The Academic Library: Its Context, Its Purpose, and Its Operation

Examining the academic library within a contextual framework (of colleges, universities, and American society), this work provides analysis of the institution's content and function. Rather than concentrating on management issues, this book emphasizes the structure, organization, decision making and operations of academic libraries. The author surveys the history, organization and cultures of the academic environment as well as the communities served by the academic library and the university. He reviews the role of the academic librarian; the governance, administration, and financial operations of the library; and the library collection. Special attention is given to processes of scholarly communication and the library's effort to provide information to the academic community. The book concludes with "A Look Ahead" to the possibilities and realities of distance education, copyright issues, academic library services, and other current trends.