A Snapshot of Academic Libraries in North Carolina in 2024

Abstract

Since 2020, the higher education landscape has been in a drastic state of flux. From ramping up efforts around diversity, equity, inclusion to scaling back these same efforts due to new policies and laws, from implementing health and safety measures in the wake of a pandemic to again rolling the measures back, and from shifting teaching and learning into an online setting to bringing it back in-person to varying degrees, academic libraries have been in a constant state of change. In addition to the aforementioned shifts occurring, other new and significant issues are facing colleges in North Carolina. This article will examine some of them through the lens of some of our institutions. In particular, the examples will focus on the rise of AI, construction, and renovation, changing staffing patterns, and a look to the future.