Blog

What does it mean to lead a library today? Every three years Ithaka S+R administers a survey of academic library deans and directors to better understand how they conceptualize their work—what they prioritize, how they make decisions, and how they align the library to their parent institution’s mission. Today, we are pleased to share findings from the 2025 cycle, which offer a current view of a library sector that is increasingly operating under pressure.

Today, we published an issue brief on the topic of the evolving relationship between research libraries and academic publishers. With this research, we wanted to better understand which qualities and practices library professionals consider most and least important when evaluating their relationships with academic publishers. At a time of significant budgetary constraints within academic libraries, what qualities rise to the top when deciding whether to begin or renew a publisher contract?…

Today, we launched the Library Deans and Directors Survey 2025. Established in 2010, this triennial survey provides foundational data to the field on the areas of established and emerging importance to academic library deans and directors. Continuing this tradition, the survey now in the field examines the strategic and leadership perspectives of library leaders and seeks to understand the evolution of opportunities and challenges they face in their work. Academic libraries are navigating an exceptional time of change, which has…