Richard T. Sweeney

University Librarian at NJIT, 1995-2016

New Jersey Institute of Technology
Robert Van Houten Library
University Heights
Newark, NJ 07102-1982

Richard Sweeney

Celebrating the Life of Richard T. Sweeney on Friday September 16, 2016

Program | Video of the Program | Dedicated Plaque | Our Beloved Librarian, An NJIT's Featured Story | Rememberance Memorial Resolution from ALA.


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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 and Design Library). The ITMS Department ( Instructional Technology and Media Services) reported to Rich from 2007 - 2013. 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 Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License



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

Rich worked 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.

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

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 researched 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 pursued 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.

© Richard T. Sweeney, New Jersey Institute of Technology