Digital transformation library lens

"Our libraries have been at the forefront of digital transformation over the past 25 years. Whether it is the shift to online delivery of books and journals, the digitisation of special collections, or the provision of online research and learning environments, libraries have continued to innovate to meet the needs of researchers and students.

"Libraries have a unique view of the whole of the university – across all disciplinary subjects, and from undergraduates to leading researchers. As such, they are ideally placed to contribute to the institution’s digital transformation and the library lens provides the perfect framework for libraries to take their learning and experience to the wider university."

—David C Prosser, executive director, Research Libraries UK

Benefits of a library lens

Our framework for digital transformation in higher education incorporates the contributions of university library and archive services across all areas of activity. However, the integrated and embedded nature of library services can make it challenging to clearly see the role libraries can play in wider digital transformation activities.

Our library lens focuses on the framework through the viewpoint of university library and archive services. It offers a broad perspective which recognises that their role often extends beyond traditional functions to include areas such as student support and scholarly communication.

This lens was produced with input from a working group of senior librarians and representatives:

• Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL)
• Research Libraries UK (RLUK)
• CILIP: the library and information association

“The digital transformation library lens has been developed with the support of leaders from the university library community who have lent their considerable proficiency to develop and pilot this toolkit. Their expertise derives from the three decades of digital transformation in libraries, touching all aspects of their work, including collections, discovery and research tools; online learning environments and teaching the skills required to navigate these.

"Hence librarians bring more than just technical expertise but also a deep understanding of the ethical considerations in play, and a person-centred approach that foregrounds the needs of the research and learning communities with which they work."

—Ann Rossiter, executive director, SCONUL

How to use the lens

The lens is a detailed document. It includes:

• A series of statements highlighting how libraries contribute to organisation-wide digital transformation, mapped across all areas of the framework
• Example library activities that could contribute to digital transformation across all areas of the framework
• An interactive index that identifies where specific areas are included in the framework

The lens can be used in a variety of ways by library teams:

• To identify how far they are supporting digital transformation (in workshops, meetings)
• To get ideas for future activities and prioritise against organisational digital transformation goals
• To bring together evidence of library activities that support digital transformation
• To strengthen arguments for inclusion in different groups focusing on different aspects of digital transformation

You can join our digital transformation library lens working group (JiscMail) to hear how higher education providers are using these materials.

"Library, knowledge and information services are not always involved as equal partners when it comes to overall organisational changes such as digital transformation. In fact, such professionals have many unique skills and a wealth of experience to offer to such projects.

"Jisc's library lens for digital transformation is an excellent tool to support and guide service leaders to play an essential role in digital transformation projects, helping them lend their expertise to business partners across the organisation on mission-critical projects."

—Louis Coiffait-Gunn, chief executive officer, CILIP

Supporting summary documents

There are also three supporting summary documents:

• An editable PowerPoint slideshow (.pptx) providing materials to use in presentations and meetings
• A quick guide offering a brief introduction to the lens and how libraries can contribute towards digital transformation
• A briefing paper providing a more descriptive summary of the lens and how libraries can contribute towards digital transformation