The future of academic libraries information services

1. The future of academic libraries information services Daniel Greenstein, Vice Provost, Academic Planning and Programs, University of California July 19, 2010

2. Ask, from an institutional perspective …about the investments institutions will (or will not) make in their academic information services (of which libraries form only a part) • in transformational times • when funding is scarce, • not evenly distributed across higher education segments (or organizational information silos) and • focused appropriately on academic departments

3. The university or college is the unit of analysis here because… they are the vehicles through which investment will flow (or be redirected) into academic information services… …often as a result of often very difficult budget trade-off decisions which pit those services against the departments of Chemistry, Philosophy, and Law.

4. So I am not asking… what can be done in/for libraries… but what information services the institution requires to achieve its strategic objectives But first a word about transformational times…

5. Florida’s story is impressive – more degree production / participation, less funding

6. Enrollment growth…

7. ...has driven revenues

8. But per capita funding has declined

9. Forcing the system to do more with less with predictable results • time to degree • greater integration of distance learning • faculty salaries?

10. In the libraries…. revenues have followed student numbers upwards

11. …but declined as proportion of state appropriation and fee revenues

12. …forcing per student expenditure down

13. And this in an era of continued increases in • the cost of library materials (__%) • utilities (__%) • staff salaries (__%) • employer health benefit contributions (__%) and…

14. …user expectations (or is it library aspirations) • after more and more e-resources • integrating resource discovery services • surfacing more rare and special collections • retrospective digitization • institutional repositories • electronic theses and dissertations • curated born-digital collections • and digital preservation and next generation digital library services

15. The response has centralized investment in services libraries need (FCLA, CCLA)… but cannot afford so well acting independently This has enhanced local library service at lower cost without encroaching on autonomy, prerogative or strategic direction In effect, it has seeded the cloud(s) from which library services are increasingly drawn

16. for packaging and localization...

17. In the future… • the clouds will get bigger; the libraries smaller • shared services will achieve even greater scale and reach • distinctions between libraries & information services (on campuses and in clouds) will get more blurred Unless we witness a seismic shift in higher education public policy, in educational standards, or both But the same case can/should be made in terms of service quality, not budget

18. Some grand challenges to illustrate direction

19. Challenge 1. Rationally manage print collections

20. Combine these profiles of book production…

21. and library holdings…

22. with market tendencies to • mass digitization [of the legacy] • e-book formats [for current or in-print] and multiple distribution mechanisms for digital source files …redundant management of print materials is insane

23. To stop the insanity • secure digital and print in scaled regional repositories • integrate resource discovery services and • aggressively exploit new delivery options Nothing either new or rocket science

24. Challenge 2. Treat open access as acquisitions

25. Given the rising cost of journal subscriptions… http://www.sennoma.net/main/archives/2009/04/scholarly_journals_vs_total_se.php

26. …and apparent appetite for title growth Serials – Vol.16, no.2, July 2003 Michael Mabe The growth and number of journals

27. …chasing journal subscriptions skywards is insane

28. especially while supporting open-access collections

29. …of various dimension

30. Optimize open access investment by • supporting them as part of library collections strategies and budgets • forcing realistic budget trade-off decisions • and weaning us off dependence on unsustainably priced content and/or our penchant for managing two systems side by side

31. Challenge 3. Build special collections strategically

32. While collecting the general uniquely, collect the unique, generally …with a less parochial view of collections contents One that is agnostic…

33. …to composition

34. …format and source

35. Imagine a “special collection”…

36. …that supports and reflects a new discipline of local strategic importance

37. fostering publications (traditional)…

38. …and open access

39. Focusing on science as well as humanities disciplines

40. …potentially beginning with significant heritage collection

41. and helping define an institution’s distinctiveness and research strength

42. Challenge 4. Integrate shared services across information domains Warning: these are less choate thoughts…

43. ...about educational materials which are currently evolving in e-learning services…

44. in libraries…

45. and in the cloud

46. I can’t help think we are missing an opportunity for a coordinated approach

47. Data is an opportunity to build expensive redundant infrastructure

50. So is virtual help – naturally crossing institutional not departmental boundaries