The Patron-Driven Library: A Practical Guide for Managing Collections and Services in the Digital Age

Libraries in the USA and globally are undergoing quiet revolution. Libraries are moving away from a philosophy that is collection-centered to one focused on service. Technology is key to that change. The Patron Driven Library explores the way technology has moved the focus from library collections to services, placing the reader at the center of library activities. The book reveals the way library users are changing, and how social networking, web delivery of information, and the uncertain landscape of e-print has energized librarians to adopt technology to meet a different model of the library while preserving core values. Following an introduction, the first part begins with the historical milieu, and moves on to current challenges for financing and acquiring materials, and an exploration of why the millennial generation is transformational. The second part examines how changes in library practice can create a culture for imagining library services in an age of information overflow. The final chapter asks: Whither the library?

• Provides a synthesis of current research on the impact of technology on behaviour, and connecting it with library services
• Offers examples and practical advice for incorporating technology to meet user expectations and assess services
• Suggests management techniques to overcome barriers to change and technology innovation

Dee Ann Allison is a Professor in the University Libraries at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the USA. With over 30 years’ experience in working libraries and over 10 years’ experience with information technology, she is best known as an advocate for technology innovation to improve the user experience. Her research includes evaluation of discovery tools, and designing artificial intelligence for use in reference.