Like the sprawling institution it serves, Cornell University Library is reinventing itself to meet the changing needs of its patrons. In the six months since Anne Kenney became the 11th Carl A. Kroch Librarian, she has introduced a new administrative structure and identified new strategic goals. She is also examining the role of physical books in the digitized world.

But Kenney's most pressing task is preparing for 24 months of major renovations to Olin Library.

The Olin project is particularly urgent, Kenney says. "[Olin] lacks basic life safety systems. It has no sprinklers. It has no smoke detectors. There is an outdated fire-detection system in the building. The university has had difficulty getting a second insurance carrier because of the potential for the loss of life and property."

Built in 1961 as one of Cornell's first totally closed environments, Olin's single-paned windows do not open. The temperature of its rooms varies by 20 degrees, making it so hot or cold that study and research are compromised. Lighting is poor. Students bring extension cords for their laptop computers to study in carrels unequipped with electrical outlets. Kenney expects the renovation to begin next spring.

Another goal of Kenney's is "to raise money to offer better support of teaching and study." To do so she plans to conduct a series of "salons" across the country in connection with the Cornell capital campaign.

On the administrative front, Kenney has instituted a new structure headed by five associate university librarians responsible for: scholarly resources and special collections; teaching, research, outreach and learning; information technologies; central library operations; and administrative services. The new organization is "more intuitive to users and to staff, and it aligns with our priorities," Kenney says.

Cornell Library is the first library in the country to hire a technology strategist "to help us think through the technical implications of what's coming down the pike," she says. Recruitment and retention are also a high priority: One-third of professional library staff are eligible for retirement; within five years the number rises to 56 percent; in 10 years, 67 percent. "The staff here is just first-rate; they are recruited all the time," Kenney says. "We want to be competitive and retain the best and brightest."

Who the library is hiring is also changing. "We are increasingly relying on expertise beyond the traditional library degree and experience," she says. "Our chief technology strategist, Dean Krafft, has a Ph.D. in computer science from Cornell. We have subject experts, curators, communicators, conservators -- there's a whole new assemblage of experts who are coming into the library."

Kenney also is working on "promoting interdisciplinary research in a way that helps bridge the divides between disciplines" and is re-examining the nature of academic libraries.

"For some people, the library is the thing you walk into," Kenney says. "For someone else, it's an icon on a desktop. We're conducting a yearlong investigation on the case for the physical book in the digital age. We're looking at the changing nature of reading and of the use of physical books, even if there are digital equivalents. Is there something around the sense of deep reading that is connected with the physical book? There may well be a continuing need for physical books even when digital equivalents are available."

Whatever forms the evolution of Cornell's library takes, Kenney sees promise. "Some folks despair about the future of libraries when everything is purportedly available online," she says. "I think this is an extremely challenging and creative time for librarianship. The same purposes will be served, but we will do it in different ways. We offer services that turn thought into knowledge and knowledge into expression. We'll continue to enhance that process."