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Presentation at Stellenbosch University 14th Annual Library Symposium
Stellenbosch Institute for Advance Studies (STIAS)
November 3, 2016 – November 4, 2016

http://conferences.sun.ac.za/index.php/sulis_symp14/SUALS14

Shaping the academic library of the future: adapt, empower, partner, engage

The tradition of the Stellenbosch University Annual Library Symposium of being a platform for discussing new library and information services and developments will continue at the 14th Annual Library Symposium in November 2016. The discussion will be turned to the shaping of the academic library of the future. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of adapting to users’ needs, adapting to new roles as librarians, adapting as a library, empowerment of staff and clients and the importance of partnerships and engagement.

The theme is partly based on the recent OCLC report, Shaping the Library to the life of the user: adapting, empowering, partnering, engaging. In this report it becomes clear that “research and learning needs are changing. Higher education is reconfiguring. As a result of these massive changes, the library must pivot and adapt”. The following core themes are mentioned in this report: to empower users, to empower the library, form partnerships and to engage the campus community. The report advises libraries to be able to “move from offering a fixed set of services to a ‘constant beta’ mode of service evolution” .

Three different sessions will focus on the following themes, all related to the shaping of the academic library of the future:

Digital innovation: Topics of this session may include Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Research Data Management, Big Data, E-learning, Digital Humanities, Next Generation Systems.

Collaboration / Partnerships : Partnerships with OCLC, SANLIC and other consortia as well as other collaboration possibilities will be discussed.

The user experience: Academic staff, researchers and students of local universities will share their expectations as users of academic libraries.