According to the Editor of Defining Relevancy, three words define the management of college libraries today and in the future: connection, competition and collaboration. In recent years, smaller college libraries have needed to deal with significant changes, in particular the development of the internet, which have shaken the previously secure position of college libraries and forced them to adopt more business‐like approaches. Libraries may no longer be the first place students look for information and study space; increasingly, libraries are competing with commercial organisations such as bookshops and coffee shops.
The 18 chapters are divided into seven themes that are intended to act as a guide for strategic planning. The majority of the contributors are library professionals who are currently working in a variety of roles in college libraries in the USA.
The book starts by analysing library users, asking what changes the next ten years will bring in the demographics of the student and faculty populations and considering what the impacts of greater ethnic diversity, non‐traditional students, digital natives, experiential learners and so forth will have on academic libraries. This section also looks at the development of social software and how smaller academic libraries can take advantage of technologies such as instant messaging, blogs and social bookmarking. This chapter by Edward M. Corrado would be a useful introduction for anyone new to this area.
The second section of the book contains three chapters that consider buildings and services. Eleanor Mitchell writes about library planning and ways to create a student‐centred space. She describes the key elements of a twenty‐first century college library such as flexibility, collaboration and zoning. This is followed by a case study of a college library in Pennsylvania and a report of a survey examining the idea of the library as a place. Significantly, the latter points to the importance of the social role of the library and the need to involve and consult users.
The third section of Defining Relevancy deals with information literacy, interestingly taking a slightly different focus from that to be found in other books on this topic. Arthur H. Sterngold presents a strong, and perhaps controversial, argument in favour of encouraging faculty, rather than librarians, to assume lead responsibility for information literacy instruction. Susan Swords Steffen examines the wider impacts of information literacy on all areas of the library, including, space, technology and culture. This section also contains a case study illustrating the approach taken in a particular college library.
Given the competition libraries face, promotion is an important topic, and the focus of the fourth section of the book. The two chapters in this section both consider how partnership and collaboration can be harnessed to promote the library. They offer useful suggestions of the ways in which libraries can work with other departments and organisations to extend their reach.
The fifth section takes staffing, services and assessment as its theme. The six chapters discuss a wide range of issues, including what a reference service of the future might look like; new roles for library staff; planning for institutional growth; managing electronic resources; and the development of technical services departments.
The sixth section contains a single chapter about the opportunities for college archives in a digital age and the book is completed with a look to the future, summarising the main issues and challenges, including, staff recruitment and retention; the needs of distance learners; digital resources; and increasing pressures of accountability.
Although it refers exclusively to libraries in the US, this book would be useful for libraries in smaller academic libraries around the world, as the challenges faced are likely to be largely similar. It focuses on practical ideas for responding to customers, competitors, technologies and stakeholders and ensuring that college libraries can survive in the twenty‐first century, but, crucially, the practical advice is supported by references to supporting research as well as the experiences of the authors. All the authors succeed in conveying their enthusiasm for the topic, and their optimism for the future of college libraries. This book would be invaluable for anyone looking for new ideas to respond effectively to the challenges facing smaller academic libraries, or wishing to re‐examine the way in which they deliver services and develop a coherent plan for the future.
