Like many industries, the academic library has seen dramatic changes over the past five years due to the emergence of new technologies. This has forced many institutions to rethink how they manage the administrative tasks of collection, curation, and acquisitions, fundamentally changing the role of the librarian. Today's librarian is more likely to assist students and patrons in accessing library resources than to perform administrative duties. This presents a challenge for many schools, colleges and universities who are forced to redeploy staff or redistribute tasks due to different skill sets required. But far from seeing this as a problem, some forward-thinking academic institutions are seizing the opportunity to redefine the role of the librarian. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Traditionally, academic librarian roles are filled by candidates with a Master's in Library Science (MLS). But some universities are starting to see the benefit of hiring candidates with PhDs to help provide specialized knowledge to support students. The goal is to make the librarian a more integrated part of the learning process. So, instead of simply facilitating learning, librarians will become valuable liaisons who can provide students with specialized knowledge in the field. So where do the care and management tasks of the traditional role of the librarian go? How curation and selection will be handled in the future Software vendors and publishers have a role to play in ensuring that curation and ordering methods are reliable and robust. All library management systems should be able to provide accurate information about the publications currently available on the system and any new books that will be published. Traditionally this information is used by librarians to make decisions about which books to purchase. However, because librarians have limited knowledge in each discipline, this can lead to the purchase of books that contain duplicate information compared to books already held by the library or that do not provide the depth of coverage required to support the undergraduate curriculum. This problem can be solved by collecting more detailed metadata from publishers. Library management systems can then use this metadata to provide more accurate information to faculty members. This allows faculty with specialized knowledge to make more informed decisions about which books are eligible to be added to the library collection. Using this system, potential book purchases could also be made available for students to review books before a purchasing decision is made. After all, they are the ones who will use these books the most. So it makes sense to involve them early in the acquisition process. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The benefits of this system are twofold. It eliminates the librarian from the time-consuming task of administrative care and acquisitions. And it allows the library to purchase books that are more suited to the curriculum. This reduces spending on books that are rarely used or provide little value and leaves librarians more time to carry out student support activities. As the academic library continues to evolve, it is critical that.