Libraries transforming into information conduits

Everywhere you turn these days traditional colleges and universities seem to face existential threats and are undergoing enormous change; with families worried about student debt and job prospects, state and federal governments withdrawing financial support, and the rise of Massively Open Online Courses (MOOC’s) challenging the whole notion of the brick-and-mortar college. College libraries are not immune to these pressures either.

College libraries have lost the virtual monopoly they had over campus access to scholarly information in the print environment. Fifty years ago, if a student wanted to read an academic journal or a book published by a university press they had to visit their college library, unless they could borrow the item from a professor, or buy a copy. This is no longer the case. The college library is just one information resource amongst many, most famously these days – the Internet and all the openly available information on the Web.

College libraries quite rightly focus on serving their students and faculty, and the public library – which is facing its own set of challenges – should be the first stop for research help. But college libraries usually offer access to the general public as well (just call or visit their website to find out) and they can be a great source for in-depth research information for high school students and the general public.

Ironically, however, this has not made the library obsolete, but even more relevant. First, let’s put aside the idea that students and professors can access anything they need online. Just try doing a good job of any significant academic research project and you will quickly find that in all likelihood everything is not online. You will probably have to use a mixture of print and online resources. Of the online resources you do need, a large proportion will have been made available (whether you realize it or not) through the good offices of your college library, and for those that have not been carefully and expensively organized by your library (and frankly for some that have been as well) you will find various technical, organizational, and intellectual barriers to access that a librarian can help you overcome.

We are an important node in a complex and dynamic information environment for students and faculty, collecting, organizing and preserving information resources in multiple formats. We are also important and valued guides for students and faculty (in and outside the library building) as they negotiate that changing information environment. Finally, our buildings have been transformed from the traditional “box of books” to vibrant spaces on campus for community, collaboration, and quiet study in which students and faculty find comfortable and attractive spaces in which to work alone and with others, find expert information assistance, and use a diverse array of technologies that enable them to excel in their education and research.

So, no, not obsolete, but like the institutions we serve our role in our colleges is changing, and I for one am excited to play my part in this transformation.

Jonathan Miller is the library director at Rollins College.