Libraries must consider changes in both policy and technology to remain relevant to the next generation of students. In recent years, gaps have materialized in the virtual terrain, meaning the landscapes we constructed do not provide certain services, resources, or possibilities expected by emerging user populations like the millennial generation.1 These rifts often represent fundamental disconnects between the values of today's library users and the historical, core values of libraries that shaped the first generation of online information landscapes. We classify those disconnects into three categories—technology, policy, and unexploited opportunities—and discuss ways academic libraries can create next-generation landscapes to address these gaps. If academic libraries want to retain and expand their usefulness for online users in the next decade of the Web, these core disconnects must be addressed today.
This Viewpoint column was written by Robert H. McDonald, Associate Director of Libraries for Technology & Research at Florida State University in Tallahassee and Chuck Thomas, Digital Initiatives Librarian at the Florida Center for Library Automation in Gainesville.
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