2001 Articles

The Entrepreneurial Imperative: Advancing from Incremental to Radical Change in the Academic Library

Neal, James G.

"The future academic library will carry forward these network and digital revolutions and also integrate a more market-based, customized, and entrepreneurial approach to the packaging and delivery of information. Academic libraries will become centers for research and development in the application of technology to information creation and use. They will become aggregators and publishers, and not just consumers of scholarly information. They will function as campus hubs for working with faculty on the integration of technology and electronic resources into teaching and research. They will be regional and national centers for lifelong learning opportunities for information professionals, and they will be providers of information services to broader academic, research and business communities. This vision for the academic library predicts a significant moderation in the cost increases for knowledge, acquisition, and access as new models of scholarly publishing are successfully launched. It envisions massive expansion and diversification in new learning communities. The vision includes a redefinition of the library as a virtual resource not limited by time and space, and therefore not dependent on buildings for the housing, use, and servicing of information. The vision sees a repositioning of the academic library as a successful competitor in the information marketplace for new business, and for corporate, foundation, and federal investment.
My objectives in this paper are to acknowledge the revolutionary environment in which academic libraries are developing, to outline the nature of entrepreneurship and innovation, and their relevance to library advancement. I will discuss the impact of changes in global learning and scholarly communication on library entrepreneurial opportunities, and relate recent experiences in the Libraries at Johns Hopkins University as a case study in entrepreneurial activity. I will then define several key elements for successful entrepreneurial development in the academic library." -- page 2