Library without borders? The blurring boundaries of research libraries

Abstract

Research libraries all over the world feel threatened by becoming obsolete and irrelevant. The article enumerates the challenges academic libraries are facing, mainly rapid technological change, competition from the commercial world, less support from the parent institution, decreasing budgets and centralisation of resources and services. Two possible paths are outlined to re-position the research library. One is for academic libraries to demonstrate their value by providing evidence on how they contribute to the overall goals of the parent institution. The other is to undertake new roles in supporting teaching and research, to recognise the blurring boundaries of the research library. New functions include collaboration with faculty in teaching and managing e-learning resources, support of scholarly publishing in the traditional way and through open access repositories, providing expert advice on intellectual property issues and on the measurement of research outcome, and undertaking responsibilities in data curation. Collaboration and teamwork throughout the institution is key to achieve success in these new roles. Libraries will need new kinds of knowledge and expertise, so they will have to rethink their hiring practices as well.