Academic and research libraries are undergoing a profound transformation, shaped by technological advancements, shifting societal dynamics, and evolving institutional priorities. This essay examines how these forces are driving libraries to evolve into specialized and distinct models, shaping their future and drawing parallels to the Cambrian…

In this chapter, we explore the organizational units, projects, and support that exist for digital literacy within the Vanderbilt University Library system. We frame the chapter chronologically, starting with the efforts of the past, then moving toward the present efforts, and concluding with where future efforts are going.

In early 2021, the Schusterman Library at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa satellite campus took a new step towards building a culture of interest by creating the Graphic Scholarship Collection. This new endeavor is a curated collection of graphic novels, primarily non-fiction, aligned with the academic programs on campus, as well as promoting…

This case study looks at the work to develop initiatives to diversify Warwick University Library's collections, spaces and services, carried out in conjunction with our key student partners, Warwick's Library Associates. It explores the origins of the voluntary Library Associates scheme, with an emphasis on working in true partnership with…

This article explores the challenges, complexities, and contradictions of promising complete inclusiveness for all students and advocates for academic libraries to pursue student belonging. A sense of belonging is not only memorable for the student but impactful, as it results in closer social connections and higher rates of persistence. While an…

This article provides an account of the making of KBLab, the data lab at the National Library of Sweden (KB). The first part discusses the work involved in establishing a lab as both a physical and a digital site for researchers to use digital collections at previously unimaginable scales. The second part explains how the lab has deployed the…

Evidence synthesis (ES) has emerged as a key research method within the social and behavioral sciences. Academic librarians, as experts on information search and retrieval, are often highly valued contributors to faculty ES projects. While many libraries have formed team-based ES services to support researchers, and have discussed insights from…

Commissioned by the Coalition for Networked Information, this report examines the role of research universities in addressing complex societal challenges. It focuses on climate change, which is best characterized as a "wicked" problem. Such problems are difficult to define and lack clear solutions in part because they involve multiple…

Multimedia information fusion technology is currently a popular technology for data processing. The advanced productivity it brings is dozens of times that of traditional data information processing. The collected and processed information is not only efficient and accurate, but also has strong scalability. With the continuous development of…

For the last decade or more, circulation numbers of physical materials have declined in academic libraries across the United States. In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered society and daily life, not to mention library functions. In particular, fears of contagion via physical surfaces and transmission by contact led many…

Academic libraries have long been called the heart of their campuses. As priorities have shifted away from print collections and other repository services, college libraries have expanded their services to be welcoming spaces that support students' sense of belonging and meet a wide range of needs. This is perhaps especially true of community…

Librarians play a pivotal role in bridging gaps and fostering learning across diverse global networks of campuses and learners. At Northeastern University's library, the Global Campus and Online Learning Unit (Online Learning, for short) supports the 16 (and growing) global campuses. The Online Learning unit has crafted an intermediary liaison…

Libraries are increasingly adopting information and communication technologies to enhance their services. To ensure all libraries can benefit, regardless of budget, this study highlights gLabel, a freely available open-source tool for barcode label development. The purpose of this paper is to promote gLabel for low-budget libraries by exploring…

As institutions of higher education further develop their learning analytics efforts, academic library practitioners are called upon to participate in these efforts and have opportunities to shape their campus strategies. Nonetheless, library practitioners may not be prepared with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to engage with campus…

In this article, the author examines how libraries have evolved and argues that they have not fundamentally changed. While the library spaces that students work in have changed, the lessons being learned fundamentally have not. Students still learn to find source materials, research, write, construct projects, create reference lists, and complete…