Library articles in CHe

["James J. O'Donnell" <jod@georgetown.edu>]

The Chronicle of Higher Education has several pieces this week (issue of
9/30/2005, arriving in the next day or two in the mail, online now to
subscribers at www.chronicle.com) on current libraranship.  Of note here
are (with first paragraphs):

Electronic Libraries Can't Be Academic
By STEVEN J. BELL

It's not easy being an academic librarian these days. Speculation persists
that we may soon be the higher-education equivalent of the Maytag
repairman, as the Internet becomes the first place students and professors
look for information.  While academic institutions are struggling to
define their libraries' purpose and future in an increasingly complex and
chaotic information environment, one commercial organization is creating
additional ambiguity by trying to redefine the academic library.  
[Discusses Questia and similar services and decides Questia is not a
library.]

***

Libraries Lost: Storage Bins and Robotic Arms
By FRED D. WHITE

On October 16, 2002, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina -- the New Library of
Alexandria, Egypt -- officially opened, although some prefer to think of
it as a reopening, 2,000 years after the destruction of the legendary
original Alexandrian Library, which was intended to be a universal archive
and pre-eminent center of learning.  [Declares browsing open shelves a
critical feature of libraries.  "We must find a way to make physical books
precious to young people again."  Reform could begin with the Bodleian,
the Bibliotheque Nationale, the British Library, and the Library of
Congress, all many decades ahead of the curve on obstructing browsing.]

***

Reference Questions in the Library of the Future
By W. LEE HISLE

This is a time of transition in academic libraries. Core functions -- like
reference services, collection development, and preservation -- are being
rethought and redefined as libraries move from traditional forms of
services and print-based collections to online services and digitized
collections.  [Function of the Reference Desk.]

***

Thoughtful Design Keeps New Libraries Relevant
Not everything students want and need is online
By SCOTT CARLSON

Harold B. Shill recalls an overcast day in November 1999 when he and a
friend strolled across the campus of Pennsylvania State University at
Harrisburg, passing the college's brand-new library. Mr. Shill, then the
university's library director, had spent years planning and pushing for
the $15-million library building, and here it was, scheduled to open in a
month.  [Keeping libraries 'popular'.]


Jim O'Donnell
Georgetown U.