Publication
Big Deal
Should Universities Outsource More Core Research Infrastructure?
- January 4, 2018
Research universities have developed in symbiosis with a robust set of commercial providers that serve their needs. From food service providers to run dining halls to private equity firms to manage parts of the endowment, outsourcing has allowed universities to remain more focused on their core educational and research functions. But universities have also at times elected to outsource academic …
Event
Initial Results from the ASERL Salary Survey
Katherine Daniel and Roger Schonfeld at the ASERL Fall Meeting
- November 30, 2017
- Miami, Florida
On Thursday, November 30, from 9:45 - 10:45 am, Katherine Daniel and Roger Schonfeld will present the initial results of the ASERL salary survey at the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries Fall 2017 Meeting in Miami, Florida. For more information about the salary survey, please see Bonnie MacEwan's blog post: "Why We Need a Salary Survey: The View from Auburn University." The program for the meeting is available on ASERL's…
Blog
Why We Need a Salary Survey
The View from Auburn University
- October 25, 2017
Like many academic libraries, Auburn University participated in the 2016 Library Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion survey conducted by Ithaka S+R with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Due to particular circumstances, I ended up being the lead person to gather and compile the data for my library, rather than our Library HR manager. It consumed a few hours of a dean’s time, but provided me a front seat to interact with…
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Event
Brainstorming How ASERL Members Can Test a New Licensing Model
Webinar with Roger Schonfeld
- October 13, 2017
On October 13, at 2:00 pm, the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) is hosting a webinar with Roger Schonfeld and John Ulmschneider (Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries) to discuss, "Red Light, Green Light: Brainstorming how ASERL members can test a new licensing model." The interactive webinar is open to ASERL members In a recent issue brief, Roger Schonfeld proffered a draft model for ways research libraries could design and undertake…
Blog
Open Educational Resources
Sharing Lessons Learned from K-12 Education
- August 17, 2017
Open educational resources (OERs), which are licensed as freely available for people to use and repurpose, have become a driving force as the education sector looks to reduce costs. OERs are associated with numerous benefits for students, including savings of an average of $128 per course, higher course grades, and greater likelihood of course completion. As a recent Ithaka S+R case study highlighted, the University of Maryland, University College (UMUC)…
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Blog
University Libraries Are Putting the Student First
Perspective from US Library Leaders
- August 8, 2017
Last week’s article in The Guardian from Alterline’s Ben Hickman, entitled “University libraries need to start putting the student first,” proposed that university libraries need to put evidence on student needs and practices at the heart of their decision-making. The author included a number of suggested areas for improvement – for example, the provision of ample space, friendly engagement with librarians and library staff, and accessible resources. As UK higher…
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Blog
Reflections on “Elsevier Acquires bepress”
Implications for Library Leaders
- August 7, 2017
We are today in the midst of a profound reconfiguration of all sorts of information industries, impacting everything from journalism to entertainment. Libraries and scholarly information providers are not alone. Last week’s news of the bepress acquisition by Elsevier, which I first covered in a business analysis suggesting its strong strategic fit along with some potential risks, took the academic library community by storm. As the dust begins to settle,…
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Blog
Advocacy and Assessment: Communicating and Maximizing Library Value
- June 26, 2017
Earlier this year, Ithaka S+R published results from the US Library Survey 2016, which examines strategy and leadership issues from the perspective of academic library deans and directors. One of the key findings from the study was that library directors are pursuing strategic directions with a decreasing sense of support from their institutions, and a recent study on the perceptions of library value from the perspective of provosts and chief…
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Event
Presentation on the US Library Survey 2016 Findings
Roger Schonfeld at CNI
- April 3, 2017
Roger Schonfeld will present on the key findings of the US Library Survey 2016 at the CNI Spring 2017 Membership Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on April 3 at 2:45 pm. How are library leaders making investments in the future of their organizations? What kinds of strategies are they pursuing in support of research, teaching, and learning? And what constraints do they recognize as limiting their ability to pursue these strategies? In…
Event
Leading Innovation: A Seminar for Department Chairs
- June 5, 2017
Department chairs play a critical role in their institutions, helping to make important hiring and budget decisions and increasingly playing a crucial role in innovations around teaching, learning, and technology. Yet, while the department chair is typically the first rung on the ladder to senior leadership in academia, many take on the role without the necessary training or mentorship. The Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership and Ithaka S+R have…