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The Library Beyond the Library

Academic libraries collaborate with other campus units to provide a growing range of services that support the university research enterprise. These cross-campus partnerships represent emerging operational models that enable libraries to engage with other campus units and contribute to institutional research priorities. As libraries take on new research support responsibilities and partners, it becomes crucial to clearly articulate their value proposition beyond the traditional library setting. 

We call these observations the “library beyond the library.” Libraries are forging new partnerships with other units within the campus community to enhance research support in areas such as open research, research data management, aggregation and dissemination of the institutional scholarly record, and research analytics. These partnerships can take different forms, ranging from ad hoc and experimental collaborations to more formalized operational structures, such as the University of Manchester Office of Open Research or Montana State University Research Alliance. They often align closely with and directly advance institutional research priorities, such as the UK’s REF national assessment exercise or compliance with funder data management requirements.

The Library Beyond the Library project examines increasing library interactions with the broader campus, and how library expertise and capacities are combined with those of other campus units. It explores evolving strategies for articulating and communicating the research library's value proposition in a competitive and resource-scarce campus environment. By documenting the transformation of collaborative operational structures and value propositions, this project will provide valuable insights and recommendations for library leaders navigating the expanding landscape of cross-campus partnerships.

Outputs

Blog Posts

Transforming the library into a research support hub
Hanging Together | November 14, 2024
by Rebecca Bryant

Moving the library beyond the library: Reflections on an RLP leadership roundtable
Hanging Together | August 22, 2024
by Brian Lavoie

Cross-campus collaboration in research support: Insights from an RLP leadership roundtable
Hanging Together | August 13, 2024
by Rebecca Bryant

The library beyond the library
Hanging Together | June 5, 2024
by Brian Lavoie

Hanging Together: the OCLC Research blog

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