As an academic librarian, the hyperlinked environment I chose to explore was, you guessed it, academic libraries. While I read and viewed the material related to academic libraries, the term “environment” and what that means in the context of an academic library was continually at the forefront of my mind. The definition I came up with was simple: the environment is one’s surroundings. As I considered the surroundings of an academic library, I identified three distinct environments that the library engages with: the internal library environment, the external campus environment, and the digital/technological environment. These environments are part of the academic library because they are the environments its users occupy.
The Internal Library Environment
There are many components that make up the internal library environment including space, collections, and people. Creating a hyperlinked environment internally in the academic library might mean hiring for “emerging staff positions” (e.g. data management librarians, etc.) (Catalano et al., 2018) or rethinking the library organizational structure that promotes collaboration over optimization (Matthews, 2017). It may look like acquiring and promoting unique physical collection materials, while reducing other more common physical collections (Staumsheim, 2017). Or it could mean consolidating office/workspace to accommodate another type of space that patrons want. At my library we did this to create space for a library café, something that students had been asking for for years. Since it opened 3 years ago, it has become one of the top earning food service providers on campus!
The External Campus Environment
Although the library is its own entity within the university, it is one piece of the larger whole. As such, it should work to be integrated into the whole. I’ve considered a variety of ways I’ve seen this done in my library including working with student groups on campus to host a Black History Month Concert series; hosting a student and alumni juried art competition; displaying exhibits of library and archival materials related to important campus events like Homecoming; and creating a free seed library so students can grow their own food. These types of activities and services enable the library to be connected, or hyperlinked, to campus.
The Digital/Technological Environment
From personal observation and experience, as well as examination of past ACRL academic library trends reports and Ithaka Library Survey reports, it is clear that the digital realm is a major environment that students and librarians interact with. It consists of virtual reference appointments, collection and database material, research tools, data management…and the list goes on. To successfully be a hyperlinked environment, academic librarians must continually learn about, become familiar with, and even adopt tools and materials in the digital world as technology evolves. Right now, the biggest technological evolution is generative AI. Whether or not librarians like it, they need to understand it and incorporate it into the academic library experience to effectively meet students where they are and facilitate a hyperlinked environment.
References:
Catalano, A. J., Glasser, S., Caniano, L., Caniano, W., & Paretta, L. (2018). An analysis of academic libraries’ participation in 21st century library trends. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 13(3), 4–16. https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip29450
Carroll, E., Bergstrom, T., & Hulbert, I. G. (2026, May 14). US Library Survey 2025: Under Pressure. https://doi.org/10.18665/sr.325599
Mathews, B. (2017). Cultivating complexity: How I stopped driving the innovation train and started planting seeds in the community garden. VTechWorks. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/78886
Planning and Review Committee. (2026). 2026 Top Trends in Academic Libraries: A Review of the Trends and Issues. College & Research Libraries News, 87(6), 233. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.87.6.233
Straumsheim, C. (2017, March 24). The library has never been more important. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/03/24/arizona-state-u-library-reorganization-plan-moves-ahead
@cassandra It is very cool that your library cafe is the top spot on campus. For food service. I appreciate all the ideas you’ve shared about internal and external environments and how they might change.