From bricks to clicks: the future for university libraries

The role of libraries in higher education institutions has always been to support the activities of the parent institution by providing materials that encourage learning. The important thing for the university library is that it must understand the role it plays and must ensure that it is always the role that is best for the future of the university and its staff and students. Styles of learning will change more fundamentally in the near future. Portable e-reading devices can hold more than enough material for an entire university-level course. Many students now have the ability to access learning materials from a great number of providers and to use these materials at any place or time that they wish. Very recently, a number of universities, particularly in the United States have begun using the WWW to offer a range of courses that can be accessed and followed by anyone anywhere in the world. Many thousands of students throughout the world are already following MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and never visit a physical university campus, or library, in person. The courses are followed on-line and the necessary learning materials are also available from a variety of sources on the WWW. There is a great deal of evidence from many countries that students welcome opportunities for independent and individual learning and are more motivated when doing so than when following rigid and traditionally-structured courses based on printed materials. The WWW and all its resources are available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year and students fail to understand why learning materials in the university can only be accessed during limited hours of the day. University libraries are developing into "social learning spaces" to complement the individual learning that is possible through the use of IT devices. The involvement of students in the design and management of social learning spaces creates a sense of ownership and commitment to a space and to its effective use. What can we expect to see if we visit the "new Feodor Kuzmich University" in Tomsk in future? Perhaps it will be a "virtual university" and can only be seen with "clicks" and not as "bricks". The students are not there in person but are physically all over the world and are taking courses on-line and reading e-textbooks and learning materials that they have downloaded to their personal computers and e-readers. They will discuss their work with other students and with lecturers through online conferences and they will take on-line examinations that will be graded by computer. A "visit" to the imaginary new "Feodor Kuzmich University" shows that it has fully embraced the new style of learning that its students want.

Keywords

Authors

References