Academic libraries are experiencing drastic changes due to unprecedented advancements in technology. This advancement has caused changes in users' information-seeking behavior, increased information competitors, and easy access and availability to free information on the internet. It is unfortunate that all this is happening amidst the dwindling…

This study examines the future of libraries in Nigeria during the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), when advanced technologies will change the way people live and work. It explores the outlook from the perspective of six academic librarians drawn from the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The survey findings reveal that the Fourth Industrial…

This document analysis examined the academic library and the changing role of the academic librarian in higher education. A comparison of the trends and issues reported by prominent librarians in the 20th century was made to those reported in the 21st century. Emphasis was placed on the following decades: 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s in the 20th…

Approximately five years ago, the library at Emporia State University started a laptop lending service to provide laptops for use in the library. The program has been highly successful. In the last few years, some modifications were made to the program, and netbooks were added. In this article, the authors will explore laptop programs in a variety…

This report is a sequel to the 2005 "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources." This new report provides updated information and new insights into information consumers and their online habits, preferences, and perceptions. Particular attention was paid to how the current economic downturn has affected the information-seeking behaviors…

Not since the age of Gutenberg has an information upheaval so thoroughly disrupted the processes of scholarly knowledge creation, management and preservation as the digital revolution currently under way. Academic libraries have traditionally been structured to effectively facilitate the access, use and storage of mostly static, print-based…

An American delegation assesses how children are faring as libraries in China adapt to the contradictions of a socialist market economy. Discussion includes examples of public-, academic-, and school-library programs, librarian attitudes, technology, and future changes. (AEF)

Three major topics are discussed in this essay conveying a vision of what the university library should be like in the twenty-first century: (1) librarianship as a scholarly discipline; (2) politics and the university library; and (3) the library as an active agent in the life of a university. (EJS)

Addresses the importance of planning for integration of information-processing technology--particularly microcomputer software and hardware--into higher education in general and academic libraries specifically, and enumerates specific skills that academic librarians have developed which could enhance the library's role as the campus center for…

Describes the development of satellite television and information access in Australia, principally within Australian higher education institutions. Client groups and basic technologies are overviewed as well as the role of the library in the provision of satellite services. (Six references) (Author/CLB)

Offers a perspective on changes that have occurred in academic reference librarianship since 1980. Topics include librarians' responsibilities; the changing uses of reference services by students and faculty; technological advancements; the organization of libraries, including management styles and theories; roles of libraries and librarians; and…

The purpose of this book is to identify some of the trends being confronted as information technology becomes more pervasive in university libraries and campus agencies. The seven papers in this volume address issues and concerns that the transformation will raise while campus administrators, faculty members, and others work to find ways to move…

Discussion among teams of administrators from eight major universities concluded that new opportunities exist for the publication, acquisition, and distribution of knowledge; libraries can add to their traditional resources and services by utilizing new technology; and librarians will need to add new skills to ensure important roles in the future.…

Argues that the traditional division of public and technical services in academic libraries and the corresponding designation of librarians according to function are being challenged by technological change and budget restraints. It is suggested that new systems of collegial management and subject specialization may be the wave of the future.…

Over the past 10 years, many changes have affected the roles of librarians and other professionals in research libraries. The changes have been caused, in part, by technological advances, reorganizations, more focus on libraries as learning organizations, the use of teams and team-based approaches to tasks, and a recognition of diversity's…