The Library of the Future: Inside & Out

11:00am – 11:10a.m. Welcome and Introduction

11:10 - 11:45 a.m. Opening Keynote: Hedging our bets on the library of the future: planning inside and out

Questions about the future of libraries emerge periodically whenever disruptive changes surface.  Forces we all monitor around technologies, regulations, demographics, dissemination of scholarship, economics, information search habits, teaching strategies, and research practices trigger such questions within higher education.  Championing the purpose of an academic library while addressing such forces engage library directors. 

This NISO conference invites us to share some approaches to framing strategies to engage---whether we worry about challenges or leverage opportunities to shape the library of the future.  We each are responsible to both our staff and stakeholders, and strive for effective leadership for change.   To ensure a relevant library of the future, regardless of the success of our predictions of the impact of these forces, we hedge our bets by planning both inside and out.   This keynote presentation will highlight the forces other conference speakers will address in-depth as considerations for redefining the library, and share a few strategic bets for transforming one mid-sized university library. 

11:45 am - 12:15 p.m. Beyond Place and Format: Library Experiences Across Physical and Digital Services

This talk frames digital and physical spaces and collections as complementary and essential aspects of library services. Effectively deploying these capabilities requires an understanding of the affordances that are unique to digital and physical collections and spaces, and the ways that each type of collection object or environment interacts with and reinforces the others to serve user needs. Examples will be drawn from recent research projects at the Library that use individual collection objects in multiple ways and formats: as graphic objects, texts, artifacts, or samples for scientific analysis in their physical form and, in their digital forms, as access tools, research datasets, and materials for re-use in other creative projects. These examples are used to draw out lessons about how libraries can become more effective by integrating the capabilities of digital and physical collections, both on- and off-site, as services that support user needs.  

12:15 - 12:45 p.m. New Job Titles, Position Requirements, and Degrees: Challenges and Change in the Academic Library and its Workforce

Academic institutions are facing big challenges, some new and some not, and these challenges reverberate throughout the entire organization, including the library.  The library, which is tasked with serving the entire institution and the community associated with it, probably feels these challenges more than most other campus entities, precisely because of its cross-campus focus. New emphases, if not priorities, at the local, state, regional, and national levels have emerged, and libraries have attempted to adapt with new positions and roles for its workforce. This session will describe new positions and roles in the library and the change that has created them, using changes at the University of Tennessee as a case study.  The state of Tennessee has launched some of the most progressive higher education policy and programs over the last decade, and the University as well as its library have adapted to support these changes and the strategic priorities that have followed from them.     

12:45 - 1:45 p.m. Lunch Break

1:45 - 2:15 p.m. A measured approach to supporting research productivity

University researchers see an ever-increasing level of demands and expectations of their productivity at a time when funding has shrunken, competition has increased, and responsibilities for research compliance and reporting grow more complex and time-consuming with each mandate. This presentation will outline major areas of Library services and resources that increase efficiency, leverage existing workflows, and remove churn for researchers to achieve more with less pain. The presenter will also share the prioritization process for adding new researcher-focused services to the Library's menu, being careful to note what has been given up in shifting to a 'researcher productivity' mindset.  

2:15 - 2:45 p.m. The Library: Hiding in the Open

Over the past few years we have surveyed, studied, and talked to students – about the Library. What do they want from the Library?  How do they use it now?  How do they want to use it?   What do they want in addition to research materials?   Much of what was requested was easy to supply – we already had most and had just not made it visible to them.  Some were not as easy:  more windows and gender neutral restrooms.   This talk with focus on spaces, stuff, and ……restrooms. 

2:45 - 3:15 p.m. The Library’s Role in Attracting, Supporting and Retaining the International Student

The library has always been the physical center of academic support on campus and is increasingly becoming a community center as well.  The Brandeis Library has embraced this role and actively looks for ways to welcome international students.  The library reviewed its services and with minimal investment has extended its offerings to this important community.

3:15 - 3:30 p.m. Afternoon Break

3:30 - 4:00 p.m. Strategic Thinking & Planning for the Library of the Future: the Case for Building a Learning Organization

How do we plan for a future that does not yet exist, in an environment filled with unpredictability, unsure resources, and constantly changing skill-set needs? By building organizations that are able to think and act in integrated ways at all levels. Integrated thinking in large organizations comprised of various specialties is challenging but not impossible. The work of Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline: the Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (1991), as well as others who have followed him, provide roadmaps.  This presentation will make the case that strategic thinking and planning must be done by everyone in the organization, will highlight some of the characteristics of a learning organization, and detail some of the strategies we are using at WVU Libraries to become a learning organization.

4:00 - 4:30 p.m. Thoughts on the need for continuous learning and reskilling in librarianship

The pace of technological change began rapidly accelerating in the early 2000’s and hasn’t slowed down since.  Many libraries have dealt with this by transitioning into information-based collaboration hubs in their communities, focused on knowledge creation. That transition benefits from librarianship embracing new thinking with regard to library spaces, emerging technologies, agility, enhanced collaboration and extended community outreach.  Each of those areas requires new skills and thus continuous learning.  This talk will examine these aspects of librarianship in the years ahead.

4:30 - 5:00 p.m. Roundtable Discussion