reference enquiries at the University of Washington. Librarians at the University of Texas have abandoned their posts at the reference desk and now concentrate on building reliable, easy-to-use navigation systems so students can discover information. In this way librarians are providing the infrastructure and tools required to facilitate critical enquiry. Additional factors that Heath does not mention are that students and faculty expect access at all times – so if the library building is not open, the resources are still available. In addition, the changed emphasis of staff from gatekeepers to virtual guides allows staff to develop the skills needed for the new information environment.
The third step the libraries have taken is to change the use of the physical libraries. Previously an important use for the libraries was for storage of library items. At the University of Texas this purpose has changed – libraries are now primarily places to meet and exchange ideas; Heath uses the term ‘agora’, a Greek word referring to a meeting and a market place –reflecting the dynamic, conversational, collaborative places of exchange that libraries have become.
Little used physical stock has been moved to remote storage; partnering with Texas A&M University to share a storage facility has enabled cost savings while allowing the physical spaces to be better utilised by the student body.
While Heath does not mention this, the ability to efficiently store and retrieve library materials is facilitated by ‘disruptive technologies’ associated with logistics and warehousing, such as RFID and warehousing management systems.
Heath believes that a first class research library must do two things – to provide all the specialised information to faculty found in other pre-eminent universities around the world; and to make significant contributions to scholarship in particular areas, by identifying, preserving and making resources available. So the resources available must be complete – and mirror major collections nationally and internationally. In addition, they need to have points of difference – and he points to the major contribution to scholarship made by unique collections developed by the University of Texas. These ambitions have to be managed within an environment of increasing budget pressure and changed information provision. Although Heath does not state it explicitly, purchasing has changed radically for libraries – where previously there was acquisition of physical items, there is now contractual agreements to ensure access to the resources required by the university. So, staff at the University of Texas have developed skills at managing the budget through negotiation with vendors. These negotiations have similarly been affected by disruptive technologies - no longer do libraries just acquire physical resources – they now negotiate a lease or contract for the use of virtual resources – a much different and more dynamic model of enabling access to resources than previously.
The University of Texas has also facilitated enquiry beyond the confines of the library by embedding discovery tools in the interface – for example, an easy link to Google Scholar.
The University has also pooled resources with other universities within Texas – so dissertations from the Universities of Texas are available via federated search to all members of the State’s universities.
The University has a commitment to preserves and make available information on human rights abuses – so has taken on a curatorial role in recording human rights abuses. Disruptive technologies allow the University to locate, harvest and preserve this information.
Heath outlines the techniques the University of Texas libraries have adopted in the face of massive changes – mainly brought about by the disruptive technologies. The focus he maintains is to ensure the libraries fulfil their obligations to help students develop the skills to discover and analyse; and to help faculty to utilise the whole world of information available to them.
The methods used have focussed on the user, on partnering, both within the university and also with other universities – as a way of providing services in a more relevant, cost effective way. Staff has been asked to change and adapt to this dynamic and changing environment. He ends on an optimistic note pointing to the strengths of the profession, and the opportunities presented in a “vastly expanded and increasingly unfamiliar information universe.” (p.531)
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