The Strategic Positioning of Academic Libraries

John Cox

ISBN 10: 1783306904 / ISBN 13: 9781783306909

Published by Facet Publishing, GB, 2026

About this Item

The Strategic Positioning of Academic Libraries explores the influence exerted by trends in higher education and the wider world on the position of academic libraries, alongside an analysis of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It provides an essential foundation for effective library strategy formulation and positioning in a highly dynamic and competitive environment.Examining a complex mix of global volatility, campus uncertainty, societal change and technological shifts, all generating new pressures and opportunities, this book is a practical guide to understanding the situation of academic libraries and advancing their positioning in parent institutions. Chapters cover:The historical evolution of academic library positioning;The global political, economic, social and technological context;The changing higher education environment;An in-depth SWOT analysis of academic libraries;Positioning strategies for successful academic libraries;An academic library positioning toolkit.Drawing on the author's 30 years of library leadership experience, this book is a valuable resource for academic library directors and leadership teams in developing strategy and for staff across the library seeking to make sense of changes shaping their working lives. Students of library and information science will benefit from the book's overview of where academic libraries fit in, how they are seen and the forces driving their advancement or decline.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781783306909

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Strategic Positioning of Academic Libraries
• Publisher: Facet Publishing, GB
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1783306904
• ISBN 13: 9781783306909
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

The Strategic Positioning of Academic Libraries explores the influence exerted by trends in higher education and the wider world on the position of academic libraries, alongside an analysis of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It provides an essential foundation for effective library strategy formulation and positioning in a highly dynamic and competitive environment. Examining a complex mix of global volatility, campus uncertainty, societal change, and technological shifts, all generating new pressures and opportunities, this book is a practical guide to understanding the situation of academic libraries and advancing their positioning in parent institutions. Chapters cover

• the historical evolution of academic library positioning;
• the global political, economic, social and technological context;
• the changing higher education environment;
• an in-depth SWOT analysis of academic libraries;
• positioning strategies for successful academic libraries; and
• an academic library positioning toolkit.

About the Author

John Cox is University Librarian at the University of Galway in Ireland, a post he has held since 2009. He has 30 years of experience at leadership level, dating back to 1993 when he became Head of the Information Service at the Wellcome Centre for Medical Science, based at the Wellcome Trust. Projects led include planning for a new library building at the University of Galway, digitization of the Abbey and Gate Theatre archives, and Irish consortium negotiations with publishers.