Trends, 2004-2005
Space
- The new Library emerges as a campus cultural center.
- The new building’s art collection grows, thanks in some measure to gifts.
- The new building drives organizational issues–indeed, everything we do.
Collections
- Funding for collections continues to erode, a consequence of budget cuts and inflation; the future for Library collection building is grim.
- Enrichment funds (the “match,” Student Technology Fees, the Tanger gift) are redirected to cover basic needs.
- A volatile e-publishing environment means librarians must be vigilant and skillful in selecting, acquiring, and managing e-resources.
- Spending for electronic information increases while business models for e-resources decrease flexibility in shaping collections.
- Commercial entities (Google, Amazon) announce major digitization projects.
- Remote access to digital collections becomes ubiquitous.
- Use of the Library’s e-resources continues to climb.
- The University increases its investment in e-resources.
- The Library Web site becomes the gateway to electronic collections, increasing its importance as a research tool.
- Growing numbers of Web-based courses increase demand for full-text e-resources.
- The Library responds to budget pressures by strengthening its ability to do direct fund-raising.
- Special Collections continues to expand its holdings, acquiring prestigious new collections.
- Preservation increases in importance, for both archival and print collections.
Electronic Delivery of Information
- The electronic transfer of Library information (book renewals, interlibrary loan and document supply requests) becomes routine.
- The digital delivery of both services and information causes Library and Academic IT staff to collaborate on projects.
- First-generation Web sites (the Library, AIT) are redesigned using database-driven systems.
- Document supply and interlibrary loan grow in popularity, as the electronic accessibility of indexes and library catalogs grows.
Systems & Networking
- The heavy dependence on technology of all Library functions mandates state-of-art hardware and systems.
- Wireless technologies become part of the Library and Academic IT service program.
Technology for Teaching & Learning
- The University invests substantially in Blackboard, moving all campuses to the Enterprise version.
- AIT staff contribute to the University’s implementation of the Blackboard Enterprise version.
- The use of the Internet for teaching and research expands, as more and more faculty develop course sites.
- New workshop series are introduced in response to faculty needs.
- Faculty begin to incorporate video, audio, and streaming media with their course sites.
- Course site enrichment tools developed at Brooklyn College put our faculty ahead of their peers at other institutions and generate invitations to share our expertise with others.
- Providing course site accessibility for persons with disabilities presents a challenge for both faculty and staff.
- The Library and Academic IT play key roles in the use of technology with teaching; they meet and surpass established performance goals.
- ACAC’s expanded membership positions it to serve as an important communication medium between faculty and ITS/AIT.
- In the Library Cafe, business surpasses that of the previous year, more than justifying our plans for a new wing.
- In the interest of strengthening and standardizing student lab services, the Library centralizes lab management.
Access to Collections
- Flexible, Web-based access tools like Aleph 500 replaces older mainframe systems.
- The Library’s added hours are well-used.
- New technologies (the plasma screens) provide more immediate access to Library information.
- Interest in the versatility of handheld devices grows.
- Staff build the skills required to organize collections in new formats like Artesia/TEAMS.
- Both Web printing and photocopying increase.
Copyright
- Copyright guidelines for fair use, clear and easily understandable in the print universe, are murky and more complex in the digital world.
- Music presents especially challenging copyright issues.
Instruction
- Librarians conduct significantly more workshops and classroom instruction on accessing, identifying, and evaluating pertinent resources.
- Digital collections cause librarians to increase their emphasis on instruction, both for students and faculty.
- Brooklyn College maintains an information literacy leadership role within CUNY.
- The College interests itself in building information literacy/critical thinking skills into the curriculum.
Staffing & Staff Development
- Staff development grows in importance as the Library takes the lead in providing technological instruction for faculty and students.
- Internship opportunities in the Library and AIT grow and increase in prestige.
- Staff development opportunities take many forms, including external events, in-house training, video conferences, and partnerships with sister institutions.
- Cross-training staff so that they can work in several units grows in popularity.