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Universities are institutions of knowledge and play a key role in the development and intellectual growth of a country. In an increasingly globalized and digital world, they must move forward and adapt to the new times to become pioneers in digital development and offer all the necessary tools to their students to enable a progressive and engaging learning experience.

The academic library plays a fundamental role in the student’s learning journey. Digitalizing content is important but not enough. The library has to intrinsically be designed to be digitally accessible and data-centric.

Here are 5 reasons why you should digitize your academic library today:

1. Technological profile of today’s students (digital natives). In 2018, more than 50% of young people between 15 and 24 years old spend 90% of their time online through a mobile device, according to the Spanish Digital Society research for 2017. The vast majority of this time is invested in the network was for instant messaging (81.7%) social networks (77.5%) and music consumption (65.2%). What would happen if Universities offered a mobile-first experience with all their catalog accessed via a mobile handset, without compromising user experience? Engagement and value should increase exponentially.
2. Digital resources are a complement to physical resources. In no case, the physical resources (paper books) will disappear from the Universities. Ebooks should not be seen as an enemy, but as a great travel companion for paper books. Being able to have a mixed, rich and varied catalog.
3. The economic value of digital resources. The economic savings with the purchase of a digital book can be substantial when compared to the cost of a physical book. This savings can be up to 90% with micro-lending and multi-usage models, as well as from the non-depreciation of the asset with its use.
4. Reduction of the need for physical spaces. The option of having a digital catalog allows Universities to increase their resource capability, without the need for an increase in physical library space.
5. Ease of access to information. Searching for a specific resource can sometimes be a challenge, especially if no ISBN is known. Digital catalogues with a rich user experience and metadata can simplify the discovery process significantly. Further, intelligent solutions such as ODILO, can recommend the best content associated with a typical user’s profile and search needs.

J. Alonso