New challenges for university libraries

Maria SeisslVienna University Library and Archive Services

Vienna University Library and Archive Services

•50 libraries covering all areas of teaching and research at Vienna University•Vienna University Archive•Print holdings: 6.6 million volumes•Digital holdings: vast and rapidly growing collection of e-ressources (e-journals, databases, e-books)•Seach gateways: Library website, online-catalogue, SFX, Metalib•56.000 active users•open to the general public•300 staff

Challenges

Due to recent changes in university legislation university

libraries are part of the university and no longer answering

directly the ministry

Where there was great uniformity, diversity and competition

have been introduced

Joint ventures have become more difficult because bilateral

agreements are necessary and cooperative funding has to be

raised

University libraries face price increases without increases of

their budget and allowances for currency inflation

E-Journal delivery to desktop is now standard – need to

acquire publisher backfiles has high priority

(University) libraries are constantly in need of space

On a larger scale

Open Access

recommendations of European University Association UEA on

open accesshttp://www.eua.be/fileadmin/user_upload/files/Policy_Positions/Recommendations_Open_Access_adopted_by_the_EUA_Council_on_26th_of_March_2008_final.pdf

Long-term preservation of digital assets (but also of paper-

based documents)

Mass digitisation

Opportunities

RAD – Research and Activities Documentation

Development of a digital asset management system: PHAIDRA

(Permanent Hosting, Archiving and Indexing of Digital

Resources and Assets)

Workflow synergies for plagiarism check and theses database

Take part in EU-projects

Take an active role in research evaluation (bibliometrics)

Continuing professional development

New role of libraries in the information world

push content to users – make libraries meeting places, thereby

binding students to the universities