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This article explores the potential benefits of eliminating the requirement of a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) for branch library management positions. Waiving the requirement attracts a wider range of candidates, including BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) applicants. Many of the skills necessary for library jobs—such as building community relationships and overseeing budgets—do not necessarily come from acquiring an MLIS and, in fact, are more likely to come from other experiences. At the same time, the MLIS does offer foundational knowledge about library values and professional ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project management as a discipline has been around for decades within such fields as business and manufacturing, however, the library profession has seen slower adoption, along with apparent gaps in training support. In 2018, an American Library Association project team surveyed library professionals regarding their experiences with project management in their organizations and LIS programs. The results highlighted a number of gaps in project management practices in libraries and preparation among library professionals for managing projects. Recommendations are given for ALA Core and for library administrators to address gaps in training and support of project management in libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the distinct challenges that works of art pose for those managing non-art specialist research libraries across the United Kingdom. Using analysis of survey and case-study interview data, the article demonstrates that current approaches to the management of art in non-art specialist research libraries are uneven in such key areas as collection management; cataloguing; storage and access; and librarianship and training. This article seeks to build consensus on best practices with respect to the management of art in libraries and proposes practical recommendations for libraries seeking to improve the care and use of the art in their collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management Basics for Information Professionals, 4th edition, by G. Edwards Evans and Stacy Greenwell is intended as a textbook for the introductory library management course with the secondary objective of helping librarians hone their management skills. The authors aim to cover management issues in all types and sizes of libraries but focus more on academic and public libraries. The 22 chapters adequately cover the broad scope of management topics including self-management and career development. Positives include stressing that management is an art rather than a science, that no one strategy will succeed in all situations, and that managers must be aware of the internal and external environment. Additional examples of turning abstract principles into practice, more humor, and increased contributions from the behavioral sciences would have strengthened the text. A supplementary 150 page document that provides challenging case studies for classroom use is available upon request. Overall, I highly recommend this textbook and would use it if I were to teach the basic management course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference, liaison, subject librarianship: all of these terms traditionally describe a combination of research assistance, instruction, and collection management. This study used structured interviews with 15 librarians at 14 geographically dispersed, medium to large academic institutions to investigate the current state of reference and liaison librarianship. Library administrators' views are important to understanding the future of this work since they advocate for resources if they see the necessity. Findings included agreement on the goals of the work and the urgent need to communicate its value in the current higher education landscape; however, the specific means of communication and the types of work that being a partner could include varied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the reduced number of free-standing library schools, one common model places IT students and LIS students within the same unit. Doing so raises questions about how to teach management. IT students will most likely work in revenue generating organizations while most libraries have assured continuing funding. IT organizations normally provide less job security but also offer greater economic opportunities. Librarians have less risk of being fired, but salary gains are more limited. IT students seeking a master's degree usually need technical competencies for admission while LIS students get admitted from all disciplines without any prior courses in library science. LIS students with a liberal arts degree are better prepared for the complexities of management. Most MLIS librarians will have management responsibilities. IT students may not. Finally, IT is disproportionately male while LIS is a female profession. The column concludes with some ways to provide adequate management education to both groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying dimensions and levels of maturity in digital information management is of high significance for university libraries because it would highly influence their daily businesses and future decisions. The current study is an effort to develop, confirm and test a maturity model for digital information management in the context of university libraries as a response to ever-increasing digital information. A design science approach in qualitative-quantitative order was considered as the research design. Initially, a meta-synthesis was conducted to systematically review the related literature and to develop the conceptual model for dimensions and levels. Afterward, a set of 30 related experts analyzed and confirmed the model with a 95% confidence level. Finally, the maturity levels of 14 central university libraries across Iran were measured through a multiple case study design. The MMDIM (Maturity Model for Digital Information Management) includes 10 dimensions, 20 components and 5 levels. Regarding priorities given to the components by