Coping with change: issues facing British and German university libraries in the 1990s

Abstract

Reports the issue discussed in 23 qualitative interviews conducted at a random sample of UK and German university libraries. Changes in the political culture, society and demography of both countries was reported in an earlier paper ( JOLIS ,26, (2), June 1994, 83-92 (LISA ref. 9408895) and are not repeated here. Issues discussed include: German reunification; impact of economic recession on university funding; influence of the higher education environment; effect of university modularization and semesterization on libraries; questions of quality control and university ranking; rapid growth of information technology (IT) in all areas of academic life and its impact on libraries; online access to external data-bases (including the Internet); and the perceived presence of competition in a quasi educational market. In the UK, the fundamental changes in the higher education system have led to a substantial increase in demand on university libraries but without increases in finance. Similarly, in Germany the most prominent issues have been the massive increase in student numbers and the changes in IT, networking and automation. In Germany, the most fundamental change has been reunification with its enormous financial implications and societal changes. Points to the convergence of Germany’s mass higher education system and the UK’s elite education system and the consequent effect on libraries.