The dogs bark and the circus moves on

Purpose: The paper aims to set out challenges that libraries face while developing their Digital Library capabilities and capacity and propose an approach to estimating the costs for these functions. There is a skills challenge as well as an organisational challenge. The opportunities to build new teams or re-train existing staff are discussed. Design/methodology/approach: The approach builds on a 2008 paper about Digital Library economics and discusses the changes in the environment since then. A model is described in which a library takes on the full responsibility for building and operating a Digital Library function in-house. This is used to benchmark other options such as managed services, outsourced infrastructure and "cloud" services. Findings: The Open Access Publication and Research Data Management mandates present challenges to all libraries based in academic institutions in the UK. New working methods and new costs are unavoidable. There are a number of ways to deal with this depending upon the institutional circumstance. The bottom line can be increases in revenue budgets of around 10 per cent with variable requirements for capital investment. Originality/value: Libraries and librarians have different experiences in closely working with colleagues in information technology (IT). A number of propositions are presented about the value of cooperation and collaboration between library and IT and also with external partners and service providers

Digital libraries and the future of the library profession

To argue that unique contemporary cultural shifts are leading to a new form of librarianship that can be characterised as "postmodern" in nature, and that this form of professional specialism will be increasingly influential in the decades to come

Counter culture

Considers the future of libraries in a Web 2.0 world. Looks at how libraries have responded to technological change historically; argues in favour of Prensky's digital native/digital immigrant divide and a fundamental change in user behaviour. Discusses the failures of libraries and librarians in responding to this and argues the need for an underpinning philosophy of e-libraries. Considers what future competencies will be required by the professio

Academic digital libraries of the future : an environment scan

Libraries are attempting to face a future in which almost every fixed point has disappeared. Users are changing; content is changing; research is taking new forms. Indeed the very need for libraries is being questioned in some quarters. This paper explores the nature of the changes and challenges facing higher education libraries and suggests key areas of strength and core activities which should be exploited to secure their future

Building a Collaborative Digital Collection: A Necessary Evolution in Libraries

Law libraries are losing ground in the effort to preserve information in the digital age. In part, this is due declining budgets, user needs, and a caution born from the great responsibility libraries feel to ensure future access instead of selecting a form that may not survive. That caution, though, has caused others, such as Google, to fill the silence with their vision. Libraries must stand and contribute actively to the creation of digital collections if we expect a voice in future discussion. This article presents a vision of the start of a collaborative, digital academic law library, one that will harness our collective strengths while still allowing individual collections to prosper. It seeks to identify and answer the thorniest issues - including copyright - surrounding digitization projects. It does not presume to solve all of these issues. It is, however, intended to be a call for collective action, to stop discussing the law library of the future and to start building it

Digital libraries: What do users want?

This is the post-print version of the Article of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2006 EmeraldPurpose – The purpose of this study is to determine user suggestions for digital libraries' functionality and features. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted as part of this study, in which users' suggestions for digital libraries were solicited, as well as their ranking opinions on a range of suggested digital library features. Findings – The study revealed that, regardless of users' information technology (IT) backgrounds, their expectations of digital libraries' functionality are the same. However, based on users' previous experiences with digital libraries, their requirements with respect to specific features may change. Practical implications – Involving users in digital library design should be an integral step in the process of building a digital library – in addition to the classic roles of evaluation and testing. Originality/value – In previous digital library user studies, users were involved implicitly (e.g. observed) or explicitly (e.g. diary notes). However, they were never asked to suggest digital library features or functionalities, as this was left to usability and domain experts. This study approached digital library design from a new perspective, giving users an opportunity to express their suggestions on future functionality and features of digital libraries. Moreover, in contrast to previous work, this study has explicitly taken into account the IT abilities of those interacting with a digital library

Designing the Born-Digital Archive

Light spoke generally about the major issues facing archivists who manage born digital records and how the UCI Libraries responded when providing access to the Richard Rorty papers. She discussed the challenges, such as dealing with rapid technological change, ensure present and future accessibility of legacy files, managing privacy and copyrights, guaranteeing the authenticity and integrity of files, preventing loss and destruction, and selecting the most important material for preservation. She also discussed numerous decisions archivists make that impact the future archive, such as emulation or preservation of the original computing environment, the organization of files, the migration of materials to new formats, and human or machine-generated description of the materials. She concluded with a description of the UCI Libraries\u27 Digital Scholarship Service, which endeavors to help faculty manage their digital research for future generations

Waiting for the barbarians : seeking solutions or awaiting answers?

Cavafy's (1961) famous poem describes the paralysis induced when waiting for an event that never happens, finding distraction in other things while expecting imminent cataclysm. Libraries have perhaps been guilty of this in recent years, joining the chorus bemoaning the imminent arrival of the digital barbarians and undertaking a whole series of avoidance tactics which make libraries ever more efficient but ever less relevant. Like Cavafy's senators, libraries have prepared themselves, decked themselves in finery but have waited for the future to come to them rather than gone out to engage with it

Library 2.015 Conference: An Open Dialog About the Future of Libraries

The Library 2.0 Virtual Worldwide Conference series aims to create an open dialog about the future of libraries in the digital age. At Library 2.015, the fifth conference in the series, thousands of participants gathered online to share their knowledge, experience, and ideas on the evolution of libraries and the information profession. This article reports on some highlights of the October 20, 2015, conference. Archived conference presentations remain free, online, and open to all at http://tinyurl.com/Libr2015presentations