the experts, the digital business model and digital work environment were the first and last priorities respectively. The results showed that most selected libraries were at level three namely slight management of digital information. Moreover, library managers evaluated levels of their maturity which showed that digital processes and operations and digital culture were given the first and last levels respectively. The model could be regarded as a diagnostic tool to identify development needs that could be supported by objectives of other similar libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Singapore teenagers are digitally-wired and mobile device-driven. Growing up digital, the question is how are their reading habits like? To better understand the state of reading for leisure in a highly digitally-wired country, the Singapore's National Library Board (NLB) conducted the inaugural population-wide National Reading Habits Study in 2016 among Singaporeans aged 13 years and above. A mixed-method research design in the form of a quantitative survey and focus group discussions was employed for the study. This paper focuses on the reading habits of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19. The study ascertained that 71% of Singapore teenagers read any material for leisure frequently, i.e. at least a few times a week. Half of them (51%) indicated reading online articles on social media or websites, with the proportion for social media higher compared to websites. However, few of them had read news (35%) or books (32%) frequently. The study also found that the internet and digital devices are a double-edged sword, as they help them to read more, but at the same time distract them from reading due to their active connection to friends on social media. Strategies to better engage Singapore teenagers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will introduce and illustrate process mapping as a valuable tool in the academic library setting. Commonly used in the business world, process mapping is the practice of gathering information regarding a specific workflow and diagraming it visually, usually in the form of a flowchart. This representation can then be analyzed for process improvement. In addition to helping assess current workflow efficiency, process mapping is a valuable way for employees throughout the library to see how they are contributing to essential processes. Process mapping can also help to identify areas where departments can work to further collaborate and can contribute to knowledge management and continuity. This article will highlight the valuable benefits of process mapping and document the authors' experience focusing this activity on the operations at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's J. Murrey Atkins Library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As data services gain momentum in academic libraries, liaison librarians are expected to be part of the education force for data literacy. Nonetheless, due to the broad scope of data literacy, training librarians to improve data-related skills can be challenging. This article used consultation statistics to identify tools and resources employed to solve users’ data questions. The results offered insights into users’ data needs and provided librarians with a clear direction to further develop data skills in their assigned disciplines. The methodology used in this study can be replicated at other institutions to identify needs and to direct professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In advance of loss of archival space, a health sciences library developed a plan to weed and organize its archives. Working with the health sciences center foundation and campus academic affairs officials, the library hired a local archivist on a contract basis, for the last quarter of 2017, to execute this plan. This case study describes the organizational context, details and administrative implications of the project. This description is a unique contribution to the literature about the use of contract labor in health sciences library collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This issue ofJournal of Library Administrationmarks a transition of editorship for “Global Perspectives.” This column will provide a retrospective of past contributions under the founding Editor, Jim Agee. It will look briefly at the landscape of libraries and library organizations worldwide from a variety of sources, and conclude with a call for future submissions, with updated and expanded parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article gives the author's evaluation of the relative structural advantages and disadvantages of classroom and online education. He believes that online education is more effective in teaching concepts and individual skills because it offers the possibility of requiring all students to interact more frequently with course content and allows them to work at their own pace and to review course materials. He was not, however, willing to teach management online because the classroom experience is better at teaching, through interactive exercises, a focus on student interactions, and the use of guest lecturers, the soft skills needed for successful management. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Is librarianship in the UK a true profession, a semi-profession or a mere occupation ? Professional reviews Widening the reflective theme of this piece yet further, I have often been struck as a UK practitioner how little critical appraisal there seems to be of the various components that form the essence of academic librarianship as a discipline and profession. Taking advantage of the additional personal reading time afforded by the second English COVID-19 lockdown of November 2020, I came across a rare example of a professional UK library colleague being cited by name in a national, non-librarianship periodical and, rarer still, that said librarian being publicly criticised in a I negative i fashion (Liddle, [4]). [Extracted from the article]

