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Librarian reflections: a retrospective on 2024

At OUP, we’re eager to foster discussion and reflection within the library community. So we took the opportunity to ask Eleanor Thomas, Acquisitions Coordinator for the University of Adelaide Library, to share her reflections on and experiences of the library sector over the past year, and her impressions of what the new year may bring.

There has been a lot of debate about the place of AI in academia. How has the progression of AI affected your library or role thus far?

The library has been very conscious of the need to support students with AI literacy. We recently launched the Artificial Intelligence Literacy Framework (AILF), a collaboration between the library and academic and professional staff of the University. There is a common perception that you can do all sorts of clever things using AI and there aren’t any rules, but that is challenging in higher education. The AILF aims to assist with the development of essential skills for navigating this space. It describes competencies and provides examples for possible training content.

There has been an increase in the number of subscription resources offering add-on pricing to include AI functionality. It’s important to provide relevant resources in support of teaching and research but budgets are already tight, so managing the additional fee is difficult. It’s a complex space, with questions around quality and the added value provided, and it is one we’re only beginning to grapple with.

Describe an initiative your library has taken that you’re proud of.

We’ve made some significant changes to our physical spaces, with a massive revamp of multiple floors of the library and the creation of our wonderful new cultural space, Tirkanthi Yangadlitya or ‘Learning for the future’. This new space focuses on learning, beauty, empowerment, and the celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and peoples. With nature-inspired furnishings and colour, it is a peaceful and reflective place. The Yarning Circle is a wonderful feature, but I’m always struck by the beauty and craftmanship of the beautifully hand-woven light shades made by Indigenous communities. The Yaitya Ngutupira ‘About Aboriginal knowledge’ collection is conveniently located nearby.

Image of Tirkanthi Yangadlitya (Learning for the future), University of Adelaide's new cultural space at the Barr Smith Library.
Image courtesy of the Barr Smith Library.

Some parts of the library were looking so tired but now it looks fabulous! There were periods during the year when the walls shook, the ground heaved, and you really did wonder whether your feet would ever stop vibrating but the results have been worth every moment. We now have more accessible shelving, brighter spaces, new furniture, sleep pods, new carpet, and better wayfinding.

2024 was the University of Adelaide’s 150th birthday and the Barr Smith Library is looking better than ever.

What have you found the most challenging in your role over the past year?

Time management and prioritization have been my greatest challenges! We’re spending a lot of time carefully planning for the merger of the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia in 2026. There are many factors to consider, so good planning is essential. At the same time, it is vital that we maintain our focus on the needs of our current students to ensure that they have the best possible experience here. There have also been significant positives as well, because I’m getting to work closely with former colleagues from my previous time at the University of South Australia. Experiencing challenges like these with a sense of fellowship has been very positive.

Looking ahead, can you name three things you are either excited about or daunted by for your library this year?

  • 2025 will be the final year of the University of Adelaide before we join with the University of South Australia. I’ve loved being part of the University of Adelaide, and I do feel a sense of loss for the things I have now which will no longer be. I have a great team here and I value the times we have together. Things will begin to change this year and I feel a little daunted by that.
  • Excitingly though, 2025 will continue the job of finding our way to the new us. I’ve worked at both foundational institutions, and they are great in themselves, so surely together we will become even better. Increasingly we’ll get to meet our future colleagues and start working everything out. I’m looking forward to renewing old friendships and building new connections; it is a rare opportunity to be part of a university merger of this kind.
  • I can’t quite believe I’m saying it, but it is exciting to start creating library workflows and processes from scratch! All librarians have been in the difficult position of trying to cram a new process into an existing situation with limitations. We make it work, and we make it the best it can be, but we’ve all had moments of wishing we could start from the ground up. As part of the future Adelaide University, we will have that opportunity.

Featured image by Oporanhho via Unsplash

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