Where have all the books gone? Exploring “virtual libraries” at Cornell University Library’s Engineering and Physical Science Libraries

Authors

  • Jill Wilson Cornell University
  • Jeremy Cusker Cornell University
  • Dianne Dietrich Cornell University

Keywords:

Library models, Outreach, Electronic Resources, Librarian roles

Abstract

This paper examines the definition of a “virtual library” by observing the experiences of two such libraries in the Cornell University Library system, Physical Sciences and Engineering. In the past five years, both of these libraries closed their physical collections because of budget and print use issues. Since the closure of the collections, both libraries – and their librarians – had to imagine what a virtual library could be and what services could support a highly technical user base that relied on ejournals and ebooks. This paper discusses staffing considerations, new approaches in collection development, and the evolution of library roles for the libraries operating in this new model.

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Published

2015-08-21

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2015)

Section

Articles

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