I see you: Acknowledging libraries now and in the future
By Andrew Carlos, Head of Research, Outreach, and Inclusion at Santa Clara University.
What should we — any member of the higher ed community — do now to ensure a healthy future for academic librarianship?
Talk about the future of libraries is cyclical. Through the years of feast or famine, one continuous thread in this conversation has been what the future library looks like. In light of recent discourse around library budgets and announcements regarding moving away from a physical library with books, what is the library's future? What are the things that we can do now to ensure the health of these institutions?
If we want to ensure a healthy future for academic libraries, there are three things that we can do now to prepare ourselves:
Acknowledge the expertise of all library staff
Build coalitions with other student support services
Fund the library
Andrew Carlos, Head of Research, Outreach, and Inclusion at Santa Clara University
Campuses need to acknowledge the skills and knowledge of all library staff. Given the nature of our work with students, they often feel comfortable sharing information with us that they wouldn't share with their professors or others on campus. We also see and hear students' struggles - we help as they struggle through enrolling in a class, provide snacks because they haven't had anything to eat, and navigate websites looking for housing.
Listen to library staff when we share concerns. They aren't coming from a vacuum – they are evidence-based. The simple act of listening also shows trust in staff as professionals – we often feel marginalized by decisions made on campus without our input that affect our work.
Student success is not the responsibility of one single department on campus – it requires collaboration between many departments. The library is well-positioned to play a leadership role in these efforts. We are often (literally) centrally located on campus and seen as a neutral location (not in the "Libraries are Neutral" sense, but that we support all departments equally as much as we can).
Invite libraries to the table during discussions on student success initiatives. Given the central role that information literacy and critical thinking play in society, there are a lot of things that libraries can offer the campus beyond the occasional one-shot instruction session. Many public services/instruction librarians are excited to engage with students - please use our enthusiasm!
Fund the Library. Full Stop. Period. End of Story.
Libraries already do so many amazing things with such little funding; imagine the possibilities if we are fully staffed, if we had the budget to buy all the resources the campus needs, if we had the funding to create programming and services that are culturally relevant to our students – all without having to figure out what service to cut, what database to let go, what staff position not to fill. More funding also allows us to pay our staff what they are actually worth. I repeat. Pay people what they are worth.
A healthy future for libraries relies on acknowledging libraries' vital role on campus. See Us. Acknowledge Us.
About
Andrew Carlos is the Head of Research, Outreach, and Inclusion at Santa Clara University, where he oversees the Reference and Research Services program, conducts outreach to bring students into the library, and works to create an inclusive and welcoming space for all. He loves movie and tv spoilers, dancing in his head to pop divas, and playing games online with his husband.
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This blog post is part of a series from librarian thought leaders sharing personal insights into the challenges and opportunities their profession faces. Read more.
