Libraries of the Future brochure - Jisc

6 | Libraries of the Future
The Libraries of the Future
campaign
In an information world in which
Google apparently offers us
everything, what place is there
for the traditional, and even the
digital, library?
In a library environment that
is increasingly moving to the
delivery of online rather than
print resources, what of the
academic library’s traditional
place at the heart of campus life?
What about the impact of repositories
and Open Access on the delivery of
library resources?
And the need to digitise and make
more widely accessible key scholarly
resources?
And what of the calls for libraries to
play a central role in the promotion of
‘information literacy’?
Through Libraries of the Future
campaign JISC has opened up – with
partner organisations and librarians
themselves – a debate about the future
of the academic and research library
that has tackled all these urgent
questions head on.
…a debate that
has tackled all these
urgent questions
head on.
The campaign has encompassed
events, printed resources, including a
Guardian supplement, and podcasts,
with the emphasis on the involvement
of everyone whose lives are touched
by libraries.
Like all JISC campaigns, Libraries
of the Future performs a number of
functions, from raising awareness to
generating discussion. Making the most
of economies of scale, it also has the
added benefit of letting decision-makers
know what is already available from
JISC while helping JISC to determine
what areas need further work.
For librarians, the debate allows
the profession to pool expertise, test
theories and disseminate ideas. It
enables library leaders to rise above
operational issues and engage in real
strategic thinking.
For student information practitioners,
it offers the opportunity to have an input
into the future of the profession that is
changing even as they train to join it.
For users of library services, the
debate allows them to have their voice
heard and offers reassurance that
their constantly evolving learning,
research and teaching needs are being
considered – now and in the future.