2025 Environmental Scan Released from ACRL
The 2025 ACRL Environmental Scan, developed by our Research Planning and Review Committee, is now available. The scan provides a broad review of the current higher ed landscape, with special focus on the state of academic and research libraries. https://t.co/BwqB5fonog #ACRL2025
— ACRL (@ALA_ACRL) April 3, 2025
What Is Happening Here?
As noted above, the Environmental Scan report is a regular release from the Academic College and Research Libraries (ACRL) division of the American Library Association. The following pull quote from the report's introduction explains the process in place and summarizes some of the conclusions:
For this year’s review, committee members conducted an extensive analysis of news media, academic literature, grey literature, and other sources from 2023 and 2024 to pinpoint the most pressing issues shaping the higher education landscape. While persistent challenges such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, political pressures, and shifts in the research enterprise continue to affect institutions, several new concerns have gained prominence. Issues surrounding climate resilience, job insecurity, demographic shifts leading to declining enrollment, and the wellbeing of faculty and students have emerged as critical areas requiring attention.
With regard to artificial intelligence, the report reveals a decided sense of unease. Two bullet points pertaining to bias in AI and the inappropriate use of intellectual property most readily reflect the concerns felt in the academic setting. (See page 9 of the full report.)
- To mitigate AI bias in educational settings, post-secondary institutions should consider monitoring AI systems before formally adopting them.
- Post-secondary institutions should advocate against the sale and use of their faculty’s copyrighted works with publishers and generative AI companies to protect intellectual property.
The report notes that incidents of cybercrime are on the rise in academic environments and notes that more than half of higher education organizations (66%) have been threatened with ransomware. In this area, the report recommends attention to the Scholarly Networks Security Initiative (SNSI).
- Overall, academic libraries and their home institutions “must adopt and implement [Digital information security management (DISM)] policies for user benefit and patron trust.” SNSI has recommendations specific to libraries to prepare for and mitigate cybersecurity threats. Partnering with other “nodes” within the university network on cybersecurity efforts is key in order to share resources, tools, and best practices and to “conduct joint cyber exercises.” (See page 20.)
The report urges expanded training in cybersecurity practices for the protection of the institutional community. NISO will be holding a Roundtable webinar on this specific topic on Wednesday, May 14.
The report is more than 70 pages in length so readers will want to review the full text to fully grasp the dramatic nature of how the world of academic libraries has shifted.