The future of academic libraries information services
DANIEL GREENSTEIN, VICE PROVOST, ACADEMIC PLANNING AND PROGRAMS,
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIAJULY 19 , 2010
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
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.
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…
Florida’s story is impressive – more degree production / participation, less
funding
Enrollment growth…
0.00
50,000.00
100,000.00
150,000.00
200,000.00
250,000.00
300,000.00
350,000.00
98/9
08/0903/04
09/10
...has driven revenues
1998
/99
2003
/04
2008
/09
2009
/10
$0.00
$500,000,000.00
$1,000,000,000.00
$1,500,000,000.00
$2,000,000,000.00
$2,500,000,000.00
$3,000,000,000.00
$3,500,000,000.00
But per capita funding has declined
1998/99
2003/04
2008/09
2009/10
$8,800.00
$9,000.00
$9,200.00
$9,400.00
$9,600.00
$9,800.00
$10,000.00
Forcing the system to do more with less with predictable results
time to degreegreater integration of
distance learningfaculty salaries?
In the libraries…. revenues have followed student numbers upwards
1998
/99
2003
/04
2008
/09
2009
/10
$0.00
$5,000,000.00
$10,000,000.00
$15,000,000.00
$20,000,000.00
$25,000,000.00
$30,000,000.00
$35,000,000.00
$40,000,000.00
$45,000,000.00
$50,000,000.00
…but declined as proportion of state appropriation and fee revenues
1998/99
2003/04
2008/09
2009/10
$8,800.00
$9,000.00
$9,200.00
$9,400.00
$9,600.00
$9,800.00
$10,000.00
…forcing per student expenditure down
1998/99
2003/04
2008/09
2009/10
$0.00
$20.00
$40.00
$60.00
$80.00
$100.00
$120.00
$140.00
$160.00
$180.00
And this in an era of continued increases in
the cost of library materials (__%)utilities (__%) staff salaries (__%)employer health benefit contributions (__%)
and…
…user expectations (or is it library aspirations)
after more and more e-resourcesintegrating resource discovery servicessurfacing more rare and special collectionsretrospective digitizationinstitutional repositorieselectronic theses and dissertations curated born-digital collectionsand digital preservation
and next generation digital library services
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
for packaging and localization...
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
Some grand challenges to illustrate direction
Challenge 1. Rationally manage print collections
Combine these profiles of book production…
and library holdings…
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
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
Challenge 2. Treat open access as acquisitions
Given the rising cost of journal subscriptions…
http://www.sennoma.net/main/archives/2009/04/scholarly_journals_vs_total_se.php
…and apparent appetite for title growth
Serials – Vol.16, no.2, July 2003 Michael Mabe The growth and number of journals
…chasing journal subscriptions skywards is
insane
especially while supporting open-access collections
…of various dimension
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
Challenge 3. Build special collections strategically
While collecting the general uniquely, collect the unique, generally
…with a less parochial view of collections contents
One that is agnostic…
…to composition
…format and source
Imagine a “special collection”…
…that supports and reflects a new discipline of local strategic importance
fostering publications (traditional)…
…and open access
Focusing on science as well as humanities disciplines
…potentially beginning with significant heritage collection
and helping define an institution’s distinctiveness and research strength
WARNING: THESE ARE LESS CHOATE THOUGHTS…
Challenge 4. Integrate shared services across information domains
...about educational materials which are currently evolving in e-learning
services…
in libraries…
and in the cloud
I can’t help think we are missing an opportunity for a coordinated approach
course name/ sequence # students course name / sequence) students
Calculus 1-3 48876 US history 1-3 6129
General Chemistry 1-3 38131American Government & Politics
5321
Physics 1-3 37854 Accounting I 4994
Freshman composition 1-2 31583 Introductory Astronomy 4603
Biology 1-3 29084 International Relations 3762Other math (precalculus, linear algebra . . .)
24236 Linguistics 3749
Macro and micro economics 20651 Comparative Politics 3560
Introductory Psychology 17091 Oceanography 3512Statistics 15447 Myths 3487Organic Chemistry 1-2 13472 Ethics 3466Spanish 1-4 12268 Introductory Philosophy 3355
World history 1-3 and survey 9503 Introduction to Business 3274
Cultural Anthropology 9224 Logic 2776
Introductory Sociology 8556Linear Algebra & Differential Equations
2455
Western Civilization 1-3 7776Nutrition 7433 TOTALS 392326Writing 6698
46
Data is an opportunity to build expensive redundant
infrastructure
So is virtual help – naturally crossing institutional not departmental
boundaries
Challenge 5. Consolidate library space and administration?
Or is that a bridge too far
These challenges represent a massively heavy lift, but they would
leverage exceptional (world-class) infrastructure in order to
eliminate redundant effortsave cost without encroaching on serviceand if done properly, return real value to
universities and colleges whose investment would be at once essential to sustain and focus the effort
And would free up resources for use where needed most
Key challenges
Communicating the benefits Leadership and a first mover problem (kick-
starting an economy for shared service will require intervention at the VC level)
Scope creep – driven by the possibilities in the online information space, and the needs of the few
Threat to local autonomy Threat to the local academic library and
academic librarian
But if one is looking at permanent budget reductions, enrollment growth
or both
…than an orderly advance
beats a disorderly one
And will ensure faculty, students, and staff
have persistent access to the information they need
for research learning and teaching
In the future, the academic library…
is fundamentally changed…
in order that it may remain the same