Roanoke Newspaper Publishes a Look at Virginia Tech University Libraries
A in-depth look (nearly 1500 words) at the changing VT Libraries by the Roanoke, VA. newspaper.
Along with library officials and VT students, Judy Ruttenberg from ARL is quoted in the article.
From the Article:
Welcome to the modern research university library, where new skills and even new spaces are being developed to serve the needs of scholars, scientists and students working in the digital age.
From a digital-ready classroom to furniture reminiscent of the starship Enterprise, library officials say they are developing new ways to serve the campus, and the public.
[Clip]
The turning point came in April 2011, said Tyler Walters, dean of Tech’s libraries. That was the year Amazon.com reported selling more eBooks than print books.
Walters came to Blacksburg two years ago from Georgia Tech and said he is working to “leapfrog” Virginia Tech’s library into the digital age.
In 2008, Tech offered 157,000 eBooks to patrons. Today, that collection has grown to a half-million, said Brian Mathews, associate dean of the library.
The portion of the budget spent on digital collections has also increased from about 60 percent in 2008, to 80 percent today, Mathews said.
Read the Full Text Article
Hat Tip and Thanks: @mattrweaver
Filed under: Academic Libraries, Associations and Organizations, Digital Collections, Interactive Tools, Libraries, News, Patrons and Users
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.