OCLC publishes New Model Library research report
LIBRARIES across the globe are adapting to new ways of working – with four key trends emerging from a report by OCLC Research. Researchers spoke to 29 library lead- ers from 11 countries about how their services had adapted to the Covid-19 pan- demic, and the subsequent lockdowns and restrictions that followed. The results of that research has now been published in New Model Library, a paper that looks at the impact on ways of working, collec- tions and user engagement. New needs and expectations have been shaping the strategic direction of library and information services and four elements are driving change – agility, collaboration, virtualisation and space. Janice Welburn, Dean of Libraries, Raynor Memorial Libraries at Marquette University, provides a foreword for the research report, which casts light on how change has been implemented and how it can be capitalised on.
Janice points put that the pandemic served to highlight existing disparities, with many communities feeling the effects of Covid-19 disproportionately. Janice says: “For libraries, many anticipated socie- tal changes have been fast-tracked by the pandemic. Many of these changes intro- duce uncertainties, especially when access to information resources is constrained by the social forces of an unequal society and by the privileges of those able to maintain or strengthen access under differing social conditions.”
She adds: “The comfort of library as place was disrupted as face-to-face service suspended, group study rooms closed, instructional practices were altered, and access to print materials was restricted. Many library leaders have faced a balanc- ing act addressing the needs and fears of staff with those of our user community. Moving forward, we are challenged to use what we have experienced and learned since early 2020 to help rethink our ser-
vice models and organisational structures. “A New Model Library emerges from societal trends already in existence that have been accelerated by a large-scale disruption in the order of things in our society. These include the rapid adoption of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence as well as advances in the development of smart machines and devices. The pandemic has intensified the need for library leaders to take action quick- ly on issues that, perhaps previously, might have taken longer to implement. While there has been a decades-old evolution to the work, collections, and engagement experiences with our respective communi- ties, these have been greatly affected by the pandemic.”
Drawing on the experience of library leaders during the pandemic, the report brings together knowledge and insight about how change can be embedded for a brighter future. Read the report at https://bit. ly/31BCnra.
Discover the work taking place in academic libraries as part of the decolonisation movement in Narrative Expansions, edited by Jess Crilly and Regina Everitt.
Narrative Expansions – 9781783304974. Published December 2021. £55 RRP. 35% discount for CILIP members.
www.facetpublishing.co.uk
December 2021 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL 9
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
