'Redefining the Academic Library' series begins May 2

Doug Way, from the Grand Valley State College Library, will kick off the series "Redefining the Academic Library" at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, in Wilson Library Room 164 on the Western Washington University campus.

The Grand Valley State College Library is the 2012 winner of the Association of College and Research Libraries Excellence in Academic Libraries Award, presented annually in recognition of the accomplishments of librarians and other library staff working as members of a team to support the mission of their institution. Way will talk about the how library collections are rapidly changing in support of scholarship as well as the evolving roles of academic librarians.

Roles are changing for academic libraries, both at Western and throughout the country. The Western Library's series addresses those changes by bringing in four speakers to present their own views on the changing landscape and the challenges associated with it. The series is ponsored by the Western Libraries with support from the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Other speakers invited to present are:

• John Popko, Seattle University (May 9): Popko shepherded the Lemieux Library through a 10-year planning and construction project, which has resulted in the Lemieux and McGoldrick Learning Commons, a transformative space supporting academic endeavors of Seattle University. This space is widely considered one of the most successful attempts to date at re-envisioning library space. Popko will speak about this project as well as the value that a learning commons environment brings to a university.
• John Helmer, Orbis-Cascade Alliance (May 16): Helmer is the executive director the Orbis Cascade Alliance, a consortium of 37 academic libraries in Oregon, Washington and Idaho serving faculty and the equivalent of more than 258,000 full-time students. He has been involved with library consortia for more than 20 years and is the 2012 winner of the prestigious Hugh C. Atkinson Award, which recognizes him as a risk-taker, an effective leader and a champion of new ideas and initiatives. He will talk about the benefits consortia participation brings to members through efficiencies and purchasing power.
• Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson, University of Washington Libraries (May 23): Wilson's career has included recognition as the 2007 Academic / Research Librarian of the Year and, under her leadership, the 2004 recognition of the University of Washington Libraries as the ACRL Academic Library of the Year. The current dean of the UW Libraries, Wilson will talk about new roles opening up for academic librarians and how these will benefit teaching and learning throughout academia.

The title of the series, "Redefining the Academic Library," is taken from an extensive report of the same name produced for the University Leadership Council in 2011. That document was intended to increase national awareness among university administrators about the significant changes, challenges and opportunities university libraries face as the information technologies they rely on briskly evolve.

All presentations will be at 4 p.m. in Wilson Library Room 164 (the Library Presentation Room) and are free and open to the public. Each presentation will be recorded and posted as part of an online forum intended to engage the campus community in an ongoing discussion about the issues raised by these speakers.

For more information about the series, Chris Cox, dean of Western Libraries, at (360) 650-3050 or chris.cox@wwu.edu.