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Transforming the Woodruff Library
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A Library for the 21st Century Learner
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Despite dire forecasts of reduced library use due to the wide availability of electronic resources, academic libraries are reporting an increase in usage of both print materials and digital sources of information. However, the shifting academic environment has had a dramatic impact on how libraries are used. There is a growing trend in higher education toward joint projects, assignments and group work that encourage an exchange of information and ideas. Libraries must accommodate this development by providing flexible space for collaborative teaching and learning to meet the needs of a generation of multi-taskers.
The role of the librarian is changing too, as focus shifts away from collecting and cataloguing materials to helping users retrieve, evaluate and manage information. Librarians add critical value to information, helping users distinguish between relevant and scholarly sources and unreliable data. The enormous amount of unfiltered information available on the Internet has only heightened the need for the teaching of information literacy and research skills.
A 21st century library must be a catalyst for intellectual discourse, actively engaged in the dialogue of student learning. Most simply, Woodruff must be the "center of the Atlanta University Center," a space that supports student collaboration with faculty for effective teaching, offers solutions for preservation of the history and culture of the associated Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and creates a connection with the surrounding community in an environment conducive to lifelong learning. An effective academic library also must be current in technologies and flexible enough to respond to changes while complimenting the contributions of the library staff with smart workspaces.
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