The Role of Libraries in a Digital Age

Presented to Dominican University of California faculty and staff, on November 27, 2018, by Ethan Annis. It explores the role of academic libraries and academic librarians at a time when print book borrowing and reference questions have both declined by about 75%. During the same period, libraries\u27 gate counts, usage of digital resources, the prevalence of predatory academic journals and the number of engagements with fake news have all increased. The presenter proposes that libraries decrease space devoted to stacks and librarians teach students to distinguish between reliable, empirically based information and fiction. It also explores options for using the space made available from housing stacks more efficiently