Libraries Unleashed

http://education.guardian.co.uk/librariesunleashed/0,,2274706,00.html

The Guardian is publishing a supplement on academic libraries, in conjunction with JISC’s Libraries of the Future programme.

Colleges, universities and the digital challenge

Introduction Academic libraries are changing faster than at any time in their history.

Information alert A recent survey shows many students from the so-called ‘Google generation’ lack the basic skills needed for online research. How will academic libraries respond, asks Wendy Wallace.

Learning spaces

‘Buildings need to inspire’ Physical spaces are changing as a result of new technologies and student-centred approaches to learning. So what does the learning space of the future look like? Stephen Hoare finds out.

Warwick learning grid A ceiling-mounted plasma screen welcomes you to Warwick University’s learning grid. Pictures of undergraduates Yasmin Kamara and David Metcalfe are flashed up so that students can recognise the two advisers on call to help them this morning.

Saltire Centre It is one of the best-loved and most used landmark buildings on any UK campus. Opened in January 2006, Glasgow Caledonian’s £23m Saltire Centre rewrote the design book for academic libraries. Its five stories roofed over by a glass atrium include a ground floor coffee bar and information desk, comfy sofas for relaxed conversation and, in its upper reaches, quiet areas for individual study.

Library 2.0

Quiet revolution By embracing the interactive, user-generated world of web 2.0, libraries can ensure they keep pace with bold new ways of learning.

No paper required Despite initially being sneered at, the e-book is gaining popularity. Is this the dawn of the bookless library?

You pay… and now they display As more universities adopt open-access policies, publicly-funded research is increasingly becoming freely available online.

New business models

Why a Wild West approach just won’t do How can universities create sustainable academic resources in the increasingly commercial online environment?

Online trailblazers set the pace to go digital The British Library’s historic newspapers archive is one of a handful of pioneering digitisation projects that is setting an example to others.

Digitisation in practice The National Library of Wales cannot be said to lack vision or ambition. It aims to digitalise everything printed about Wales and the Welsh people since the 16th century.

Digitisation

Time’s running out to preserve our treasures Transferring text, audio and images to a PC often unearths forgotten gems from the archives. But will we be able to save them all?

System helps guard against digital disasters As books and journals move online, the preservation of valuable material becomes vital - and that’s where the Lockss initiative can help.

Saltire Centre It is one of the best-loved and most used landmark buildings on any UK campus. Opened in January 2006, Glasgow Caledonian’s £23m Saltire Centre rewrote the design book for academic libraries. Its five stories roofed over by a glass atrium include a ground floor coffee bar and information desk, comfy sofas for relaxed conversation and, in its upper reaches, quiet areas for individual study.

The new user

Academia’s big guns fight ‘Google effect’ Academic search engines may be more discriminating than their commercial counterparts, but they often lack user-friendliness.

Customers’ demands dictate pace of change The expectations of students are one of the biggest drivers of change in libraries. But the needs of researchers and academics must also be key.

Librarians

Meet the ‘information brokers’ A combination of new technology and shifting student expectations is radically altering the job of the librarian. What do librarians themselves see as their role in the new digital era? Karen Higginbottom reports.

Librarians How has technology changed your role?