Column Editor's Note.As the Column Title indicates, this column brings Global Perspectives to the Journal of Library Administration. Library administrators in different types of libraries share case studies, research, reports, or articles from a wide variety of geographic locations outside of North America. Prospective authors are invited to discuss possible future contributions with the column editor at: Jim.Agee@yahoo.com. The purpose of this comprehensive study is to conduct a cross-sectional observation of four Portuguese university libraries, thus contributing to the knowledge of this reality and achieving an overview of the administrative structure, resources, and user instruction in these university libraries. The overall contribution to the field is mainly a focus on the state of the art of university libraries in Portugal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This JLA column posits that academic libraries and their services are dominated by information technologies, and that the success of librarians and professional staff is contingent on their ability to thrive in this technology-rich environment. The column will appear in odd-numbered issues of the journal, and will delve into all aspects of library-related information technologies and knowledge management used to connect users to information resources, including data preparation, discovery, delivery and preservation. Prospective authors are invited to submit articles for this column to the editor at kenning.arlitsch@montana.edu. The cost of building library collections continues to increase, forcing librarians to think differently about their budget models. Increasing costs of IT infrastructure needed to connect to information resources also adds to budget concerns. The idea of changing the emphasis of collections budgets to one of broader access is not new, but formally acknowledging the need to support local technology infrastructure and other means of access may offer a new way of promoting the collections budget to university administrators. We propose a budget model that acknowledges these broader requirements and includes concepts of surfacing and discovery, provision, creation, and acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This column begins with an overview of an Alma ebook management project from the Electronic Resources Minnesota conference in 2019. Then, conference presenters discuss organizational restructuring from their presentation at the Charleston Conference 2019, which is followed by two more reports from Charleston 2020 conference sessions highlighting an affordable course materials initiative and how to balance user preferences and convenience with protecting a user's private information. Finally, a report from the first Core Conference discusses the new Unsub tool and how two libraries incorporated it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solo tenure-track librarians in academia must discover the key to mastering the fine art of multitasking to execute concepts of seamless user experiences. This article covers notable practices and principles of Solo tenure-track librarians in academia, specifically at the City University of New York, including overseeing a library division, satisfying provisions of the academic triad (excellence in teaching, service, and creative scholarship), and liaising various academic disciplines. Solos appointed to oversee a library division coordinate every aspect of access service (stacks maintenance, facilities management, user experience, etc.) in addition to being director. Directing a specialized library unit accompanies public-facing expectations of access and being an effective advocate and dynamic partner with all stakeholders. The purpose is to highlight the importance and value of Solo librarianship in higher education and their impactful contributions to the student body, faculty, and administrators alike. Though not intended to be exhaustive, the review of library literature serves as a practical guide to others in similar circumstances. The author's reflections introduce a deeper understanding of supportive organizational structures and the interdependence of building a collaborative team to provide intentional user-focused library services, promote literacy, and efficient operation across all service points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents discussion regarding career development for librarians, focusing on the life cycle of library administrators. Attention is given to the roles and skills needed for being a library supervisor, a manager, and the broader category of administrative leader. Topics addressed include discussion differentiating the separate roles, what skills and daily tasks occupy each position, and advice for growing as a librarian over one's career.

Research libraries are in a time of major transitions and changes. Research library leadership is also transitioning. This article will define transition, explore its many manifestations, and provide strategies and tools for institutions and individuals dealing with transitional environments. Transition provides special opportunities and challenges for research libraries moving forward, not only at the administrative level but at all levels of the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article describes how the University of Arizona (UA) Libraries implemented a project management process to address the increasing need to be more efficient and effective in initiating and completing projects, and to manage the changing and complex nature of the Libraries’ work. The Libraries identified the Brigham Young University (BYU) Project Planning and Management process as a method that would help the organization define, plan, execute, and complete its projects effectively and efficiently. An overview of the BYU project management method, as adapted and implemented by the UA Libraries, and a description of portfolio management, project management, product management, and roadmaps, are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An introduction to the issue is presented in which the editors discuss the focus of the issue on innovation in library science and administration, the processes of the University of Arizona (UA) Libraries, and the history, themes, and approaches of the Living the Future biennial conference.

