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RLI 265 9 Amplifying the Educational Role of Librarians Elizabeth A. Dupuis, Associate University Librarian for Educational Initiatives and Director of the Doe/Moffitt Libraries, University of California, Berkeley Omissions of research, teaching, and public service. To name just a fewur libraries and universities are continuously adapting, seekingeffective ways to respond to the fundamental and interconnected recent shifts: institutions and departments have drafted and adopted student learning outcomes for all graduates of their programs; curricula have evolved to include problem-solving and research-based learning; research projects incorporate various media and take more technological and creative forms; online programs have increased exponentially; and national studies and educational research have informed our understanding of factors that enhance student engagement1 and result in deeper learning.2 As institutions respond to these changes, librarians can, and should, offer valuable perspectives and expertise to initiatives such as accreditation planning and strategic goal setting, development of student learning outcomes, design of course management systems, assessment of student learning, and promotion of teaching-effectiveness programs. My focus within the process at Berkeley, and for this article, will be the often under-emphasized educational role of librarians. Responding strategically to economic pressures, many libraries are taking a fresh look at the changing needs of faculty and students and realigning the library’s priorities and models to best meet current and future needs. As with many ARL libraries, the University of California, Berkeley has a decentralized library system and a campus with research interests that are both wide and deep; identification of lower priorities or lesser-used functions is neither easy nor obvious. However, the librarian’s role as an educational partner is recognized as one area of strategic importance for the long-term vitality of research libraries and the effectiveness of campus teaching and learning initiatives. AUGUST 2009 RESEARCH LIBRARY ISSUES: A BIMONTHLY REPORT FROM ARL, CNI, AND SPARC