Putting the 'e' into library

The Barr Smith Library boasts one of the largest research collections in Australia. How has the digital revolution changed the way it operates?

When Robert Barr Smith donated £9000 to the University of Adelaide back in 1892 for the purchase of books, the word "digital" was still light years away from making its first appearance in a dictionary.

Today, it is impossible to discuss the Barr Smith Library (BSL) without reference to its digital collection.

Electronic holdings in the library now include access to an estimated 25 million journal articles, covering more than 80,000 eJournal titles.

University Librarian Ray Choate says that while the BSL recorded about one million physical visits in its most recent survey in 2011, the use of the Library and its collections is changing as the online world takes precedence.

"There are two reasons for this. Many students are leaning towards more social and collaborative styles of learning instead of quiet, individual study. Also, the library has been increasing the amount of digital information that is now available to users 24/7," Mr Choate says.

The digital revolution is taking place via the purchase of new eBooks and eJournals and also by the conversion of print backsets of journals to digital online versions.

Users can access this information through their computer - at home, in the office or laboratory, or on an iPad while commuting.

"An interesting example is JStor, an online system for archiving academic journals. In 2011, about 250,000 articles were consulted alone through this system."

The BSL now provides access to about 200,000 eBook titles and has introduced "discovery tools" which allow library users to search its large digital and print resources concurrently.
Library staff have also been developing an online eBook site which has more than 2600 classic titles available to University users and the wider community. Readers can explore this service at http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au.

At the same time, the BSL is encouraging open access publishing with the development of the University of Adelaide Press, a University repository (Adelaide Research and Scholarship) and subsidising selected articles in online open access research journals.

"While the conversion to eJournals is extensive, and scholarly eBooks are becoming increasingly common, there is still a large collection of print resources at the BSL which are not available online," Mr Choate says.

As for the Barr Smith Library of the future - say 20 years hence?

"I envisage almost all newly published information will be in digital format," says Mr Choate.

"The library's special collections and archives will be increasingly important with unique physical items but they, too, will be digitised for greater access and preservation.

"Online learning packages will provide multiple learning opportunities and constitute a major part of our environment.

"While social media will be commonly used for information gathering, there will still be a desire to work collaboratively and face-to-face," Mr Choate says.

"And while social media will be commonly used for information gathering and sharing resources, there will still be a desire to work collaboratively and face-to-face."