Richard T. Sweeney
University Librarian

New Jersey Institute of Technology
Robert Van Houten Library
323 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Newark, NJ 07102-1982
973-596-3208 (voice)
973-242-1641 (fax)
richard.sweeney@njit.edu

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The University Librarian reports to the Provost,and is responsible for directing all the services and activities of the NJIT libraries (Robert W. Van Houten Library and Barbara & Leonard Littman Architecture Library). The ITMS Department ( Instructional Technology and Media Services ) also reports to Rich. He joined NJIT as university librarian in 1995. For the previous 11 years, Rich directed the library at Polytechnic University, Brooklyn. Before that, he directed public libraries in Columbus, Ohio; Flint, Michigan; and Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Rich has conducted over 60 Millennial focus groups at many universities, companies and conferences. See associated PowerPoints. Please note that all PowerPoint documents listed and linked to this page are copyrighted and licensed by Richard T Sweeney, University Librarian, NJIT, under Creative Commons License
(Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License).

  • Vita 
  • Millennial Research 
  • Future of the Academic Library 
  • PowerPoint Presentations 
  • Sweeney Vita (To be added)

    1999 - Present Executive Board of VALE, the Virtual Academic Library Environment of New Jersey

    1994-1995 Snowbird Library Leadership Mentor.  

    He consults with and leads scenario planning for public and academic libraries preparing them for the significant paradigm shifts happening in libraries today.  Rich is a frequent speaker and consultant on the library of the future, library services, digital libraries, library automation and multimedia applications, and library buildings.

    Rich is also currently working with Michael Bieber and others at NJIT on an NSF National Science Digital Library grant called IntegraL as well as an Institute for Museum and Libraries Systems (IMLS) grant called IntLib.

    Sweeney Millennial Research

    Two Page Summary Handout: Millennial Behaviors and Higher Education Focus Group Results

    Creative Commons License
    Millennial Behaviors and Higher Education Focus Group Results by Richard T. Sweeney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

    Rich is researching the Millennials (born 1979 to 1994) and the impact that this large, quite different, generation will have upon government, libraries, academic institutions, companies, consortia, organizations and the workplace. He has conducted over sixty panels (focus groups) in front of live audiences in over twenty five states, New Brunswick, CA, Alexandria, Egypt, and Guatemala City, Guatemala.

    Rich wrote an article in the Fall 2005 Library Administration & Management entitled: "Reinventing Library Buildings and Services for the Millennial Generation".

    Rich's work was also the princpal subject of an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, January 5, 2007 Section B10 entitled: "How the New Generation of Well-Wired Mutitaksers is Changing Campus Culture". This article was based upon a program that Rich conducted at the Chronicle's Technology Forum held in Las Vegas on November 15, 2006. . Rich's Millennal work was also the subject of a front page Chronicle article entitled "The Net Generation in the Classroom", October 7, 2005 (Volume LII, Number 7) Chronicle of Higher Education.

    Rich is also pursuing a research project called the The Higher Education Competitive Advantage: Accelerated Learning   Part of this research is learning how technology in higher education can be used to accelerate human learning while maintaining a comparable or even increased level of understanding.

    Administration, Library Staff, Database Funding


    Future of the Academic Library (To be added)

    See page:
    The Future of the Academic Library  

    Sweeney PowerPoint Presentations (Reverse Order Chronologically)

    Research is More Than Google

    Sweeney PowerPoint Presentation to the Chronicle Technology Forum: Strategies for Campus Leadership, November 13-15, 2006 Las Vegas, NV

    Sweeney PowerPoint Presentation (Virtual Libraries Connecting Millennials in an Archived World) to the Spring Workshop PALA College and Research Division, June 8, 2007, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

    ALA 2006 LAMA Preconference Introduction PowerPoint

    ALA 2006 LAMA Preconference Morning PowerPoint

    ALA 2006 LAMA Preconference Afternoon PowerPoint

    Elsevier Citation Tracker

    SLA-NJ-PowerPoint

    Proposed Cafe Area

    Elsevier Symposium: Millennial Disconnects ALA January 2008 PowerPoint

    American Dental Education Association: Engaging Millennial Students January 23, 2008 PowerPoint

    St. Edwards University: Engaging Millennial Students February 27, 2008 PowerPoint

    Sacred Heart University: Engaging Millennial Students March 25 2008 PowerPoint

    Harvard Dental School Problem Based Learning Conference April 21 2008 PowerPoint

    SSHELCO PASSHE Library Planning Day May 14, 2008 PowerPoint

    FDU Presentation May 22, 2008 PowerPoint

    Canadian Learning Conference Presentation June 9, 2008 PowerPoint

    American Society for Engineering Education Conference Presentation June 25, 2008 Pittsburgh, PA

    Universidad Francisco MarroquĂ­n Videoconference Millenial Presentation and Panel August 18, 2008 Guatemala City, Guatemala

    Millennials Go to College: A Focus Group, September 2, 2008 - William Paterson University

    Understanding & Engaging Millennial Students: A Focus Group, September 11, 2008 - Georgia Tech, Atlanta

    Library Customers: The Next Generation, September 19, 2008 - Martin Library, Living Legacy Society, York, PA

    Growing Up Online: Understanding Millennial Students, October 17, 2008 - Iowa Library Association, Dubuque

    Understanding & Engaging Millennial Students: A Focus Group, October 15, 2008 - University of Michigan

    IL Assessment: Instruments, Portfolios & Millennial Focus Group - November 5, 2008 Alexandria, Egypt

    13 Years after the Internet: Where Goes Information literacy - November 4, 2008 Alexandria, Egypt

    Understanding & Engaging Millennial Employees; A Focus Group November 12, 2008

    Intergenerational Workforce and Engaging Millennial Employees - Work-in-Progress: January 28, 2009

    Bridging the Generation Gap: Engaging Millennials - February 23 2008 Caldwell College, NJ

    Millennial Driven Library Innovation Imperative - March 13, 2008 at ACRL Scholarship Breakfast in Seattle, WA

    Bridging the Generation Gap: A Live Focus Group of Millennials from Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Surgery - March 17, 2008 in Phoenix, AZ

    Understanding & Engaging Millennial Generation Students: A Live Focus Group - April 2, 2009 in Philadelphia, PA

    Five Strategic Areas of Academic Library Focus - April 18, 2009 at Farleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey

    Understanding & Engaging the Millennial Generation - April 22, 2009 at Johnson & Johnson in Morris Plains, NJ

    Understanding & Engaging the Millennial Generation - September 17, 2009 at York College in Queens, NY

    Information Literacy Progress & Best Practice at NJIT - CAA Meeting December 16, 2009

    Creative Commons at NJIT - Meeting February 25, 2010 at NJIT Creative Commons License
    by Richard Sweeney, University Librarian, NJIT is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

    Bridging the Generation Gap: A Live Focus Group of Millennials - American Dental Education Association Allied Dental Program Directors’ Conference at Bloomfield, CO, June 13, 2010

    Millennials and 10,000 Year Libraries - New England Archivists Fall, 2010 meeting at Keene, NH, November 6, 2010Creative Commons License

    Bridging the Generation Gap: A Live Focus Group - New York State Society of CPAs in New York City, April 20, 2012 Creative Commons License

    Bridging the Generation Gap: A Live Focus Group - ellucian CIO Conference in Orlando, FL, June 20, 2012 Creative Commons License

    Patron Driven Acquisitions: Managing the Runaway Costs, Rutgers Piscataway, NJ. Jan 4, 2013 Creative Commons License