Transforming the academic library for the future

Purpose: To meet the changing needs of academic and specialized users, university and research libraries are transforming their collections, staff, and services. At the UCLA Library, four principles underlie changes that have been made to support teaching, learning, and research by UCLA students, faculty, researchers, and staff. Efforts have focused on building and enhancing research collections, enriching the student experience through expanded teaching and learning services, transforming the Library's role to support the entire research process, and re-conceptualizing the physical and virtual spaces of the Library to create an expansive and flexible scholarly environment. To support and inform these efforts, the Library is building a robust research agenda and deepening opportunities for faculty engagement. These changes challenge the traditional model of library staffing, and the Library has responded by identifying new areas in which leadership is needed and new recruitment tracks for academic appointments. Implementing such a transformative process has many stakeholders and requires broad input, discussion, and committed engagement to ensure its success.Design/methodology/approach: The UCLA Library has developed its strategic planning process over several years building on broad constituent input, unit and individual work plans, and constituent feedback. The process is high level as well as operational in nature and draws on basic metrics to motivate change.Findings: The four principles of the transition have been sustained over a period of years.Implications and limitations: This article is the personal observation of the author drawing on his own leadership experience and informed by the senior management and staff of the UCLA Library.Originality/value: The process and direction of this transition are focused on the UCLA Library and its role in the UCLA academy.Purpose: To meet the changing needs of academic and specialized users, university and research libraries are transforming their collections, staff, and services. At the UCLA Library,four principles underlie changes that have been made to support teaching, learning, and research by UCLA students, faculty, researchers, and staff. Efforts have focused on building and enhancing research collections, enriching the student experience through expanded teaching and learning services, transforming the Library's role to support the entire research process, and re-conceptualizing the physical and virtual spaces of the Library to create an expansive and flexible scholarly environment. To support and inform these efforts, the Library is building a robust research agenda and deepening opportunities for faculty engagement. These changes challenge the traditional model of library staffing, and the Library has responded by identifying new areas in which leadership is needed and new recruitment tracks for academic appointments. Implementing such a transformative process has many stakeholders and requires broad input, discussion, and committed engagement to ensure its success.Design/methodology/approach: The UCLA Library has developed its strategic planning process over several years building on broad constituent input, unit and individual work plans, and constituent feedback. The process is high level as well as operational in nature and draws on basic metrics to motivate change.Findings: The four principles of the transition have been sustained over a period of years.Implications and limitations: This article is the personal observation of the author drawing on his own leadership experience and informed by the senior management and staff of the UCLA Library.Originality/value: The process and direction of this transition are focused on the UCLA Library and its role in the UCLA academy.