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The Inherited Academic Library

A column exploring the operating models, institutional expectations, and professional commitments academic libraries carry forward—and what their futures may require.

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Recent essays

November 5, 2026

Is The Inherited Academic Library a Sacred Bundle?

What do we owe it when sustaining it consumes resources we still need?

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  • October 28, 2026

    What Is the Inherited Academic Library Model?

    And What Its Erosion Would Mean for the Profession

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  • October 19, 2026

    Academic Libraries and Budget Cuts

    The Viability Threshold Lurking in the News Announcements of Cuts

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  • October 2, 2026

    Are Academic Library Cuts Reducing the Existing Model or Creating a New One

    The Viability Threshold beneath Continued Operation

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Examining what we have inherited.

Academic libraries carry forward arrangements built across decades: collections, technologies, services, staffing structures, and assumptions about their place in the institution.

The Inherited Academic Library examines how those arrangements hold up under changing conditions, what retrenchment reveals, and how institutions might approach transition deliberately.

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