Not a brand-new read, but *I* just finished reading the Educause annual paper, Top-Ten IT Issues, 2013: Welcome to the Connected Age (PDF). While libraries are only explicitly mentioned once or twice in the entire 19 pages, one of the panelists was a librarian, so there is that I guess. I only bother to mention that because while I read it I found myself checking off how almost each of the ten issues apply almost directly to my library, in addition to the institution as a whole.
Here's the list:
- Leveraging the Wireless and Device Explosion on Campus (Cripes, *I* bring three wireless devices to campus each day!)
- Improving Student Outcomes through an Approach That Leverages Technology
- Developing an Institution-Wide Cloud Strategy to Help the Institution Select the Right Sourcing and Solution Strategies
- Developing a Staffing and Organizational Model to Accommodate the Changing IT Environment and to Facilitate Openness and Agility (Paul says, see also: Library and Repository Communities Join Together to Identify New Competencies for Academic Librarians, if you haven't already!)
- Facilitating a Better Understanding of Information Security and Finding Appropriate Balance between Infrastructure Openness and Security
- Funding Information Technology Strategically
- Determining the Role of Online Learning and Developing a Sustainable Strategy for That Role (Paul says, Yawn)
- Supporting the Trends toward IT Consumerization and Bring-Your-Own Device (see #1 above)
- Transforming the Institution's Business with Information Technology
- Using Analytics to Support Critical Institutional Outcomes (Big big big!)
Each section concludes with a series of strategic questions to consider about each point. Well worth the read if you have anything to do with IT in your library. In addition to the paper itself, there's some supporting material on a companion website.
