The Social Future of Academic Libraries: New Perspectives on Communities, Networks, and Engagement

Academic libraries must shift their focus to student engagement, holistic education, social responsibility, and community partnerships to reclaim their place at the heart of academic institutions. This requires a radical rethinking of library mission and service philosophy to realign resources, processes, and practices to institutional needs. Intellectual and social capital theories offer new perspectives on library work and a proven conceptual framework for the reset needed to keep academic libraries relevant in the 21st century.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 22 December 2022
Publisher: Facet Publishing

The shift towards student engagement, holistic education, social responsibility, and community partnerships in higher education is reshaping the role of academic libraries. Academic libraries must adapt to this changing landscape and reclaim their place as central to academic institutions that are transforming into social enterprises. To respond effectively to social trends in the academy and society, academic libraries are embracing various strategies, including converged services, embedded librarians, relationship management, inside-out libraries, and design thinking. While these efforts have made significant contributions, they have primarily focused on limited areas of the library and have failed to create the transformative change in strategy and culture necessary to transform libraries into dynamic social organizations in the connected digital world.

Incremental enhancements of services, spaces, and structures alone are insufficient. The current context demands a radical rethinking of library mission and service philosophy to align resources, processes, and practices with institutional needs. New ways of working must be guided by new ways of thinking that empower librarians to view practices holistically through a social lens. Intellectual and social capital theories provide valuable perspectives on library work and offer a proven conceptual framework for the reset that is needed to keep academic libraries relevant in the 21st century.

The Social Future of Academic Libraries begins by exploring the developments in thinking and practice that constitute the 'social turn' in communities, professions, the economy, the academy, and libraries. It then introduces the core concepts of intellectual and social capital and networks. Part II of the book presents nine case studies that illustrate how social capital perspectives and social network theory can facilitate organizational learning, service development, and collaborative relationships across various areas.

In conclusion, the shift towards student engagement, holistic education, social responsibility, and community partnerships in higher education is challenging academic libraries to adapt and reclaim their place as central to academic institutions. By embracing new strategies, perspectives, and theories, academic libraries can position themselves as dynamic social organizations that contribute to the social and economic well-being of their communities. The Social Future of Academic Libraries provides a valuable roadmap for libraries to navigate this transformation and thrive in the 21st century.

ISBN-13: 9781783304721