Introduction: Accelerating Change
Libraries have been valued over centuries for providing a record of civilization, for
preserving important collections, and for offering researchers and casual readers the most up-todate
resources necessary for their work and lifelong learning. For much of this time, print and
paper reigned as format and focus; it wasn’t until the early 1900s that this changed with the
advent and distribution of sound recordings. Now print no longer dominates as a preferred
format in many disciplines, as new options crowd the scholarly arena.
Libraries have undergone rapid change in recent decades that not only pertain to their
holdings, but to services as well. When job descriptions for subject bibliographers became
common in the 1990s, the positions were intended to develop expertise in building collections
within assigned disciplines. Much of the work was directed toward wise purchasing decisions
and staying in touch with departmental faculty for research needs. However, a shift was seen as
these roles led more into subject liaison work, with assignments related to an array of tasks in
instruction, research consultations, and reference services as well as collection building.
Outreach, library promotion, marketing and creating connections to targeted user groups are
fairly recent concerns for academic library programs. Budgets grow tighter while we are asked to
demonstrate our value. As social media are adopted for the sake of library promotion and
outreach, we must also navigate the changing landscape that patrons face in their own ability to
create online content across these platforms. All of these concerns are at the forefront of
academic libraries as academic librarians constantly strive to demonstrate our value to the
academic community.
As light traffic in reference departments became a trend, this translated into concerted
outreach efforts to grab the attention of patrons who might need assistance, but were not