The University Library and the Problem of Knowledge

Abstract

The problem of knowledge, on the broadest level, is that the scope, specialization, and cross-disciplinarity of the research enterprise have long surpassed any overarching framework. The key question, on the campus level, is whether the development of research collections by the library is aligned with the university’s strategic aims and overall institutional development. A straightforward (though uncommon) way to make the university/library relationship more effective in this regard is for the library to have a meaningful role in the academic program review process. This essay describes such a role, singling out the particular situation of some 40 predominately undergraduate institutions that have been reclassified as research-level in the Carnegie scheme. As a rule, when a university’s institutional identity or ambition outstrips its library’s capability, collection development is bound to become a campuswide concern.