Library services throughout the country are undergoing increased scrutiny in an environment of unprecedented change. This examination represents an historic juncture not unlike the early years of this century when reference services were first established in academic libraries. Institutions of higher learning and academic libraries expanded in size and complexity. Publishing increased exponentially with the emergence of academic specializations and disciplines. The social and economic forces of the last century drastically altered and reshaped libraries.
Numerous forces are converging to shape the library of the future. The way that scholarly information is created, distributed, and used is undergoing radical transformation. The rapid expansion of electronic information, especially the Internet, is having a profound influence on how individuals find information and on library services. Excess of rather than access to information is now the dominant issue. Library users are challenged to sort through and critically evaluate the burgeoning bits of information available. Access to information is increasingly dependent on technology, and individuals who are "technology have-nots" may be disenfranchised.
Increasing numbers of individuals seek information remotely without coming to the library. At the same time the UW Libraries is experiencing an increase in on-site users, evidence of the importance of the library as a place for research, education, and human interaction. Libraries are experimenting with providing access to information on a just in time basis rather than purchasing books and journals on a just in case basis. No one fully understands the economic or social implications of access instead of ownership.
Increasingly pluralistic populations come to libraries with diverse experiences, learning styles, educational demands and personal obligations. Interdisciplinary pursuits have multiplied and new disciplines have emerged. Academic communities have become more diverse in their backgrounds, interests, and methods of research. The University has become more sophisticated in response to social and technological changes, and new organizational models are evolving.
The new Allen Library and the renovation of the Suzzallo Library and other facilities provide the Libraries with the extraordinary chance to proactively design the future library. Within this environment of unprecedented change and shifting expectations, the Libraries remains committed to providing quality service to the individual library user. The Libraries will maintain its traditional role of acquiring and preserving recorded knowledge while simultaneously developing research and educational services to enhance the ability of students, faculty and staff to fully utilize that cumulative record. The Libraries will continue to provide a much-needed sense of place, especially for students. Open and equal access to information will be safeguarded in a library environment that values free inquiry.
The Libraries is building a user-centered library that focuses explicitly on the information and communication needs of its users and supports user self-sufficiency. The Libraries will seek partnerships with faculty in the integration of information and technology into research and teaching. Taking full advantage of an expanding campus-wide information network, the Libraries will continue moving toward an "electronic library" while preserving what is valuable from its past traditions.
With this network infrastructure, one can envision a library system predicated on fewer, more consolidated physical locations that take advantage of electronic information systems to customize and deliver information and services directly to the desktop in the faculty office, the dorm room and the home. Clustering of libraries will bring together related information sources and provide for adequate staffing and equipment needed for a full array of services. In the library of the future, increasing emphasis will be placed on providing services not limited by the hours the library is open or by its physical location. Ongoing assessment and user feedback will take on added importance as the Libraries shapes its future. Faculty, students and staff will be the beneficiaries as the UW Libraries builds the library of the future.