A Human-Centered Strategy for Advancing Library Value

Rebecca Blakiston delivers the keynote presentation for the Michigan Academic Library Association (MiALA) Annual Conference in Saginaw, Michigan.

Academic libraries are essential contributors to the higher education mission, supporting student success, faculty research productivity, and community engagement. And as the role of the academic library evolves, we are given countless opportunities to provide value through ever-transforming spaces, technology, collections, programs, and services that meet the needs and expectations of our students and faculty. Even with resource constraints, our options are unlimited, and our potential is huge. In this presentation, we’ll discuss ways the modern academic library is positioned to provide unique and significant value to our campus communities. Applying a user experience framework, let’s challenge ourselves to ask: how might we assess, iterate on, and build upon our value by focusing in on what really matters the most?