Library in Transition

I have tagged and annotated this article, but apparently it did not save under the same bookmark. This one can be deleted.

Issued recent report on collaborative mgt of print collections

Problem Statement: As the availability of online scholarly resources grows, research institutions face increasing pressure to optimize management of their print collections. Consolidation and rationalization of holdings within and across institutions creates economies of scale that benefit individual institutions and the community as a whole by reducing costs and eliminating redundancies in system-wide holdings. While there is broad interest in achieving such economies, essential infrastructure for enabling inter-institutional cooperation in print management is lacking.

Contents: Acknowledgment 1 Phoenix Public Library , librarianship , form follows function FUNCTION Mission People and Places 13 Beijing University , Shanghai , Carnegie library The British Library 21 British Library , British Museum , Euston Road Constructing the New Shanghai Library 32 Shanghai Library , think tank , Yu Li The San Antonio Public Library 41 San Antonio , Ricardo Legorreta , Milton Babbitt The Construction of the New Peking University Library 53 Tsinghua University , Project 211 , Beijing more » FORM Arranging Services in Space 75 IUPUI , cognitive space , HKUST The Johnson Center Library at George Mason University 83 George Mason University , self-checkout , food court Integrating Mass Communications 105 Kapiolani Library , Diamond Head , Library's Library Services at California State University Monterey 122 California State University , Fort Ord , Monterey Bay A Library for the 21st Century 138 Computer clusters , Thomas Moser , Indianapolis TABLE OF CONTENTS 149 Phoenix Public Library , architect , Marzynski Partner in Education 168 Dartmouth College , Information Age , library science The Walsh Library Seton Hall University 176 Seton Hall University , South Orange , Walsh Library SIGNIFICANCE Symbols and Emblems 189 retrocon , Bibliotheque Nationale , Le Figaro The Bibliotheque Francois Mitterrand of the Bibliotheque 197 Bibliotheque nationale , Tolbiac , Dominique Perrault A National Library 231 Dominique Perrault , Francois Mitterrand , Nationale de France Rational Space 253 IUPUI , Carnegie libraries , CSUMB

Despite calls for electronic, virtual, digital libraries without walls, the walled variety are still being built, some of them massive. This book explores the reasons for this contradiction by examining several notable new library facilities around the world to see how modern expectations for libraries are being translated into concrete and steel. More and more libraries are looking at change not as a dreaded hazard but as an opportunity that can itself be seized to strengthen the library in the areas of mission, technologies, facilities, funding, and organizational structure. Thirteen libraries are discussed-by a librarian or administrator who worked on the project. Each author writes about the design and building concerns that were particularly relevant to that library: philosophy, political issues, or any other concerns that affected planning, building, and services in the new facility. Introductory and concluding chapters identify underlying values and themes, tying everything together. The unique combinations of issues, constraints, and opportunities show how libraries are planning to fit into the approaching era of virtual information delivery.

The university research library of the 21st century will be a physical place on campus intertwined with a digital presence on student and faculty computers.

I just want to point out that this is a link to an actual library, not an article about a future library. It is great to see a defined mission statement for what this library is becoming. It makes it clear to students and faculty (and just as important: donors) that the library is more than books and journals.