The Transformation of the College Library Workshops focused on the dramatic changes occurring in college libraries. Intended to help small and mid-sized colleges and universities deal successfully with those changes, one critical element was the focus on information literacy as a fundamental element of liberal education and as a powerful instrument for the transformation of the library and its place in the academic life of the campus. The workshops addressed the role of the library in teaching and learning through collaboration between librarians and faculty members; the changing use and conception of the physical space of the library; the challenges of using technology in improving students’ learning; implementing institutional change; and assessing the institution-wide impact of changes in library services. The workshops encouraged faculty members and librarians to work together, and to foster collaboration between information technology and library staffs.
The workshop was being co-organized with the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education with the generous financial support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. It was cosponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries and the Council on Library and Information Resources, and endorsed by the Appalachian College Association and the United Negro College Fund.