The Community College Academic and Student Support Ecosystems (CCASSE) project examines how academic and student support services at not-for-profit associate-degree granting colleges are organized, funded, and staffed, and how these services can most effectively advance student success. In spring 2019, Ithaka S+R surveyed 249 chief academic and…

In December 2013, the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) sponsored a workshop that explored the ways in which library and information technology services (LITS) organizations and academic institutions will need to evolve in the face of new challenges and opportunities. The workshop discussions, reflected in this paper, offer…

The purpose of this multi-case study was to describe how library deans and directors at large comprehensive community colleges strategically advocate for and support instructional and technological innovation despite the reality of limited resources and the stress caused by recurring funding crises in higher education. It further sought to examine…

This case explores various entrepreneurial initiatives introduced by Dr. Ron Dow, dean of libraries, at a private, research-extensive institution in the northeastern United States. The case serves as an example of how entrepreneurial ideas can be applied within educational contexts, specifically, the academic support context of the university…

With school budgets shrinking every year, tough decisions are made by those powers that be, and you very well may be the next RIF (reduction in force) waiting to happen. Sadly, those school librarians who have stopped learning, who have become stale in their role as librarian, or who feel the newer tools and ways of doing the job are not necessary…

This paper discusses the problems and difficulties faced by school libraries in the United Kingdom (UK), specifically England and Wales. These problems are lack of funding, lack of a central role in the curriculum, lack of a central role in the management structure, and inadequate staffing. Lack of library funding stems from overall under-funding…

Successful higher education institutions of the next century will be learning-centered; successful college libraries will become teaching libraries that equip students with lifelong learning skills; librarians of the future will be knowledge managers. Libraries must become user-centered, which will require a substantial initial investment that…

This paper examines the purpose and history of the school library in the United States, and specifically in California, and discusses concerns and issues that need to be addressed to ensure that school libraries have a place in the future. The paper concludes that excellent school librarians are essential in ensuring that all young people have…

Discussion of technological change, the growth of information sources, and shrinking higher education budgets focuses on the merger of the library and the computer center at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. The role of the library director, staffing issues, resource allocation, and vision of service are examined. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of teacher-librarians in Canadian schools focuses on "Partners in Action," a document of the Ontario Ministry of Education that addresses the role of the school library media program. School funding is discussed, and results of a survey of school libraries in Ontario are described. (LRW)

Suggests library media specialists have a responsibility to make educational funding laws work for their children and communities. Discusses the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act; NCLB and libraries, and online resources; Reading First Grants; "VISIONS 2020: Transforming Education and Training through Advanced Technologies" and "Technology in…

Discusses the need for school library media specialists to become more vocal advocates in the community for public education and funding, and provides resources that offer relevant information regarding the achievement of national education goals as well as advocacy resources. (LRW)

Discusses the role of the school media specialist in the budgeting aspects of site based management. The involvement of businesses in education is discussed, restructuring school systems through site-based management is described, and the economic recession and the resulting decline in money for education are considered. (19 references) (LRW)

Effective school library media centers are a cost-efficient way for schools to provide children with the sophisticated knowledge, research, and computer skills they will need for the growing demands of work and citizenship in the 21st century. The libraries' cultivation of literacy, research, and thinking skills is particularly crucial in…

Presents an overview of the 1995 Distance Education Research Symposium at Pennsylvania State University. Topics include research on policy and administration, including finances, faculty participation, and the socioeconomic impact; research on instruction, including the role and future of the library; research on course design; and learners and…