Blurred Lines: Guiding Library Stakeholders toward a Shared Vision of the Library

Abstract

Libraries are relying less on local ownership and increasingly on new models of instant access through unmediated ILL, pay-per-view services, demand-driven acquisitions, and shared collections, blurring lines between access and collection services. While many users are satisfied with receiving the information they want quickly, others are concerned about the perceived erosion of the local collection. We saw an opportunity to refine the library’s philosophy of balancing access and ownership, and communicate it to our faculty and administrators. Access services and collection management professionals worked together to articulate a vision for sustainable administration and budgeting for collection and information delivery services. We then developed a communication strategy to foster buy-in from the college community.