Doctor’s Orders for Librarians in the New Library Space: Leave Your Desk!

 http://initiatives.exlibrisgroup.com/2016/07/doctors-orders-for-librarians-in-new.html

“Library spaces are changing, and so are the responsibilities of the average librarian.
Libraries all over the world are re imagining library spaces to enable collaborative work, teaching and learning, and even socializing. The Cambridge University Library’s Protolibproject is just one example of how universities are extending library environments to include a wide range of work and study spaces.

However, librarian spaces have not changed at the same rate. The recently published State of Academic Librarian Spaces 2015 report demonstrates that recent renovations of libraries have, not surprisingly, focused on patron spaces.

And while librarian spaces have not changed, librarian responsibilities are constantly growing. The same study shows librarians have experienced a significant increase in their responsibilities, particularly focusing on digital collection development, technology development and maintenance, procedures for operational tasks, and communication and management.

So how can librarians keep up? They need the “freedom to move” – to leave their desks and do their jobs wherever they’re needed. Librarians need to be free to go where the patrons are and where the books are, while still getting the job done. “

Stephen