British University Libraries

British university libraries have begun to face major financial, technological, and organizational challenges. Cuts in funding, the spread of new technology, and changes to the provision of university education as a whole are combining to fundamentally alter the circumstances in which university libraries operate. This valuable new book provides a thorough understanding of the major trends that have emerged during the past decade and projects them into the future to assess their likely effect over the next few years. By focusing on the most important developments in the areas of finance, staffing, collections, services, automation, and relations with other libraries, author Toby Burrows exposes the forces that threaten the very nature of the British university library. The changes affecting British universities as a whole are also analyzed since these broad influences have been a major cause of change in libraries and are essential to an understanding of that change. The future of the British university library depends on its ability to clearly articulate a coherent vision of its own future; this book takes a crucial step toward this goal. Dr. Burrows conducted the research for this book during the 1986/87 academic year as Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Library, Archive and Information Studies at University College in London.