Twenty-First-Century Access Services: On the Front Line of Academic Librarianship

Access services is the administrative umbrella typically found in academic libraries where the circulation, reserves, interlibrary loan, stacks maintenance, and related functions reside. These functions are central to daily operations and the staff are often seen as “the face” of the library. But while access services impact every user of the academic library, these functions can be unseen and often go unnoticed and uncelebrated. 
 
This thoroughly revised edition of 2013’s seminal Twenty-First-Century Access Services highlights the expanded duties of these departments; the roles these services continue to play in the success of the library, students, and faculty; and the knowledge, skills, and abilities these library workers need. In four parts it explores:

• Facilitating Access
• Leading Access Services
• Assessing Access Services
• Developing Access Services Professionals 

Chapters take in-depth looks at functions including circulation, stacks management, resource sharing, course reserve management and controlled digital lending, user experience, and assessing and benchmarking access services. The book also contains the full text of ACRL’s new A Framework for Access Services Librarianship: An Initiative Sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Access Services Interest Group and a look at how it was developed and approved.
 
Twenty-First-Century Access Services demonstrates access services’ value, defines their responsibilities and necessary skills, and explores how access services departments are evolving new and traditional services to support the academic mission of their institutions. It is geared toward both access services practitioners and library and information science graduate students and faculty.

Trevor A. Dawes has worked in the academic library sector for over 20 years developing and providing service-enhancing training and professional development opportunities that positively impact library-wide projects and programs. Dawes also facilitates workshops on leadership development and diversity, improving the knowledge, skills, competencies, and abilities of librarians and library workers. A published author and presenter, Dawes has written or edited books, book chapters, and articles and presented on a variety of topics at local, national, and international conferences.  Dawes earned his Master of Library Science from Rutgers University and has two additional Master’s Degrees in Educational Leadership and Educational Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. 
 
Michael J. Krasulski is an Assistant Professor in and Department Head of the Library and Educational Resources Department at the Community College of Philadelphia. He is also serves as the Access Services Librarian. He was previously Associate Professor of Information Science and Coordinator of Access Services at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Michael is continually working on various research projects that he hopes will improve the status of access services librarians within the profession. He earned his MSLIS from Drexel University and has an additional masters degree from Temple University. Additionally, he is the book review editor for and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Access Services.