Citation
Mitchell, E. and Barbara Watstein, S. (2012), "What keeps you up at night?", Reference Services Review, Vol. 40 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/rsr.2012.24040caa.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
What keeps you up at night?
Article Type: Editorial From: Reference Services Review, Volume 40, Issue 3
Consider this question posed by Stephen Abram: “what 10 changes can we expect from the library of the future?” Here is Abram’s list[1]:
- 1.
more technology;
- 2.
sensory story times;
- 3.
better outreach to ESOL and ESL adults and children;
- 4.
automation;
- 5.
emphasizing community space;
- 6.
more social media savvy;
- 7.
digital media labs;
- 8.
electronic outposts;
- 9.
crowdsourcing; and
- 10.
more active librarians.
We propose a slightly revised question: what ten changes can we expect from the academic library of the future?
- 1.
more technology and more technology faster;
- 2.
increased prevalence and integration of search, navigation, and other discovery technologies;
- 3.
greater emphasis on technology enhanced individual and collaborative spaces;
- 4.
students really matter;
- 5.
increased reliance on learning analytics in service design and delivery;
- 6.
outcomes-focused organizations;
- 7.
increased alignment of strategies to performance;
- 8.
development of business plans aligned with strategic plans;
- 9.
more entrepreneurial librarians;
- 10.
customer focused innovation; and
- 11.
experiences that enhance staff’s ability to drive innovation in their organizations.
For RSR readers, we will narrow this question even further: what changes can we expect or effect in reference and instructional services in the future?
- 1.
supporting and enhancing the burgeoning on-line learning environment in higher education;
- 2.
working within a rapidly changing copyright landscape;
- 3.
participating in building the digital humanities institutionally and beyond;
- 4.
preparing for a hyper-mobile user population; and
- 5.
rethinking assessment of service delivery and learning outcomes.
We invite your comments, to be included in a “future” RSR think piece on this topic.
What do the authors in this issue have to say about our future in reference and instructional services?
Services with collaboration in mind are front-and-center; see, for example, Julia Martin’s manuscript on “Relationship building with students and instructors of ESL: bridging the gap for library instruction and services,” Melissa Dennis’ manuscript “Outreach initiatives in academic libraries, 2009 – 2011,” or Hal Mendelsohn’s update to a previously published manuscript on the University of Central Florida’s Campus Connections Program.
Connecting to our users is also on the mind of Cynthia Henry in her manuscript “Meeting great expectations.”
Technology continues to be a primary driver in service design and delivery. See for example, Catherine Hodgens, Marguerite Sendall and Lynn Evans’ manuscript “Health promotion students and information literacy: beyond Google,” Margie Ruppel’s article ““It’s research made easier!” SMS & Chat Reference Perceptions” or Aaron Bowan’s contribution “A LibGuides presence in a blackboard.”
Advancing collections remains an important component of stewardship as Nicci Westbrook writes in “Nerd thrill your users: collaborating with liaisons to create an appealing gateway to digital collections.”
Service to the underserved continues to affirm core values of the profession, as Hong Wang describes in “Immigration in America: library services and information resources.”
Finally, our future in reference and instructional services hinges in large measure on staffing. Staffing trends and their implications for service are on the mind of Janet Mayo, “Temporary librarians in academe: current use, future considerations.”
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2012/04/26/10-changes-to-expect-from-the-library-of-the-future/ (accessed 17 May 2012)
Eleanor Mitchell, Sarah Barbara WatsteinEditors