The New Media Consortium (NMC) has collaborated with other organizations to create an annual review of trends in higher education, academic and research libraries, and other sectors. The reports are created by consulting a panel of experts using the Delphi Method. Its 2014 Library Edition covers trends, challenges, and important directions in technology. Each of these three sections includes six topics.
The trends include research data management; mobile delivery of content; evolution of the scholarly record; accessibility of research content; progress in technology, standards, and infrastructure; and the rise of new forms of multidisciplinary research.
The challenges listed are embedding libraries in the curriculum; rethinking roles and skills of librarians; capturing digital content as research material; competition from alternate discovery methods; embracing the need for radical change; and maintaining ongoing projects.
Important developments in technology include electronic publishing, mobile apps, bibliometrics, open content, the Internet of Things, and the semantic web and linked data.
None of these trends, challenges, or developments should be a surprise to anyone who is following developments in academic and research libraries. I did find it gratifying to see linked data (and a mention of BIBFRAME) in the list of important developments. As we follow BIBFRAME and the multitude of programs presented at ALA conferences on linked data, the question on my mind has been how long it will take for us to get there. The timeline suggested in this report for widespread adoption of linked data was four to five years.
Each trend, challenge, and development was presented in a two-page format: an introduction; overview; implications for policy, leadership, or practice; and a further reading section. This report and series would be very useful to anyone interested in where academic and research libraries are going.
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