Table 5

Table 5’s Recorder: Mary Lou Patrick (mup18@psu.edu)

Table 5 Q.1 (15-min. table discussion, 10-min. group disc.)

  • Describe the ideal academic library in 2020?  What defines it as the ideal?
    • Un-warehouse-like library, newer books as well as better and more flexible facilities
    • Facilities that are open and welcoming, as well as safe
    • One-stop shop:  e.g., be an outpost for specific student services at certain critical times of the year; e.g., tech-support people; library presence at residence halls, interview areas for students meeting with potential employers, create space for other campus services so that hours are standardized and enhanced
    • Define ourselves by our services as well as our collections
    • Re-think use of staffing and use of their skill sets to promote innovative and expanded services
    • Reward and encourage risk-taking for new ideas and services
  • Q. 1 Other table discussions:
    • Solution oriented
    • Flexible, agile
    • Balanced b/w generalist and specialists
    • Emphasis on collecting date to demonstrate our value & importance to University
    • Library becoming “Hub” of campus as well as “heart” of campus

MODERATOR SUMMARY:  highly innovative, risk-taking, engaged, open to all & safe, flexible, generalize as well as specialize.

 

TABLE 5 Q. #2: What are the challenges the Penn State Libraries face in achieving the ideal? (15-min. disc., 10-min open discussion)

  • Cooperation and understanding from other campus identities, building better partnerships
  • Overcome stereotype of library and librarians
  • Rebranding/re-marketing the library to promote use by a variety of users
  • Developing needed skill sets among library staff
  • Getting library staff out of their “comfort zone”
  • Getting library users open to and comfortable with using digital technologies
  • Closing the digital divide among library users
  • Getting seemingly tech-savvy students to competently use technology for educational purposes
  • Becoming integral to courses where research is not emphasized
  • Educating students regarding the ethical use of information sources
  • How to embrace technology and use it in the era of cloud services within the context of user privacy

Q2. Other table discussions:

  • Balancing our efforts among our services
  • Funding
  • Increasing perception of library’s role
  • Developing proper delivery mechanisms
  • Loss of professional identity
  • Need to breakdown silos of information resources
  • Be more agile and entrepreneurial
  • Thinking strategically
  • Remove barriers of distance, place, & location for student access to resources
  • Calcified structures w/i UL
  • Recognize importance of admins for navigation of UL system

MODERATOR SUMMARY: Calcified structures, discovery & access, costs, how to legally take advantage of our position

TABLE Q. 3: What is the single most important thing we need to address in the next five years? (15 min. disc., pick two to share and write on large pads, report back to all, place dots on board)

  • Convince new presidency of our relevance
  • Provide high quality library services to non-resident students
  • ***Make sure campus students have same access to services and resources as at UL to create level-playing field, equitable technology & facilities   #1
  • Rebrand and publicize library services:  be more visible and take credit for what we do
  • Explore and develop our relationships and partnerships
  • Re-think/re-define our public-services staffing model. Be more innovative in using the expertise of library staff and librarians   #2
  • ****How to create buy-in for new staffing and service models.

MODERATOR SUMMARY: In general, the items listed by the table discussions fall into (4) categories: How, What, Why, Who:

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