Core Functions of the Research Library in the 21st Century
February 27, 2008

The information landscape of early twenty-first century higher education is characterized by ubiquitous, digitized, indexed online access to content. Researchers and students begin and often end their quest for information online. Results of research can be and increasingly are published without publishers. Access to these results, and to the cultural and scientific record that constitutes the primary resource base for research and teaching, is narrowed by the increasingly exclusive use of licensing in lieu of selling. What are the critical functions of the research library in this changing landscape?

To address this question, CLIR commissioned 8 essays as background for discussion at a meeting held in Washington DC on February 27. They are available here in PDF format.

"The Future of the Library in the Research University," by Paul Courant

"Accelerating Learning and Discovery: Refining the Role of Academic Librarians," by Andrew Dillon

"A New Value Equation Challenge: The Emergence of eResearch and Roles for Research Libraries," by Richard E. Luce

"Co-teaching: The Library and Me," by Stephen G. Nichols

"Groundskeepers to Gatekeepers: How to Change Faculty Perceptions of Librarians and Ensure the Future of the Research Library," by Daphnee Rentfrow

"The Research Library in the 21st Century: Collecting, Preserving, and Making Accessible Resources for Scholarship," by Abby Smith

"The Role of the Library in 21st Century Scholarly Publishing," by Kate Wittenberg

"Leveraging Digital Technologies in Service to Culture and Society: The Role of Libraries as Collaborators," by Lee Zia

The essays will be published in late spring as part of a formal publication that includes a summary, drawn from the discussion, of what needs to be considered when reconceptualizing the next library.