Letter to the editor: KU librarians ahead of technological curve
I want to let you know how grateful we at Rohrbach Library are for the article in the current issue. Many thanks to writer Matt Keefer and The Keystone for your work in helping get the word out on the text reference service.
The lead, though, repeats clichés that shouldn’t go uncorrected: “With…the rapidly declining use of paper related sources, it’s no secret that libraries are becoming a thing of the past.”
The fact is that libraries are getting more use than ever, and are offering a wider variety of services than at any time in the past. Rohrbach Library is no exception.
Studies show truly tremendous growth in what the library is delivering to students and faculty. The boom in electronic resources is real – but it is paralleled by unprecedented gains at Rohrbach in the lending of physical materials.
Amazing things happen here. Typical of the news that routinely escapes notice: A few weeks ago Rohrbach’s hoard of books grew by more than 40,000 titles – nearly ten percent – when we added a significant collection of academic e-books.
These resources are available 24/7 and they don’t require the reader to check them out. In fact, there is no limit on the number of students and faculty who could use the same book at the same time.
In short: Although we revere the documents of our shared cultural history, the library is not a “thing of the past.” We at Rohrbach are enthusiastically embracing the future.
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