What Is the role of the academic library?

The question posed in a 2010 survey by Ithaka S&R was: “How important to you is it that your college or university library provides each of the [six] functions below?” This is how the functions ranked:

1. “The library supports and facilitates faculty teaching activities.”
2.  “The library helps undergraduates develop research and information literacy skills.”
3. “The library provides active support that helps increase the productivity of faculty research and scholarship.”
4. “The library pays for resources faculty members need, from academic journals to books to electronic databases.”
5.  “The library serves as a repository of resources; in other words, it archives, preserves, and keeps track of resources.”
6.  “The library serves as a starting point or ’gateway’ for locating information for faculty research.”

Source: Ithaka S+R Library Survey 2010: Insights from U.S. Academic Library Directors.