NMC 2017 Horizon Report

The New Media Consortium recently released the 2017 Horizon Report for libraries. The report identifies trends, challenges, and developments in information technology, related to academic libraries. While much of the report is geared toward traditional research institutions, there are some relevant takeaways for academic law libraries.

One of the more relevant identified trends for academic law libraries is the rethinking of library spaces. As students rely less and less on physical holdings for research, libraries are opening areas for active learning and collaboration. While this trend is nothing new in academic libraries, it continues to accelerate across all libraries.

Other identified trends include:

• Cross-institution collaboration
• Evolving nature of the scholarly record 
• Patrons as creators 
• Research data management 
• Valuing the user experience

One of the challenges identified facing information technology in libraries is adapting organizational structure and workflows to the new technological realities.  The rapid pace of technology changes often leads to steep learning curves from staff and a resistance to keep up. Other challenges listed in the report are:

• Accessibility of library services and resources
• Improving digital literacy 
• Maintaining ongoing integration, interoperability, and collaborative projects
• Political and economic pressures 

The full report can be found at the NMC web site.