Caroline Mills (slides)Ellen Daugman & Carol Cramer (slides)A strongly perceived resistance to, even fear of, “forsaking” print resources exists in academic libraries. Research suggests that librarians frequently avoid major collection changes such as deselection or the switch from print to e-books because of assumed faculty opposition and the desire to avoid conflict. How can librarians face their fears and the fears and dismay of faculty as they see print collections shrink through deterioration and deselection and the growth of e-book collections? How do we identify, assess, and respond to resulting resistance? Participants in this session will have the opportunity to identify and acknowledge their own fears regarding the demise of print. Further, they will learn about strategies employed by institutions to identify and respond to these faculty fears resulting in the creation of a safe environment for strategic deselection and expansion of electronic collections. Finally, time will be reserved for questions and for the sharing of ideas, concerns, and support.
