Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

New White Paper from CLIR Explores Challenges and Opportunities for Library and Information Services

  • 09/22/14

WASHINGTON, DC — Rapidly evolving digital technologies and services, coupled with a changing economy, are profoundly influencing the financial model supporting many colleges and universities. Institutions that rely solely on a traditional business approach are unlikely to thrive; they must identify and seize new opportunities in pursuit of their mission.

A new white paper from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), The Changing Landscape of Library and Information Services: What Presidents, Provosts, and Finance Officers Need to Know, explores emerging opportunities for colleges and universities, and the key role of library and information technology services (LITS) organizations in realizing that potential.

The report is based on a workshop organized by the CLIR Chief Information Officers (CIOs) group, comprising individuals from liberal arts colleges and small universities that have merged their library and information services organizations.

CIOs Richard Holmgren and Gene Spencer draw on the workshop discussions to summarize the key challenges and opportunities facing LITS organizations and academic institutions. Developments of the past decade — from the ubiquity of cell phones to the growth of virtual server infrastructure and the maturation of open-source software support models — have created new opportunities for LITS organizations to improve student outcomes, increase revenue, and manage costs. The authors discuss these opportunities and identify the core competencies that LITS organizations will need to support positive institutional change in the decade ahead.

Richard Holmgren is vice president of information services and assessment at Allegheny College. Gene Spencer is chief information officer and leader of a merging library and information technology organization at Ursinus College.

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions and communities of higher learning.

Featured

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.