Lunch Discussion: the changing library

Our lunchtime discussion focused around the changing library. We started with an interesting discussion about what we should stop doing and moved on to a myriad of other topics. We did not reach any conclusions, so I will summarize the questions we tossed around.

Should we stop accepting gifts in kind? Will e-books liberate us to some extent from this issue? What role with e-books play in distance education? What is the role of the selector in the future? Will we have more emphasis on liaison roles? Will e-books help us purchase more effectively? Will libraries move more toward hiring specialists, say with an MBA or a PhD? What differences will we see over time with older faculty retiring and young faculty coming onto campuses, often with differing experiences with libraries? Where will we go with the debate about "what they want" versus "what they need”? Should we get federated search? What will happen with open access?