[Web4lib] Campus without library - summing up

[Steven E. Patamia, Ph.D.]

Hi Even et al.

    I have a special interest in "virtual" libraries because we are
planning one and recruiting for it.  However, we are not a typical
campus.  The anticipated research library supports a global cadre of
researchers most of whom could not make the trip to a specific campus
location if they wanted to!

    Nevertheless, its not my purpose to champion the idea of a virtual
library, but to learn how to make the one we need work in the
situation it faces.  Consequently, I want to understand well the
librarian viewpoint on this issue and thus flagged this thread as
relevant to that goal.

    Bear in mind that we will have real live librarians and technical
support people organized into a service structure so that several
kinds of direct assistance from trained, skilled, and people smart
staff is always available.  We are not trying to save money by
eliminating staff -- the library we are planning MUST nevertheless be
virtual because of where the patrons are physically (all over) and
their need for 24hr electronic access.

     Question: Given the negative intimations in some of this thread,
would anyone following it care to comment specifically on why they
think some of these projects ended up relenting and building real
physical libraries?  More importantly, even if it amounts to stating
the aobvious, would anyone following be willing to identify the most
important things that the physical facility offers in different
situations that are the most difficult or problematic to virtualize?
Other comments more than welcome.

Thanks!

On 11/19/08, Even Flood <even.flood at gmail.com> wrote:
> Folks,
>
>  Thanks for the help and response! Here is a summing up of what I have learned
>
>  1) The original discussion goes back to 1995 and the announcement that
>  the California State University Monterey Bay would be built without a
>  physical library. The plans were commented in Newsweek and lambasted
>  by Cliff Stoll, and the CSUMB learned the error of their ways. The
>  library was built and a new library buidling is to open on December
>  1st this year. Congratulations to them! See http://library.csumb.edu/.
>
>  Two other project have been mentioned: University of Minnesota
>  Rochester, http://www.r.umn.edu/01_about.htm, looks like a small
>  university and with no physical library. The Kingsport Center for
>  Higher Education, http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9005970, is
>  under constructiion and will not have a library. Opens in 2009. Let us
>  see how long they last.
>
>  Again thanks! If I have missed anything, please say so.
>
>  Even
>
>  --
>  Even Hartmann Flood,  Senior Academic Librarian
>  Ilevollen 3e
>  N 7018 Trondheim, Norway.
>  Phone: +47 73 52 53 53/ +47 95 11 58 14
>  even.flood at gmail.com
>  http://home.broadpark.no/~evflood/
>  "Come, and take choice of all my library, and so  beguile thy sorrow."
>                                 (Shakespeare)
>
>
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>


-- 
Steven E. Patamia, Ph.D., J.D.
Personal Cell: (352) 219-6592