Academic Libraries are changing, transforming staff level, service models, open access to

resources and services. The library programs, activities, and projects are illustrated for
innovations of resources and services to support the vision-mission of the schools.
Academic library plays a momentous role in the framework and perspective of paradigm
shift. It varies to consider those who are not linked with their parent universities.
Thus, Atienza (2003) pointed out that library is the repository of knowledge, center of
research information in any forms. It is where library users seek information on the
different fields of academic endeavor. The library must therefore, be equipped with the
needs and demands of the library users.
Accreditation is a grueling ordeal, which involves every individual at an educational
institution: faculty, administration, staff, and even students. With the help of the
Librarian and its subordinates, the Library staff, creates a self-study of the entire
department. No one questions the importance of libraries in the educational
responsibility of academic institutions.

An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution which

serves two complementary purposes to support the school's curriculum, and to support the
research of the university faculty and students.[1] It is unknown how many academic
libraries there are internationally. An academic and research portal maintained by
UNESCO links to 3,785 libraries. According to the National Center for Education
Statistics, there are an estimated 3,700 academic libraries in the United States.[1] The
support of teaching and learning requires material for class readings and for student
papers. In the past, the material for class readings, intended to supplement lectures as
prescribed by the instructor, has been called reserves. In the period before electronic
resources became available, the reserves were supplied as actual books or as photocopies
of appropriate journal articles.

Academic libraries must determine a focus for collection development since

comprehensive collections are not feasible. Librarians do this by identifying the needs of
the faculty and student body, as well as the mission and academic programs of the college
or university. When there are particular areas of specialization in academic libraries, these
are often referred to as niche collections. These collections are often the basis of a special
collection department and may include original papers, artwork, and artifacts written or
created by a single author or about a specific subject.

There is a great deal of variation among academic libraries based on their size, resources,
collections, and services. The Harvard University Library is considered to be the largest
strict academic library in the world,[2] although the Danish Royal Library—a combined
national and academic library—has a larger collection.[3] Another notable example is the
University of the South Pacific which has academic libraries distributed throughout its
twelve member countries.[1] The University of California operates the largest academic
library system in the world, it manages more than 34 million items in 100 libraries on ten
campuses.

Academic libraries serve colleges and universities, their students, staff and faculty.
Because larger institutions may have several libraries on their campuses dedicated to
serving particular schools such as law and science libraries, academic librarianship offers a
great opportunity to utilize subject expertise. Professional status varies by institution,
but many academic librarians have faculty status including tenure.

Today’s academic librarians are involved in a variety of challenging activities. They

may:

 consult with individuals in analyzing, identifying, and fulfilling their information

needs
  create campus-wide information literacy programs and deliver classroom
instruction to strengthen information literacy skills
 select, organize, and facilitate access to information in a variety of formats
 keep abreast of technological advancements and develop strategies to take
advantage of them
 plan, implement, and administer computer-based systems, electronic databases
design and manage Web sites
 collaborate with classroom faculty, computer specialists, and instructional
developers
 contribute to effective teamwork among colleagues
 participate in and lead public relations efforts to promote and raise funds for
academic libraries

Education
A master's degree in library science (MLS), preferably from an American Library
Association (ALA) accredited school, is necessary to obtain a position as an academic
librarian, although some positions may require an advanced degree in a subject specialty.

While a public library writes its own criteria for what books are needed to fill its collection
and tries to maintain at least a small collection of local nonfiction, historical, and archival
volumes to record its local past, an academic library exists to support all of the classes,
professors, and students in their educational pursuits. Both for study and research, a good
academic library offers a wide selection of nonfiction and classics, as well as any modern
fiction that may be needed for assignments.

A less high-priority purpose is to support the students’ need for recreational reading, as the
average college student has a limited income, and students who come from out of town are
unlikely to get a local public library card. At my small, local community college, a few e-
readers, pre-loaded with many books, are also offered for checkout. The academic library
building’s facilities are equal in importance to the books; my community college’s library
offers areas within the library meant for group study; a flat screen television and computer
with live video feed capability, and a bank of desktop computers perfect for researching
online as a class, tutoring, or study group.

Another lesser function of the academic library is to keep on hand books specific to the
university or college it serves, including textbooks and fiction written by the school’s
founder or professors, books written about the school’s history, etc.

Of great importance to the academic library’s functionality is, of course, the librarian(s)
and clerk(s) who run the place. One of their most important roles is to assist students and
professors conducting studies or research in finding the best possible paper and online
resources they need to accomplish their goals. This includes pointing out the best online
databases to use and how best to search them, and helping students get state library cards
so they can access all of the resources their state has to offer them as well.

An excellent article by the ALA points out the specific challenges academic librarians face
today, foremost of which is the need of librarians to try and foresee and prepare for ways
in which their roles may change in the future, so in 5 or 10 years, this question may have a
very different answer! Read more here. Changing Roles of Academic and Research
Libraries

I hope this has helped answer your question. As a youth librarian at a public library, I only
have limited knowledge of what academic librarians do, but I certainly know they are very
important!