Discussion moderated by Stella Ekebuisi, Head, Digital Education Futures at the London School of Economics and Political Science, the panel will focus on how the shift from face to face to digital learning has provided challenges, and opportunities, for ‘traditional’ on campus libraries. The panel will share their thoughts on the relevance of the library in today’s higher educational offering including:
- The library is often viewed as the place that holds the books. How has the shift to digital resources altered the perception or role of the library on campus? What has been the true impact on the service provision offered by the library?
- The library has traditionally been an in-person research and resource hub. Is this still the case?
- How has the library adapted to the services it provides in the light of the move to more online teaching?
- The last two years or so have been challenging. What has been the impact on staffing, IT technical skills, recruitment, retention of librarians, and on budgets?
- What do students want from the library moving forward – Ebooks, printing services, experienced and knowledgeable staff, and a reliable and quiet study space are what the library is known for. Are these still important aspects of the students’ higher education academic journey?
- Since the pandemic began, has there been a greater difference between the haves and have nots? That is: did the library become more aware of areas of student need that may not have been as noticeable before the shift to more of an online focus and not being able to access the library building for long periods of time?
- How did digitization services impact or support graduate education during the pandemic and what, if anything, will continue as we transition back to ‘normal’?
- The future … what does the need for students to be data fluent mean for the academic library moving forward?
