Libraries and IT: are we there yet?

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to look at the impact for users on university library and information technology services, present and future, following merger.

Design/methodology/approach – The study examined user survey data from the early 1990s through the 2006 LibQUAL survey, collected information through interviews with faculty and Information Services, and examined the National Science Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies reports on cyberinfrastructure.

Findings – The paper finds that while the merged information services organization is not yet a resounding success from the perspectives of staff in information services or faculty, it is a brave attempt to respond to the future.

Originality/value – This paper is useful to others thinking the organizational relationship between libraries and campus information technology.

Keywords - Academic libraries, Communication technologies, Organizational restructuring, Information services

Paper type - Case study