Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Resource Sharing Begins At Home: Opportunities For Library Partnerships On A University Campus, Robert A. Seal

University Libraries: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Purpose

This paper aims to demonstrate that academic library cooperation is not only limited to work with other institutions but also includes partnerships with related campus units. The primary goal of interdepartmental collaboration is to enhance student success, a common institutional priority in the twenty-first century.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper offers examples of successful library/campus collaboration along with goals, advantages, disadvantages and challenges of such activity. Elements necessary for success as well as the importance of project assessment are emphasized.

Findings

Many opportunities for cooperation exist, especially with student development, centers for teaching excellence, information technology, academic departments, writing centers and …

Information Commons: The Future Is Now, Robert A. Seal

University Libraries: Faculty Publications and Other Works

First established in the United States in the 1990’s, the information commons (IC) has become a common way to provide users of academic libraries with a variety of both library and technology services in the 21^st century. Now a worldwide phenomenon, the information commons offers, in a centralized location, research and writing assistance, access to computers and other technology, high-speed Internet and wireless communication, loans of laptops and tablet devices, tutoring, both quiet and noisy work study areas, collaborative spaces, classrooms, digital media services, coffee and food items, and more. From the smallest to the largest institutions, the IC …

The Information Commons Handbook (Review), Robert A. Seal

University Libraries: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Once an innovative idea but now a standard feature of many academic libraries, the information commons has transformed library services across the country over the past decade. Although dozens of articles have appeared in the literature on various aspects and models of the information commons (IC), until now there has not been a thorough monograph devoted to the topic.

The Information Commons: New Pathways To Digital Resources And Knowledge Management, Robert A. Seal

University Libraries: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No longer an innovation, the information commons has become a mainstream approach in U.S. academic libraries for providing convenient access to technology and online resources, the first step for many university students in their own knowledge management. From the very basic model of a well-equipped computer lab to more elaborate projects involving multiple campus departments, extensive digital resources, and spaces for knowledge creation, the information commons can facilitate the integration of the college and university library into the academic learning process. After a brief overview of the changing library environment, the paper provides a look at the various models and …

Reference 2001: A Director’S Admonitions, Robert A. Seal

University Libraries: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Reflections on professional roles and responsibilities are explored, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing academic reference librarians. The information environment has been transformed by technology and the Web, and will continue its exponential change. What's coming? What endures? How will we thrive? Whatever approach we take, it is essential to remember that maintaining the status quo is not good enough to meet the changing needs and expectations of library clientele.

Academic Branch Libraries, Robert A. Seal

University Libraries: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Few issues in academic librarianship inspire as much controversy as the branch or departmental library. At the center of this controversy is the question of whether or not collections should be centralized in the main university library or located in part in separate branch libraries. Although vigorously debated since the beginning of this century, the centralization-decentralization dilemma became even more of an issue following World War II, when college and university enrollments and academic libraries began to grow at unprecedented rates and the pressure for adequate library services and collections increased. This particular issue has never been resolved completely, nor …