Panelists look at publishing and scholarly communications from varied perspectives and discuss possible futures for interaction between publishers, libraries, and the research university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New forms of scholarship and publishing are radically and rapidly changing the relationships among those who create, store, disribute, and use information. This paper will focus on the changes in library collections and library information technology organizations, the resulting advancements in scholarly research, and will discuss the attributes, attitudes, and skills needed by the librarians of tomorrow to develop the strong connections between the academic disciplines and research libraries that are essential for library development in the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on differing missions and models, with unique populations and policies, regional campus libraries vary greatly in form and in function not only from those on a main campus but also among themselves. Demanding flexibility in personnel, administrative models, service philosophies, and collection development efforts while still meeting resource and service expectations to regional campuses presents increasing challenges to academic libraries. This paper discusses the findings of a survey distributed to regional campus librarians in the fall of 2005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the number of reference questions continues to decline across academic libraries, innovative models have been developed to highlight collections and reach underserved communities. This article describes four outreach models at the University of New Mexico University Libraries, including satellite outreach services, pop-up book trucks and events, and relationship building at various locations on and off campus. The authors describe innovative approaches including curated browsing experiences and relationship marketing to underserved communities. Lessons learned, future approaches, and the benefits of each model will also be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study examines medical librarians' personality based on their leisure activities to find out which personal characteristics prevail among working medical librarians. Methods: An electronic survey was administered among medical librarians of the New England/South East regions. The collected statistics was compared to the national leisure statistics and previously published studies on personality traits. Results: The respondent group exhibited prevailing Artistic, Investigative, and Conventional types, with a slightly higher number of introverts. Conclusions: Personalities of the respondents fit into the job environment quite well, which could positively influence their interaction with patrons and the overall quality of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding an appropriate temporary storage location for books and providing access to them is a significant challenge for libraries undergoing renovations. The current article describes the use of a document management company by an academic library to store 430,000 books for 8 months and provide a retrieval-on-demand service. Aspects covered include the selection of a commercial storage provider with its own retrieval service; details of the move to and from offsite storage; the integration of the service with library processes; communications and user feedback; book usage during the storage period; overall costs; and lessons learned from the experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One pressing issue in libraries today is the censorship of information. This theoretical essay uses Kurt Lewin's gatekeeping theory to examine the decision-makers as well as the different pressures and constraints that are at issue in decisions regarding challenges and censorship attempts that occur in regards to library collections. Knowing who the decision-makers, or gatekeepers, are in the decision-making process, whether it is library boards, library directors, or public officials, is crucial to the understanding of censorship in public libraries. Without a clear understanding of the function of gates and gatekeepers in the decision-making process, libraries may allow unintended censorship of ideas and information to persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patrons and scholars are increasingly likely to first encounter a collection in a digital space rather than a physical one. This article considers how to utilize data visualization in an academic library to promote a unique collection to remote visitors. In order to create awareness of the Valente Italian Library at Seton Hall University, one of the largest Italian collections in the United States, subject librarians considered ways to convey and describe the collection beyond the search box or the discovery filters of the catalog. After considering meaningful data points available in the records data, the authors harvested, cleaned, and mined the data for interesting collection facets. Visualizations were created from the data and the authors explore whether they offer a greater understanding of the collection and aid in telling its story, as well as recreate a sense of browsing for the online visitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Commonwealth Government Agency Libraries Review was commissioned by the Executive Committee of the Australian Government Library and Information Network (AGLIN). The review sought to identify how government libraries might best meet the needs of Commonwealth employees by delivering efficient, cost-effective and equitable information services. While a primarily quantitative survey was used in Stage 1 to collect detailed data about individual agency libraries, this article focuses on the qualitative data gathered in a series of focus groups. Library and information professionals discussed the valuable aspects of their work, as well as identifying the range of issues and challenges they faced. In Stage 2, interviews with senior executives and policy managers validated the findings, with the complex mix of positive and negative factors associated with the roles played by librarians acknowledged. The research highlights the urgent imperative for librarians to take advantage of the changing government information environment to reposition their roles. Initiative, leadership and strategic vision are required to ensure that their professional skills are recognised. The project activities themselves demonstrate how collaboration has the potential to develop and support a culture of research into practice in the field of library science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participants were often government documents librarians because they were already familiar with digital data that could be used in GIS software. The ARL project did not dictate how GIS services[3] should be implemented at any given institution and each library was able to develop GIS services as they felt best fit their needs. At some institutions libraries became the central point of contact on campus for all things related to GIS government documents librarians software licensing, training, and data services. 