The Changing Landscape of Library and Information Services: What Presidents, Provosts, and Finance Officers Need to Know

Abstract

Rapidly evolving digital technologies and services are profoundly influencing the financial model supporting many colleges and universities. Institutions that rely solely on traditional solutions to address the growing challenges to the higher education business model are unlikely to thrive. Colleges and universities must identify and seize new opportunities in light of new financial challenges.

In December 2013, CLIR sponsored a workshop that explored the ways in which library and information technology services (LITS) organizations and academic institutions will need to evolve. Workshop participants—members of CLIR’s Chief Information Officers (CIOs) group, responsible for integrated library and information technology services organizations—identified changes they would be likely to face in the next decade and what strategies they should adopt to prepare themselves for this future.

CIOs Richard Holmgren, of Allegheny College, and Gene Spencer, of Ursinus College, draw on the workshop discussions to summarize the key challenges and opportunities facing LITS organizations. Developments of the past decade—from the ubiquity of cell phones to the growth of virtual server infrastructure and the maturation of open-source software support models—have created new opportunities for LITS organizations to improve student outcomes, increase revenue, and manage costs. The authors discuss these opportunities and identify the core competencies that LITS organizations will need to support positive institutional change in the decade ahead.