The future of academic libraries information services

DANIEL GREENSTEIN, VICE PROVOST, ACADEMIC PLANNING AND PROGRAMS,

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIAJULY 19 , 2010

Ask, from an institutional perspective

…about the investments institutions will (or will not) make in their academic information services (of which libraries form only a part)

in transformational times when funding is scarce,not evenly distributed across higher

education segments (or organizational information silos) and

focused appropriately on academic departments

The university or college is the unit of analysis here because…

they are the vehicles through which investment will flow (or be redirected) into academic information services…

…often as a result of often very difficult budget trade-off decisions which pit those services against the departments of Chemistry, Philosophy, and Law.

So I am not asking…

what can be done in/for libraries…

but what information services the institution requires to achieve its strategic objectives

But first a word about transformational times…

Florida’s story is impressive – more degree production / participation, less

funding

Enrollment growth…

0.00

50,000.00

100,000.00

150,000.00

200,000.00

250,000.00

300,000.00

350,000.00

98/9

08/0903/04

09/10

...has driven revenues

1998

/99

2003

/04

2008

/09

2009

/10

$0.00

$500,000,000.00

$1,000,000,000.00

$1,500,000,000.00

$2,000,000,000.00

$2,500,000,000.00

$3,000,000,000.00

$3,500,000,000.00

But per capita funding has declined

1998/99

2003/04

2008/09

2009/10

$8,800.00

$9,000.00

$9,200.00

$9,400.00

$9,600.00

$9,800.00

$10,000.00

Forcing the system to do more with less with predictable results

time to degreegreater integration of

distance learningfaculty salaries?

In the libraries…. revenues have followed student numbers upwards

1998

/99

2003

/04

2008

/09

2009

/10

$0.00

$5,000,000.00

$10,000,000.00

$15,000,000.00

$20,000,000.00

$25,000,000.00

$30,000,000.00

$35,000,000.00

$40,000,000.00

$45,000,000.00

$50,000,000.00

…but declined as proportion of state appropriation and fee revenues

1998/99

2003/04

2008/09

2009/10

$8,800.00

$9,000.00

$9,200.00

$9,400.00

$9,600.00

$9,800.00

$10,000.00

…forcing per student expenditure down

1998/99

2003/04

2008/09

2009/10

$0.00

$20.00

$40.00

$60.00

$80.00

$100.00

$120.00

$140.00

$160.00

$180.00

And this in an era of continued increases in

the cost of library materials (__%)utilities (__%) staff salaries (__%)employer health benefit contributions (__%)

and…

…user expectations (or is it library aspirations)

after more and more e-resourcesintegrating resource discovery servicessurfacing more rare and special collectionsretrospective digitizationinstitutional repositorieselectronic theses and dissertations curated born-digital collectionsand digital preservation

and next generation digital library services

The response has centralized investment in services libraries need (FCLA, CCLA)…

but cannot afford so well acting independently

This has enhanced local library service at lower cost without encroaching on autonomy, prerogative or strategic direction

In effect, it has seeded the cloud(s) from which library services are increasingly drawn

for packaging and localization...

In the future…

the clouds will get bigger; the libraries smaller

shared services will achieve even greater scale and reach

distinctions between libraries & information services (on campuses and in clouds) will get more blurred

Unless we witness a seismic shift in higher education public policy, in educational standards, or both

But the same case can/should be made in terms of service quality, not budget

Some grand challenges to illustrate direction

Challenge 1. Rationally manage print collections

Combine these profiles of book production…

and library holdings…

with market tendencies to

mass digitization [of the legacy]e-book formats [for current or in-print]

and multiple distribution mechanisms for digital source files

…redundant management of print materials is insane

To stop the insanity

secure digital and print in scaled regional repositories

integrate resource discovery services and

aggressively exploit new delivery options

Nothing either new or rocket science

Challenge 2. Treat open access as acquisitions

Given the rising cost of journal subscriptions…

http://www.sennoma.net/main/archives/2009/04/scholarly_journals_vs_total_se.php

…and apparent appetite for title growth

Serials – Vol.16, no.2, July 2003 Michael Mabe The growth and number of journals

…chasing journal subscriptions skywards is

insane

especially while supporting open-access collections

…of various dimension

Optimize open access investment by

supporting them as part of library collections strategies and budgets

forcing realistic budget trade-off decisions

and weaning us off dependence on unsustainably priced content and/or our penchant for managing two systems side by side

Challenge 3. Build special collections strategically

While collecting the general uniquely, collect the unique, generally

…with a less parochial view of collections contents

One that is agnostic…

…to composition

…format and source

Imagine a “special collection”…

…that supports and reflects a new discipline of local strategic importance

fostering publications (traditional)…

…and open access

Focusing on science as well as humanities disciplines

…potentially beginning with significant heritage collection

and helping define an institution’s distinctiveness and research strength

WARNING: THESE ARE LESS CHOATE THOUGHTS…

Challenge 4. Integrate shared services across information domains

...about educational materials which are currently evolving in e-learning

services…

in libraries…

and in the cloud

I can’t help think we are missing an opportunity for a coordinated approach

course name/ sequence # students course name / sequence) students

Calculus 1-3 48876 US history 1-3 6129

General Chemistry 1-3 38131American Government & Politics

5321

Physics 1-3 37854 Accounting I 4994

Freshman composition 1-2 31583 Introductory Astronomy 4603

Biology 1-3 29084 International Relations 3762Other math (precalculus, linear algebra . . .)

24236 Linguistics 3749

Macro and micro economics 20651 Comparative Politics 3560

Introductory Psychology 17091 Oceanography 3512Statistics 15447 Myths 3487Organic Chemistry 1-2 13472 Ethics 3466Spanish 1-4 12268 Introductory Philosophy 3355

World history 1-3 and survey 9503 Introduction to Business 3274

Cultural Anthropology 9224 Logic 2776

Introductory Sociology 8556Linear Algebra & Differential Equations

2455

Western Civilization 1-3 7776Nutrition 7433 TOTALS 392326Writing 6698

46

Data is an opportunity to build expensive redundant

infrastructure

So is virtual help – naturally crossing institutional not departmental

boundaries

Challenge 5. Consolidate library space and administration?

Or is that a bridge too far

These challenges represent a massively heavy lift, but they would

leverage exceptional (world-class) infrastructure in order to

eliminate redundant effortsave cost without encroaching on serviceand if done properly, return real value to

universities and colleges whose investment would be at once essential to sustain and focus the effort

And would free up resources for use where needed most

Key challenges

Communicating the benefits Leadership and a first mover problem (kick-

starting an economy for shared service will require intervention at the VC level)

Scope creep – driven by the possibilities in the online information space, and the needs of the few

Threat to local autonomy Threat to the local academic library and

academic librarian

But if one is looking at permanent budget reductions, enrollment growth

or both

…than an orderly advance

beats a disorderly one

And will ensure faculty, students, and staff

have persistent access to the information they need

for research learning and teaching

In the future, the academic library…

is fundamentally changed…

in order that it may remain the same