A new kind of student? Lifelong learning and the role of the university library and librarian

This essay will discuss lifelong learning for new kinds of students and librarians in a different workplace: The Learning Resource Centre. It focuses on how the libraries of the new universities in Sweden can meet the needs of their target groups: immigrants, older and/or extension students and students from families lacking tradition of higher education. A presentation is also made of a special project at Malmö University in Sweden concerning these new kinds of students and the concept of information literacy. Some comparison with English university libraries and partnerships between academic and public libraries in both countries will be made.The premise is: if the university librarians consider the new role of their institutions and themselves in relation to new kinds of students, they will recognize a need for competence development and realize the benefit of extended cooperation with staff members on and off campus.
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