The National Science Foundation has issued its long-awaited plans for expanded public access to publications and data emerging from its funded research. I have always argued that open access is, at its heart, about ensuring the widest possible audience for research, much of which has been publicly funded, and for showcasing scholarship at the levels of the individual, the research team, the institution, and the nation. I've never been wholly persuaded that open access is (at least in the short-medium term) going to damage publishers' revenues, nor is it likely to reduce the financial burden on university libraries. But what do publishers think? What do they tell their shareholders?
Libraries are remarkable places. They serve as the collective memory of society, indeed of our civilization. They are places of inspiration, of learning, and of opportunity. They offer opportunity for reflection and for interaction - with people, space, and technology. And they offer a destination for knowledge creation - through words on paper and on screen, and through production of digital and physical artifacts in makerspaces.
This blog seeks to explore many of these issues - trying to understand what it means to be a great library in the 21st century. We will consider how libraries find ways of adding value to their parent institution. We will explore how technological, cultural, economic, and policy changes all will impact on the institution of the library, and on the profession of librarianship.