In addition, the universities’ market demands are changing in terms of improving
student learning outcomes. Some of the changes taking place in higher education
have a direct impact on the library and its services. These include alterations in
institution’s curricula, demographic changes in student bodies and additions to the
media used in the classroom and in support of research (Budd, 1998). This translates
to a demand that cannot be met with current resources, present bureaucratic structures
and traditional methods for delivering services. Reid (2000) pointed out that this
causes universities to measure their teaching programmes, at least to some extent, as a
market commodity that is aimed to meet the needs of the customer. In addition,
universities will be required to re-examine all traditional methods and frameworks for
a university education. In doing so, the discussion about this re-examination of the
university will move into the same kind of paradigm shifting as that about libraries
(Stoffle, 1996). It is also a challenge to academic libraries to support the needs of
students for virtual learning. Due to these challenges, it is clear that academic
libraries are turning to be “libraries without walls” and the information they deal with
is now multi-format