The Acquisitions Culture Wars

The conflict on college and university campuses about the role of print and digital resources in the library of the future resembles in many ways the so-called culture wars made famous in the political rhetoric of the 1980s and 1990s. The conflict mirrors the broader debate over the role of computer and related technologies in society and, more specifically, the future of the book and print culture in the information age. Librarians have paid insufficient attention to the political and rhetorical dimensions of this conflict and are viewed by some vocal and articulate faculty members as having betrayed the fundamental mission of the library. Effective communication and dialogue with all sectors of the academic community, but especially those maintaining a strong loyalty to the book, will be essential over the years ahead as hybrid print and digital libraries uneasily coexist and place even greater pressure on budgets already stretched to the maximum.