3 We make a subtle distinction between "GIS services" mentioned here that refers to historical services that were mostly limited to access to GIS software and a limited set of digital geospatial data primarily produced and distributed by the U.S. Government. [Extracted from the article]

Embedded and sustained cultural change is a holy grail which has been pursued for many years. This article provides a framework for achieving cultural change in public libraries, which are one of the longest and most enduring public sector institutions. This framework has been developed by synthesizing the ideas of Karl Marx (“From each according to his ability and to each according to his needs”) and Abraham Maslow (The Hierarchy of Needs). This mixture of political science and psychology provides a new way of framing the challenge of cultural change in public libraries. It creates a solid conceptual and theoretical basis for the changes required to transform Traditional Libraries (which serve only 20% of the community) into libraries, which are Community Led (to reach 50%) and Needs Based (to reach 80% and beyond). This evaluation framework will enhance the understanding of public libraries; but to understand the world is not enough—we must also seek to change it. And so this article also gives practical examples of how the framework can be applied. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The nature of academic librarianship is changing as librarians move away from the curation of material and into research support roles. Although this creates new opportunities it can be difficult for staff to learn the skills needed. The Office of Scholarly Communication at Cambridge University seeks to address this issue with the Research Support Ambassadors Programme, an initiative which skills staff in areas such as Research Data Management and Open Access. This case study outlines the evolution of the program from its pilot through to its recently completed second run in 2016. The challenges associated with running a cross-library training program are discussed and solutions highlighted. Also discussed is the impact that the program has had on participants. This case study will be of interest to those aiming to pursue a career in this area of librarianship and those looking at preparing staff for the future of the academic library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development of the Product Champions project by the Pickering Public Library in Ontario to improve access to electronic collections overall. The role of the Product Champion is explored which includes making staff and clients more aware of the product, providing feedback to selector on product usefulness and completing ongoing tasks on an ad hoc basis. The creation of the library of other learning initiatives to keep the Product Champions initiative fresh is tackled.

This essay is about how libraries have changed and are changing in their intent and the services they provide as they respond to transformations in technology, work, and the purposes of education. Libraries have moved from emphasizing the importance of reading, which is still a given, to programming and offering services that help citizens find new work rules filled with creativity and collaboration. The Dokk1 library in Arhus, Denmark, and the author’s own Anythink Libraries are examples of institutions that have made huge strides in the development of the new public library that meets the needs of its citizens amid the complexities of new or substantially redefined terms for happiness and success. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article summarizes the conclusions from a series of two-day seminars of professional library executives on the future of libraries. The provocative element in this summary is the groups’ promises to not get caught up in library “nostalgia, platitudes, and clichés.” The result is a clear-cut set of questions that all librarians but especially public librarians need to face as they prepare for the many questions of adaptation of their profession to the issues they already face in keeping or making their libraries successful through the remaining decades of the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two research questions guided this study: (1) Is there a gap in customer service quality perception between librarians (service providers) and patrons (service beneficiaries)?; and (2) How do patrons perceive the relational service qualities of librarians who staff the reference desk? Quantitative results based on a Likert scale survey showed no statistically significant difference in service perception between librarians and patrons. Both groups rate the overall reference desk service and service qualities of librarians highly. Qualitative results demonstrate how patrons view reference service within the context of their service and study needs. These findings were used to facilitate a librarian development workshop and led to the creation of a reference policy manual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fundamentals of leadership, management, and psychology take center stage in the business world but are often neglected in library training. By applying basic business principles to enhance our leadership skills, we can become more purposeful, organized, innovative, impactful, and successful as librarians, even if we’re not in charge. Drawing on the work of thought leaders in business and librarianship, this article explores the importance, practical implementation, and benefit of casting vision, planning strategically, managing projects, rejecting passivity, building teams, and implementing accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Librarians can benefit from studying the history of other professions in order to learn from mistakes others have made. One place librarians need to be concerned about today is the library brand, which defines for user communities what libraries are all about and what kind of experience users will have in libraries. Recent research reports show the library brand as “books” and suggest an equally uninspiring new branding. This article examines some compelling brand examples from other professions and suggests some other options for librarianship. