Research Libraries as Catalytic Leaders in a Society in Constant Flux: A Report on the ARL-CNI Fall Forum 2019

Research Libraries as Catalytic Leaders in a Society in Constant Flux: A Report on the ARL-CNI Fall Forum 2019 Mary Lee Kennedy with an introduction by Lorraine J. Haricombe January 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ............................ 3 Research Libraries as Catalytic Leaders in a Society in Constant Flux ............................ 5 Participant Recommendations for Research Libraries as Catalytic Leaders in the Context of Societal Flux ............................ 9Emerging Opportunities and Research Libraries ............................ 10 Participant Recommendations for Research Libraries as Catalytic Leaders Given the Emerging Opportunities ............................ 13Research Libraries, AI & New Forms of Reality ........................... 14 Participant Recommendations for Research Libraries as Catalytic Leaders in New Forms of Reality and Artificial Intelligence ............................ 17Next Generation Organizations, Skills, and Competencies ............................ 18 Participant Recommendations on Research Libraries as Catalytic Leaders and Next Generation Organizations, Skills, and Competencies ............................ 21Cross-Cutting Themes on the Role of the Research Library ............................ 22 Recommendations to the Association of Research Libraries ............................ 24 Appendix ............................ 25 EBSCO Information Services is honored to sponsor the 2019 ARL-CNI Fall Forum Report. ARL and its members work diligently to advance the goals of research libraries, to provide leadership in academic library communities, and to help shape the future of academic research. We are proud to support the work of the association and its advocacy on behalf of research libraries and academic librarians. EBSCO looks forward to continuing its deep partnership with the ARL. Cover photo credit: iStockphoto 2 Photo credit: iStockphoto INTRODUCTION by Lorraine J. Haricombe “Just as we judge previous generations by how they handled their period of change, so shall we be judged.”1 1. Tom Wheeler, From Gutenberg to Google: The History of Our Future (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2019). From Gutenberg to Google, libraries have constantly evolved to advance and respond to society’s needs. Yet, their fundamental purpose has remained the same: to provide access to trustworthy, authoritative knowledge. As such, libraries serve as sanctuaries for learning, as windows to the world, as agents for change, and as the intellectual lifeblood of the university. Universities and learning environments also evolve to accommodate the needs and learning styles of their users. Changes are already evident in paradigms of knowledge production, in the modes and sources of disseminating that knowledge, and in the means of accessing a growing range of information. These evolutions present an opportunity for libraries, both to evolve for today and plan for future change. How do we plan for future, currently unknown, user needs? How do we research librarians and our libraries position ourselves for leadership given the constant state of flux in higher education? The introduction of artificially intelligent software, for example, is transforming many knowledge-based interactions. In addition, automation is rapidly displacing skills that were once indispensable. With these new forms of human-machine knowledge, how do libraries lead and how do we steward that technology to advance research integrity and learning? Increasing automation and reliance on different technologies will affect all levels of staff throughout the library. How do we thoughtfully align staff and their skills to this new and evolving landscape? Technology, smart devices, and voice-controlled assistants are transforming how we manage our lives and simultaneously changing how we learn. How do these new technologies change the way our libraries are managed? Finally, large-scale demographic shifts have inevitable consequences in how students approach education. 3 How do we continue to engage the changing spectrum of users? What are research institutions’ roles in producing productive citizens and how can libraries in the research setting contribute to the K–12 pipeline? These questions helped inform the theme for the 2019 ARL-CNI Fall Forum: “Research Libraries as Catalytic Leaders in a Society in Constant Flux,” hosted by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) in Washington, DC, on September 26, 2019. Participants were challenged to assert libraries’ evolving roles in more active ways than working at the edges in the context of their institutions, their communities, and in the broader society. I hope this report will offer a valuable resource of ideas for libraries as connectors, collaborators, and networks that will set