Supporting 21st Century Learning & Teaching; Who’s Got the Power? Academic Libraries: At the Heart of the University

Abstract

In the higher education (HE) sector there has been increasing interest in delivering a range of support services within a single physical space. It has become noticeable that this space is to be found within the library, and has been termed converged or super-converged services (Bulpitt 2012). These service models have taken precedence over other modes of service provision over the last two decades (Hanson, 2005) and have become synonymous with the provision of library services (Melling & Weaver, 2013). This paper will aim to analyse these models of converged services, recognise the main drivers for their inception and will discuss the power wielded by the providers and recipients of academic library services. This research seeks to understand stakeholder views of convergence and its impact. In order to classify the current position, the perceptions of staff working within university libraries will be identified using a phenomenographic qualitative approach to interpret and understand complex and varying experiences within the world of education (Nielsen & Borland, 2011). It is hoped that by understanding the differing ways library staff construe the provision of their converged services, their experiences and conceptions of the phenomena will uncover a coherent analysis of service models which are currently implemented within HE, and will identify where the real power for change may lie. The paper aims to provide evidence to support the analysis of models for converged service delivery within HEI libraries.



Author Information
Sonya Campbell-Perry, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK

Paper Information
Conference: LibEuro2015
Stream: Management

This paper is part of the LibEuro2015 Conference Proceedings (View)
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Posted by James Alexander Gordon