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In March, Inside Higher Ed released an "inaugural" Survey of College & University Chief Academic Officers.  This report was the fourth in a series of surveys of senior academic leaders with the three other reports conducted in 2011 focusing on admissions officers, chief business officers, and presidents.

Survey results shared from interviews with chief academic officers and an online survey taken by over 130 leaders in academic affairs yield surprising results. Perhaps the final lesson we can take from hearing from administrators is that they look to us not just to make the case for libraries but to ride the wave of change. We must ensure that libraries and librarians step into new roles and take up different challenges, reimagining the ways we and our libraries can be essential consultants in all the ways that students and faculty learn, discover, and share their work.

"Academic libraries that choose to emphasize services that are relevant in a digital world strike the authors as the most likely to find fertile ground." Academic libraries that choose to emphasize services that are relevant in a digital world strike the authors as the most likely to find fertile ground. They would be entering a realm of many opportunities; a realm characterized by rapid and discontinuous shifts. These institutions would be well advised to begin the process now. The trend-line is clear and the shift to a digital environment has tremendous momentum. Libraries cannot afford to wait until the smoke has cleared and the digital revolution is complete to take action. First the risk of being subordinated to more nimble entities within (and perhaps outside of) the academy is significant. Libraries will be hard pressed to reclaim lost territory once others fulfill these roles successfully. Second, the shift to a predominantly digital environment began more than a decade ago, shows no sign of slowing, and is creating a cascade of associated changes.

Objective: This study sought to better understand the research expectations of first-year students upon beginning university study, and how these expectations differed from those of their professors. Most academic librarians observe that the research expectations of these two groups differ considerably and being able to articulate where these differences are greatest may help us provided more focused instruction, and allow us to work more effectively with professors and student support services. Methods: 317 first-year undergraduate students and 75 professors at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, NS were surveyed to determine what they each expected of first-year student research. Students were surveyed on the first day of term so as to best understand their research expectations as they transitioned from high school to university. Results: The gulf between student and professor research expectations was found to be considerable, especially in areas such as time required for reading and research, and the resources necessary to do research. While students rated their preparedness for university as high, they also had high expectations related to their ability to use non-academic sources. Not unexpectedly, the majority of professors believed that students are not prepared to do university-level research, they do not take enough responsibility for their own learning, they should use more academic research sources, and read twice as much as students believe they should. Conclusions: By better understanding differing research expectations, students can be guided very early in their studies about appropriate academic research practices, and librarians and professors can provide students with improved research instruction. Strategies for working with students, professors and the university community are discussed.

The books present recent research on these subjects in a palatable way using interactive maps, podcasts and audio-visual materials. The result, which can be shared freely amongst both academic and non-academic individuals alike, is an engaging and diverse resource for researching and teaching relevant science issues across the humanities.

Of the many experiences students expect to have in an academic library, play probably never comes to mind. Seeing a coffee shop within the library probably feels familiar, as do comfortable chairs, and of course they expect librarians, study rooms, and books, and Wii…wait, what?!

How can Twitter, which limits users to 140 characters per tweet, have any relevance to universities and academia, where journal articles are between 3,000-8,000 words long? Can anything of academic value ever be said in just 140 characters?

Iowa academic libraries -- Symphony users include Dordt, Drake, and Morningside

Steven Bell looks at trends in unaccredited education (OER, for-profit) and postulates on what it might mean for academic libraries. 

Perhaps something of interest ...

Deb, I think this would be right up your alley. He's asking a lot of the same questions you ask, with some interesting links on the last page to other resources. Sections: 1. Is higher ed too big to fail? 2. Innovators wanted 3. Think like a startup 4. Lean startups 5. Build, Measure, Learn 6. Three Essential Qualities 7. Too much assessment, not enough innovation 8. A strategic culture (not plan) 9. Microscopes and telescopes 10. Real artists ship

There is so much potential for museums, galleries and libraries to think more broadly about how their collections can help and inspire anyone who needs them - whether it's artists, designers, business people or academics.

This posting offers links and references to several other articles on this topic.

Still trying to solve this puzzle

An excellent presentation slide deck about the direction libraries could go. Slides I found most interesting / useful: the comparison of metrics on slide 6, the distribution models on slide 11, the library building example on slide 15, the "eras" of slide 17, the PDA rules on slide 28 - fascinating!, and the distribution of library space on slide 36 - raises good questions for us. The last slide ties it all together really well. This would be a great conversation starter!