Challenges for academic libraries in difficult economic times

Added by Sarah on 16 March 2010

34 comments

A new guide from the Research Information Network focuses on how academic librarians are experiencing and responding to financial cuts in the current economic climate.

Based upon data gathered in the UK and internationally, and focus groups with senior librarians during late 2009, the guide looks at the financial position of libraries, their strategies for dealing with challenging economic circumstances, and the value of libraries.

After a decade of growth in budgets and services, academic librarians now expect a sustained period of cuts over the next three to five years. The scale of these cuts means librarians are having to reconsider the kinds and levels of service they can provide in support of their universities missions. 

This guide shows how librarians are responding to the issues of balancing expenditure between information resources and staffing and how they plan to sustain levels of service, as well as developing new services to meet new needs. It demonstrates that library directors need the support of senior managers across the higher education sector, as well as from publishers and other information providers, to help address the challenges, as well as the opportunities, faced.

The guide is available to download from the link below, along with a short two-page briefing. Hard copies are also available to order to distribute to colleagues, email contact@rin.ac.uk

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Anonymous (not verified) said on 10 May 2012 at 8:27am:

 Libraries never get mentioned! Hopefully we will all be out of this hot water soon.

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Anonymous (not verified) said on 10 May 2012 at 8:09am:

With the economic system on it’s knees, we are lucky to have any libraries at all!

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Anonymous (not verified) said on 30 April 2012 at 10:56am:

It’s really very difficult and challenging for academic libraries.

Anonymous (not verified) said on 27 April 2012 at 4:15pm:

Yes it’s a challenge for academic ! with the current economy

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Anonymous (not verified) said on 01 March 2012 at 8:34pm:

This is a symptom of a wider economic divide that has to happen in the next decade.  Many government entities like libraries are having to face cuts and get creative in the process to figure out how to maintain current service levels.  I really do wish these UK librarians the best in their endeavors to maintain quality systems for their libraries. I’m just glad that it hasn’t affected the United States quite yet.  As a person who oversees,   I’m somewhat dependent on the library for the operation of my business as a mobile office.

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Anonymous (not verified) said on 24 February 2012 at 5:02am:

Thanks, great summary. Much appreicated. Are there any updates?

Anonymous (not verified) said on 24 February 2012 at 5:00am:

Thank you for providing a link to the guide. These are sobering times for the field of library science, though perhaps not more so than the myriad other “industries” that have been made obsolete by new technologies.I don’t believe for a moment that library science can exist as a fully automated resource, but there is no denying that the use of library facilities as a primary research tool for students is on the decline (this is purely an educated guess). I believe the field must consistently demonstrate its added value to its client base. Perhaps the changing climate will lead to innovative new approaches to maintain relevancy. Warmest regards. Alan Loren Chief Editor MWW Inspirational Words

Anonymous (not verified) said on 24 February 2012 at 4:52am:

Thank you for providing a link to the guide. These are sobering times for the field of library science, though perhaps not more so than the myriad other “industries” that have been made obsolete by new technologies.I don’t believe for a moment that library science can exist as a fully automated resource, but there is no denying that the use of library facilities as a primary research tool for students is on the decline (this is purely an educated guess). I believe the field must consistently demonstrate its added value to its client base. Perhaps the changing climate will lead to innovative new approaches to maintain relevancy. Warmest regards. Alan Loren Chief Editor MWW Inspirational Words

Anonymous (not verified) said on 24 February 2012 at 4:51am:

Thank you for providing a link to the guide.

These are sobering times for the field of library science, though perhaps not more so than the myriad other “industries” that have been made obsolete by new technologies.

I don’t believe for a moment that library science can exist as a fully automated resource, but there is no denying that the use of library facilities as a primary research tool for students is on the decline (this is purely an educated guess).

I believe the field must consistently demonstrate its added value to its client base. Perhaps the changing climate will lead to innovative new approaches to maintain relevancy.

Warmest regards.

Alan Loren

Chief Editor

MWW

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Anonymous said on 20 December 2011 at 11:02am:

Indeed, librarians are in deep trouble. Considering the fact that the sale of audio books is ratcheting up and the emerging development of digital libraries in every part of the world, I am actually wondering how traditionnal libraries would be able to survive something that we could consider as a true socio-economic crisis. Not only that, contrary to what you are suggesting Shopping Channel, cutting costs is not enough. There are other problems and prospects to think of!

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Anonymous said on 22 November 2011 at 5:41pm:

Brilliant!! I just noticed the point of the Research Information Network focuses that how academic librarians could manage to cuts unnecessary costs in dull season. Thanks!
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Anonymous said on 19 November 2011 at 7:40am:

Truly some admireable ideas. I can guess the current economic climate and we should take care and cut down the unnecessary costs. Anyway online guide as well as important to know all of us.

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This guide shows how librarians are answering the issues of balancing expenditure between information resources and staffing and how they plan to sustain amounts of service, also as creating new services to satisfy new Turbo fire requirements. It demonstrates that library directors need the support of senior managers over the greater education sector, also as from publishers and other information providers, to help address the challenges, as well because the opportunities, faced.

Anonymous said on 31 January 2011 at 8:43pm:

Is this guide looking specifically at University Libraries, or does it also look at city run libraries?  I ask because in my own town (although I live in the US our governmental policies are not all that different) during the recent recession, our library saw a boom in “customers” and was thereby able to add a wing they had been planning to build for over 5 years.  What they found was that more people were reading and checking out books rather than buying books or going to the movies for entertainment.  Although it is free to check out a book, there are of course late fees, and with the surge of people checking out books they saw a dramatic increase in late fees.  I found it to be interesting that the library was able to add on an addition during such economic times until I read an article about how they were funding it.  Thanks for the post and keep them coming.

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Director for Expatriate Insurance

Anonymous said on 29 November 2010 at 10:53pm:

Great summary, thanks for sharing with us

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