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Hiring and retaining talent in academic libraries marks a significant investment of time and capital for colleges and universities. This is particularly true for tenure-track academic librarians. Successful attainment of tenure is in the interests of both librarians and administrators, and many institutions offer tenure support systems to assist librarians in this regard. A forty-four question survey assessed tenure-track librarians' perceptions and satisfaction of whether tenure requirements are adequately supported in their critical partnership with library administrators. While most respondents expressed somewhat moderate satisfaction with provided support measures, support type and quantity varied significantly. A recommendation for creating a comprehensive program of support is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors surveyed 250 students, faculty, alumni, administrators, and staff about how they use mobile devices, if at all, to access a university library. Fifty percent of respondents reported that they used their mobile devices to access the library—primarily the catalog and the research databases; however, usability hindered accessing other desired services. These results have implications for library administrators with respect to making decisions about App choices, the advertisement of services, and the transition to e-collections. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the factors to be considered when fostering a welcoming night library environment. According to the author, library design, security protocols and multi-use facility services are essential for academic libraries to attract and secure customers. The challenges and opportunities for library administrators in fostering a welcoming night library environment are outlined.

This paper describes how library and information science education in New Zealand has evolved to include Māori cultural components into the content of the curriculum. It considers the influence that the wider library and information profession, including the professional associations, LIANZA and Te Rōpū Whakahau, have had on these developments. The inclusion of ‘indigenous knowledge paradigms’ within the profession registration programme is described as is its effect on library and information education and the continuing professional development of library and information professionals in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2010, Libraries ACT created a number of community engagement specialisations to be implemented at the Librarian or Professional Officer Class 1 level. The specialisations spanned existing core library activities, target groups already the focus of library programming, lifelong learning, and specific groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This paper describes the specialisations initiative from first implementation through a review to implementation of a modified approach. It focuses primarily on engagement with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities resulting from both implementations. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protocols for library archives and information services (‘the ATSILIRN Protocols’ or ‘the Protocols’) have become a key tool to planning that engagement, although ideas for engagement and participation are increasingly being generated by community members themselves. The use of the Protocols is discussed and the relevance of cultural competence in libraries is introduced. The specialisation initiative, and related engagement activities, may provide the basis of formal study, which could address the transferability of the tentative findings of this overview or explore the development of cultural competence through engagement activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Marrickville Library and History Services (MLHS) have implemented cataloguing of cultural-heritage material on to their library management system (LMS). This article highlights the reasons why MLHS took this step as part of a larger provenance and significance-assessment process, the procedures they put in place, as well as present and future goals for the project. The article highlights the positive outcomes for provenance, collection management, public access and succession planning that are a consequence of implementing this systematic approach, and suggests steps that may be taken to facilitate this practice in other local-studies collections. Some of the challenges of cataloguing items of unknown origins and unconventional formats are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macquarie University Library's decision to include an automated storage and retrieval system as part of its move to a new library building in 2011 has allowed the location onsite of all library holdings and obviated the need for offsite storage to manage issues of competing demands for collections and client spaces. As we reach the two-year mark from the commencement of storing 80% of the library collection in our Automated Retrieval Collection (ARC) we are reviewing our success measures and looking at what our clients' use of the ARC tells us about their resource needs and their adaptability to new methods of discovery and access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the sustainability challenges faced by several librarians in terms of collection management and offering better services to students and the public. It mentions that there has been a call for many academic libraries to focus on creating more responsible operational models in terms of environmental impact if they are to keep information open and free to all. It relates how libraries have been managing their collections, are acquiring books and are making improvements on how they handle their materials.