Innovative Use of Information Technology by Colleges.

The Council on Library and Information Resources' (CLIR's) College Libraries Committee began its study of the innovative uses of technology on college campuses in the spring of 1998. A letter was sent to heads of libraries of colleges and mid-sized universities in the United States encouraging librarians who felt their institutions had used technology in a way that significantly enhanced teaching and learning and who were willing to host a study team for a site visit to apply to the project. Nine campuses were selected out of the 41 applicants and site visits were conducted between September 1998 and January 1999. A two-day conference in March 1999 focused on the environment that is most conducive to organizational change. Representatives from each of the nine case study sites were present to discuss which features of the programs they studied had been most successful. Sites included: (1) California Institute of Technology, Sherman Fairchild Library - A New High-Tech Library; (2) Carnegie Mellon University - A New Electronic Archives; (3) Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis - Librarian-Scholar Collaboration in Learning Communities; (4) Lafayette College - An Interdisciplinary Team Approach; (5) Point Park College and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Library Center - A Public-Private Library Partnership; (6) Southern Utah University, Gerald R. Sherratt Library - One Librarian Introduces EAD (Encoded Archival Description) Finding Aids; (7) Stevens Institute of Technology - Electronic Access, Not Subscriptions; (8) Wellesley College, Margaret Clapp Library - A New High-Tech Center; and (9) West Virginia Wesleyan College - Laptops for Every Student. Four speakers provided additional perspective on the case studies. William Haden opened the conference by noting that with rapid developments in information technology, colleges today face new pressures to remain relevant, competitive, and effective. This was followed by two presentations, by Susan Jurow and Barbara Hill, on making change in higher education. Brian Hawkins then prepared participants with observations on the transformation of higher education. The presentations are provided in part 1 of this report, as are summaries of the ensuing discussion and recommendations for follow-up activities. Case studies appear in part 2 of the report. The CLIR Belmont conference participant list is appended. (AEF)