CSU Libraries: Money-Saving Initiatives

CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY — San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) has joined the other 22 libraries in the California State University (CSU) system to launch a new website that features updates on initiatives that include shared services, equitable access and improving learning spaces.

“Students, faculty, staff and administrators all have a big stake in the health, quality and sustainability of their library programs,” says Anna Gold, chair of the Council of Library Deans and University Librarian at Cal Poly. “But they often don’t hear the stories of how libraries work together to save students and campuses money while advancing the mission of the CSU.”

The CSU Chancellor’s Office is investing $1 million in initiatives that will create a next-generation technology platform that integrates many library functions in ways that will enhance user discovery and access. In October 2014, the CSU announced it was preparing a request for proposals to explore platform options that will organize, share, monitor and mine information resources across all 23 campus libraries, giving students and faculty access to more information and resources.

This work is done through System-wide Digital Library Services, which implements new technologies in the areas of information discovery, user-driven content acquisition, integration with learning management systems, and digital preservation. The CSU libraries are sharing their progress through a newly launched website: http://libraries.calstate.edu.

Featured

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • 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.

  • Universities Continue to Launch Multimillion-Dollar Campus Transformations

    What makes the current wave of campus development especially noteworthy is its emphasis on multi-use functionality and community integration. Institutions are no longer investing solely in academic or athletic facilities in isolation. Instead, they are creating destinations that blend recreation, health, housing, and event-driven economic activity.