A few months ago, the largest school district in Texas announced plans to close twenty-eight elementary and middle school libraries, claiming it was part of an effort to combat low test scores and discipline problems. Unfortunately, this troubling trend seems to be spreading. According to the author, multiple studies have shown that effective…

This case study details how a community college library, in response to rising textbook costs and COVID-related closures, advocated for and received an increase in funding to provide online copies of many textbooks in its reserve collection. It also provides a glimpse into the roadblocks acquisitions librarians might encounter in trying to bolster…

The South African Higher Education Institution (HEI) sector had to move to 'emergency' online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they embraced a humanistic approach underpinned by the need to complete the academic year in 2020 and support all students. Because this emergency online learning accelerated the digital shift, evidence of…

Access Service Departments are dynamic units that often thrive in an ever changing environment. This became more apparent as libraries across the world faced the outbreak of COVID-19. The Access Services Department of one mid-sized academic library was one of a handful of libraries in the state that remained open to serve patrons on campus. This…

In Fall 2014 the University of Maryland Libraries launched a textbook reserves program to help relieve the burden of high textbook costs on students. Although its initial performance was lackluster, workflow refinements and expanded promotion greatly improved usage, resulting in a tenfold increase in circulation and expansion of the program. This…

With journal price increases continuing to outpace inflation and library collection funds remaining stagnant or shrinking, libraries are seeking innovative ways to control spending while continuing to provide patrons with high-quality content. The Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library reports on the evaluation, implementation, and use of…

One of the most important issues for world libraries at the present time is to extend copyright limitations and exceptions for reproduction, for library preservation and distribution services including lending and ILL/DDS, the printout and transmission of Internet information resources, copying of library materials which are rarely available…

Academic institutions have long supported stand-alone branch libraries devoted to fine arts, architecture, and other allied fields. As subject specific collecting on campuses has been decentralized by collaborative collection development, consortial borrowing, and the quick availability of materials in both digital and print formats, the need for…

In the age of self-checkout machines and entire television networks devoted to do-it-yourself home improvement projects, the DIY ethic seems to be around to stay. The desire to be self-sufficient and use one's time more efficiently is hard to pass up, especially for busy academic librarians. This column is devoted to resources that not only…

The rise of game development and game studies on university campuses prompts academic libraries to consider how to support teaching and research in this area. This article examines current issues and challenges in the development of game collections at academic libraries. The gaming ecosystem has become more complex and libraries may need to move…

Today's electronic information landscape is growing exponentially with no signs of slowing. This poses a significant challenge for academic libraries. Librarians must continually learn and adapt to harness this explosion of resources. To fulfill their claim as the leaders in the information field they must be effective in providing access and…

The existence of a ubiquitous and cheap worldwide communications network that increasingly makes documents easily and freely available will require a transformation of academic library collecting practice. It will be driven by a number of specific developments including: the digitization of content; the development of print repositories; the…

The school library profession has gone through an evolution since its inception in the early 1900s. School librarians hold strong to unwavering core principles that remain true throughout time. Students today are tech-savvy consumers of information. With smartphones and tablets galore at their fingertips, they have access to all the knowledge of…

This article argues that accessibility and universality are essential to good Web design. A brief review of library science literature sets the issue of Web accessibility in context. The bulk of the article explains the design philosophies of progressive enhancement and responsive Web design, and summarizes recent updates to WCAG 2.0, HTML5, CSS…

As academic librarians' professional and personal lives become busier and more varied, the need for tools to assist with accomplishing a myriad of tasks in a short time becomes even more necessary. Due to its ability to provide anytime and anywhere access to information, mobile technology offers a number of advantages for staying connected and…