Future of the Academic Library explored in major Guardian Supplement

22 April, 2008

An eight-page special supplement is published in the Guardian newspaper today that examines the achievements of academic libraries in the UK, assesses current challenges and looks at how these might shape the future of our university libraries.

SCONUL members contributed to articles about a wide range of issues including library design, open access, and digital archiving including personal reflections from SCONUL Chair Anne Bell and other members on how technology has changed the role of the librarian in recent years.

In a lead article, editor Stephen Hoare says that academic libraries are rising to the challenges of changing user needs and finding new means of searching and navigating information.

The supplement also looks forward, and the editor comments, 'changing faster than at any time in their history. Information technology, online databases, and catalogues and digitised archives have put the library back at the heart of teaching, learning and academic research on campus.' Toby Bainton, SCONUL secretary adds that he sees libraries taking on a much more central, in-house publishing role in making the universities own research available.

SCONUL worked closely with partners JISC, who sponsored the supplement. The supplement marks the start of 'Libraries of the Future', an attempt by JISC to initiate a debate about academic libraries and to open up - with partner organisations and librarians themselves - a debate about the future of the academic and research library.

To read the full supplement please visit: http://education.guardian.co.uk/librariesunleashed