Library plays key role in world of ‘alternative facts’ Academic speaks at opening of £60m building
THE University of Birmingham’s new library will play a key role in the digital era of ‘alternative truths’, according to one of the UK’s most influential librarians.
Dame Lynne Brindley said the £60 million spent on building it represented “investment critical to future-proofing research and education”.
She was speaking on the future role of libraries at the opening of the university’s new “transformational” library.
Dame Lynne, master at Pembroke College, Oxford, and former chief executive of the British Library, said: “Librarians should work as partners with academics to provide students with frameworks for information literacy, digital fluency and critical judgment skills around the superabundance of unauthenticated data and information swirling around the ether.”
The University of Birmingham Library, which opened its doors in September and heralded a new era for modern libraries, has been tailormade to suit modern users’ requirements, embracing new technologies while making more of the university’s collections accessible to students and researchers.
The building brings together 2.1 million physical items, from books and journals, to CDs and DVDs, with experts on hand to help and advise resources.
“Students need to be supported and trained to think about how to discern truth, weigh up conflicting evidence, be able to argue cases and deal with complexity of data, statistics, algorithms and viewpoints”, on texts, support and explained Dame Lynne, who highlighted the new risks of judgment swayed by fake news, alternative facts, a deluge of tweets, and the onslaught of ubiquitous social media, around which their daily lives revolve.
She welcomed the university’s vision, adding: “The new library represents the best of ideas, ethics, values and social responsibilities.
“New libraries are neither bookless nor brickless, but designed to serve a new generation of students, retaining enough print, alongside unique treasures and plentiful digital resources.
“Within its walls and its wires, with shelves and with servers, the new library provides inspiration to its students and underpins the impact that research undertaken here will have on the world.”
The opening ceremony was held to thank the staff and project partners, as well as donors, of which 1,600 alumni gifted £1.8million towards the development, to make the ambitious vision a reality.