Adrift. Dysfunctional. Desperately needing a change. The adjectives sound like descriptions of a bad relationship, but about three years ago Xavier University, in Cincinnati, applied them to two of its departments.
Both Xavier's library and its information-technology unit were in terrible shape. Xavier had hired four chief information officers in five years, its technology was obsolete, its library and IT staffs didn't talk to each other, and students had to jump through hoops to do online research.
David W. Dodd, the CIO who arrived at Xavier in 2005, said students and faculty members wanted three basic things: "Provide the services I'm looking for, in the manner I want, and get out of my way." They weren't getting any of them.
The solution was to scrap traditional library and technology units in favor of one with librarians and technology experts working side by side, responding to students' needs for immediate, round-the-clock access to electronic data and interactive Web applications.
Paul Streby on 26 Oct 07The practice of using a social network to establish and enhance relationships based on some common ground-shared interests, related skills, or a common geographic location-is as old as human societies, but social networking has flourished due to the ease of connecting on the Web. This OCLC membership report explores this web of social participation and cooperation on the Internet and how it may impact the library's role, including: The use of social networking, social media, commercial and library services on the WebHow and what users and librarians share on the Web and their attitudes toward related privacy issuesOpinions on privacy onlineLibraries' current and future roles in social networking The report is based on a survey (by Harris Interactive on behalf of OCLC) of the general public from six countries-Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States-and of library directors from the U.S. The research provides insights into the values and social-networking habits of library users. Social networking was also discussed at the OCLC Symposium "Who's Watching YOUR Space?" at ALA Midwinter 2007, while property law and privacy rights were discussed at the OCLC Symposium: "Is the Library Open?" at ALA Annual 2007.
