The idea originated with a presentation that David was writing for his session at the 33rd Annual Charleston Conference entitled, “Content, Services and Space: The Future of the Library As Lines Blur” (scheduled for Friday, November 8, 2013). I loved the ideas in his original draft, and offered to help him serialize it. Not only would this get his ideas out there more widely, but also the attendees at his session might come with some more context, which could help deepen the discussion.
David runs a small publishing house called Alexander Street Press, and he has an innovative view of the publishing industry—based on years of experience, but also looking forward into the future. He has a wide-ranging perspective about the entire sector and those who serve it: universities, publishers, education companies, campus libraries, and IT departments. David’s view is that there are six major trends in higher education that are converging, which he details in the the Blurring Lines Series.
The series begins with an overview, Blurring Lines: The University in Transition, which talks about new sources of educational content, the evolution of the campus library, and education in general becoming more services-oriented.
There are six pieces that follow, each devoted to one of the six trends, and then a nice synopsis, Summary and Implications of the Six Trends, that covers the likely outcomes for campus libraries, university IT departments, and publishers and other content providers.
***
Here are links to each chapter in the series:
INTRODUCTION: Blurring Lines: The University in Transition
NEW SOURCES OF CONTENT
Major Trend #1: Open Access
Major Trend #2: Institutional Ownership/Distribution of Content
THE EVOLUTION OF THE CAMPUS LIBRARY
Major Trend #3: Patron Driven Acquisition
Major Trend #4: The “Flipped” Library
EDUCATION BECOMING MORE SERVICES-ORIENTED
Major Trend #5: Education Companies Moving From Content to Services
Major Trend #6: Customized LMS/Online Courses
CONCLUSION: Summary and Implications of the Six Trends