To stay robust and relevant, academic libraries may need to abandon hands-on collection development and big deal subscription packages in favor of patron-driven acquisitions (PDA), open access, and curation of campus specialties. College & Research Libraries released a pre-print of From Stacks to the Web: the Transformation of Academic Library Collecting by David W. Lewis, [...]
Academic Libraries
Article Argues Academic Libraries Should Give Up Book-by-Book Collecting
February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Northwestern College to Integrate Library into New Learning Commons
February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Northwestern College, Orange City, IA, plans to build a new “learning commons,” which will include the library. On March 8, Northwestern’s board will hold a final vote on whether to move forward with groundbreaking this year.
Research Libraries Claim Smaller Piece of a Bigger Pie
February 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
According to the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), library expenditure as a percentage of total University expenditure steadily declined from 1984 to 2009. From a peak of about 3.7 percent of total spending, library budgets dropped to almost half that, at under 2 percent. Total university expenditures steadily increased during the same period.
Get Ready for Alt-Higher Ed | From the Bell Tower
February 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
National Library of Medicine Acquire’s Sickle Cell Expert’s Papers
February 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) acquired the papers of Charles F. Whitten, M.D., distinguished professor of pediatrics and associate dean of medicine emeritus at Detroit’s Wayne State University. Whitten passed away in 2008. Charles F. Whitten Whitten served as president of the National Association for Sickle Cell Disease, [...]
LA Librarian Leaves for USC
February 15, 2012 By 1 Comment
Los Angeles City Librarian Martín Gómez will leave the Los Angeles Public Library to accept the position of vice dean of the University of Southern California (USC) Libraries. He will begin at USC on April 2. Martin Gomez Gómez told LJ he’s making the move “because it is a great opportunity for me to do [...]
MIT Libraries Receive Chomsky’s Papers
February 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
MIT’s Libraries were selected to preserve the personal archives of linguist, activist, and Institute Professor emeritus Noam Chomsky. The collection spans Chomsky’s career, beginning when he joined MIT in 1955. The addition of Chomsky’s personal archives, and a large portion of his personal library, augments a small existing collection of Chomsky’s papers already in the care [...]
Harvard Library Releases Org Chart, Offers Buyouts
February 14, 2012 By 3 Comments
Harvard Library revealed its new organizational structure on February 10th. The restructuring focuses on eliminating redundancy across the university’s 73 libraries through the creation of shared services departments. As part of the restructuring, the university has offered 275 voluntary buyouts to library staff.
The Tricky Business of Restructuring | From the Bell Tower
February 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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