CENTER OF KNOWLEDGE VERSUS CENTER OF INFORMATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE UK ACADEMIC LIBRARY WITH THE US ACADEMIC PUBLIC LIBRARY

by Snow, Sarah Turnbull

This case study compares the mission, role, and services of two academic libraries in an increasing digital environment as typified by the Bodleian Library and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library. The investigation shows how these factors define two different bases of knowledge: The Center of Knowledge where digital access supports the scholarly mission but is not mandatory and The Center of Information where digital access is a core part of the scholarly mission. This study began with the May, 2003 seminar at the Bodleian Library of Oxford University, Oxford, England, sponsored by the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A survey was also used to ascertain the similarities and differences between the Bodleian Library and the UNC Library. Ten employees from each library participated in the survey and were employed in the areas of Senior Administration, Head of a Collection, Archivist or Preservation, Information Technology, Digital Access Development, Website Design, and Fund Development Director at the time of this study.