How are access models changing the functions of Academic Libraries?

Rachel Silverstein

Levine-Clark, M. (2014). Access to Everything: Building the Future Academic Library Collection. Portal: Libraries & The Academy, 14(3), 425-437.

Summary: This article explains how the changing ways in which Academic libraries have provided access to content to their users has affected the essential functions of the library. Academic libraries have traditionally served to provide materials for current students and faculty, and to store those materials for future generations of scholars. Libraries are now able to lease access to articles and ebooks, trading long-term access for deeper and richer collections in the present. The author asserts that as libraries are faced with smaller budgets and large amounts of digital content to acquire, they will refocus their efforts on special collections. These collections will be composed of rare books, manuscripts, archives, databases and mainstream publications supporting crucial subject areas. For most other scholarly content, libraries will pay for broad subscription or demand-driven access, and only purchase perpetual licenses when they are cheapest. In order to maintain stewardship of the cultural record as content continues to expand, libraries will need to form networks with other libraries and vendors to establish long-term preservation plans for that content.

Evaluation: I found this article very enlightening as to the consequences of shifting models of access in the digital age. It is important to plan for the future, to make sure the digital content is stored and preserved. It will be interesting to see how publishers and vendors respond as academic libraries increasingly switch to demand driven acquisition.