The diffuse library revisited: aligning the library as strategic asset
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830911007718 |
| Published date | 20 November 2009 |
| Pages | 610-623 |
| Date | 20 November 2009 |
| Author | Wendy Lougee |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
The diffuse library revisited:
aligning the library as strategic
asset
Wendy Lougee
University Libraries, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract
Purpose – This paper sets out to explore the shifts in roles evident in the research library
community, with illustrative case studies from the University of Minnesota Libraries.
Design/methodology/approach – The approach takes the form of a review of environmental
forces that are fueling changes in research methodologies and scholar behavior. Changes in research
library roles are explored in the context of three case studies, highlighting new forms of engagement
with the scholar community.
Findings – Three University of Minnesota Libraries’ initiatives illustrate: the use of behavioral data
to design a customized discovery environment for scholarship, new organizational constructs to
engage the community in issues related to control of scholarship, and strategies to develop a virtual
community in the field of bioethics.
Originality/value – The paper presents the original perspective of a University Librarian of a large
research library and draws on earlier analyses of research behaviors, technology, and research library
roles.
Keywords Libraries, Casestudies, Assets, United States of America
Paper type Case study
Is the library’s future in incremental change or transformation? This question is raised
with increasing urgency, often in the context of economic exigencies, technology’s
opportunities, or challenges by a growing number of competitors in the information
arena. The question has merit, but I would like to suggest that the core question is less
about strategy (as the focus on change suggests) and more about role. Where is the
research library best positioned to distinctively contribute and to make a difference?
Can traditional roles simply be stretched within an increasingly digital context? How
does a library conceive or re-conceive its role?
In my subtitle I havereferenced the value of “alignment,”the process of ensuring that
there is coherence between the library’s identified roles and the prevailing or emergent
needs of the academy andthe institutional context. This principle is increasinglysalient
as the library role is re-defined and shaped. In the case of the University of Minnesota
Libraries, the period of the last several years coincided with a significant period of
strategic positioning for the university – a formal, multi-year process of focused
assessment and identification of aspirational goals for a large, public institution.
The other key words in my subtitle are “strategic asset.” All in the profession aim to
serve the needs of our relevant institutional communities. The notion of seeing the
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0737-8831.htm
This study originally took the form of a keynote speech given at the 9th International Bielefeld
Conference, Bielefeld, Germany, 3-5 February 2009.
LHT
27,4
610
Received 11 June 2009
Revised 2 July 2009
Accepted 24 July 2009
Library Hi Tech
Vol. 27 No. 4, 2009
pp. 610-623
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/07378830911007718
To continue reading
Request your trial