Joined-up Library and Information Services in the University of the 21st Century

Abstract

Universities in the UK at the start of the 21st century are in transition. Different trends are emerging in the subjects they teach and the way they are organized and student numbers are increasing. New and more powertul computer networks are being established. In this environment economies have to be made and administrative reorganisation can be seen to assist this. Libraries and computing services are increasingly overlapping in their coverage and are formally merging. Librarians are taking more part in training and the electronic library is changing much. Electronic journals, books and secondary services are changing the ways in which libraries work. The concept of the hybrid library has emerged and the virtual learning environment means that the traditional boundaries between classroom and library are blurring. A recent SCONUL report made some predictions about library economics, technological developments and student numbers.