ACRL College & Researc Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

COMMUNITY & COLLABORATION: Strategic alliances: The power of collaborative partnerships

by llene F. Rockman

As Peter Drucker tells us in Management Challenges for the 21st Century, “very few people work by themselves, and achieve results by themselves.”¹ This is certainly true for academic libraries. Strategic alliances and collaborative partnerships are central to our purpose and are of paramount importance for advancing our goals, services, and programs.

Building upon an excellent article by Hannelore B. Rader, which offered examples of how librarians at the University of Louisville have successfully used the partnership model to become more visible and centered within the campus teaching and learning community,² this companion piece looks at additional examples of academic partnerships— this time outside of the traditional teaching and learning arena. These partnerships exemplify the notion of TEAM (Together Each Achieves More) as central to enhancing the educational and institutional missions of our libraries.

Athletics partnerships

Several libraries have unique and innovative relationships with athletics.³ At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a special e-mail reference collaboration with student athletes has forged a special mentoring relationship between the undergraduate library and these students.⁴ This nurturing relationship has helped to reduce the athletes’ feelings of isolation, and has contributed to their retention at the university.

Another recent successful athletic partnership is the Baskets for Books Program at the Madden Library of California State Univer- sity-Fresno. After basketball Coach Jerry Tarkanian and his wife Lois established a book fund for the library in 1998, the following year they decided to create a new fundraiser called the Baskets for Books Program. For every point the university basketball team scores during the season, dollars are contributed to the library from individual and corporate sponsors.

Author celebrations

Each year the Kennedy Library at California Polytechnical State University-San Luis Obispo, honors campus authors at an event during National Library Week in partnership with the campus bookstore, Academic Senate, Office of the President, and Office of the Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. The library mounts a Web site, and a display of campus books is mounted in the library and/or the bookstore. This year, the event and reception took place in the library and included a presentation of certificates, remarks by the president and the provost, an author book signing and book sale, and the presentation of signed copies of books to the Cal Poly Authors Collections.

Last year, Southern Methodist University also hosted a reception in the library to recognize faculty research and creative works. The president and provost were in atten- dance, and the event was co-sponsored by the Faculty Senate, the Friends of the Library, and the Central University Libraries.

About the author

llene F. Rockman is deputy university librarian at California State University, Hayward, e-mail:irockman@csuhayward.edu

Following the reception was a dedica- tion of the Faculty Plaza and the announce- ment that $40,000 had been raised to honor past and present faculty members and to create an endowment for future library ac- quisitions.

Community outreach

At Georgetown University, the Food for Fines exchange program provides food to the com- munity through such organizations as the Washington, D.C.’s “Bread for the City,” which assists the elderly, the disabled, and families with children. The library waives $1 in library fines (up to a maximum of $20) for each canned good or nonperishable food item brought to the library at a designated time. Since the library first began the program in 1995, it has gathered tens of thousands of food items for the community.

Cultural performances

It is not uncom- mon for libraries with spacious lob- bies, rotundas, or large public meet- ing spaces to col- laborate with music departments to host recitals and performances. At UCLA, music concerts in the rotunda of Powell Library feature student and faculty groups from the departments of music, musicology, and ethnomusicology.

During the Spring Quarter 2001, the free conceits were scheduled in the late afternoon and were open to the public. Performances featured a vocal quartet, a classical guitarist, an early music ensemble, music from the Philippines, and an Anglo American ensemble featuring folk, bluegrass, Irish, and Celtic music.

Digitization projects and fairs

Many libraries have collaborated with cam- pus information technology services to jump- start and sustain digital library collections.

Using funds from an Institute of Museum and Library Services Technology Act grant, the Colorado Digitization project promotes collaboration between libraries, archives, his- torical societies, and museums to provide integrated access to the unique resources held in, and by, Colorado institutions.⁵ A June 2001 conference, “Cultural Heritage Collaboration in the Digital Age,” will be held at the Uni- versity of Denver and will introduce key archive, historical society, museum, and li- brary leaders in 23 Western states to the issues associated with developing a statewide or re- gionally based collaborative digitization initia- tive. The conference will include plenary and small group sessions, a vendor fair, and the opportunity to see demonstrations from several states.

Another approach to promoting digitization projects is through a campus fair. The 5th Harvard Digi- tal Video and Mul- timedia Fair was held in 1998 at the Kennedy School of Government and included the keynote address, “Digital Libraries Over the Inter- net,” by librarian John B. Howard.

Representing the Baskets for Books donors, Harry Gaykian presents a $10,000 check to Dave Tyckoson and Julie Hernandez of the Madden Library.

Fundraising

Biola University has developed an informative Web page to solicit donations for completion of its new library resource center, which will provide expanded study space and state- of-the-art technology. Users can make an online donation to the library, view photographs of the progress of the library construction, see a live Webcam, or watch a streaming video of the construction.

Another approach to fundraising is the University of Pennsylvania’s Library Alumni and Friends Portal. Information is provided about various library activities, contributions can be made by going to Penn’s secure online gift site, and an e-friends online registration form is provided.

Residence halls

Librarians at Depauw University’s West Library partner with upper class students who serve as Academic Peer Assistants (APAs) to students living in the residence halls. Librarians orient the APAs to the library’s virtual tour and offer library orientation sessions in the residence halls.

Similarly, the Undergraduate Library at the University of Michigan has fostered cooperative efforts with the residence halls and the directors of the Living/Learning Community. Since the residence halls have libraries, peer information counselors have provided one-on- one research consultation to students.

University press

Unlike the traditional university press, which focuses on publishing paper-based books and journals each year, the University of Cincinnati’s Digital Press is devoted to the electronic publication of original documentation of the trans-Mississippi West for use in research and instruction. The press developed out of an effort to preserve special materials in the University Libraries and to increase its accessibility using new technologies. The Web page contains links to scholarly bibliographies, online exhibits, prints at the Cincinnati Historical Society Library, and images from the collections of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

Conclusion

These are but a few examples of how academic libraries have creatively connected with campus, community, and statewide colleagues to establish and promote successful endeavors that further their educational and institutional missions.

Libraries have a long and strong tradition of achieving their goals by monitoring their environments, setting directions, staying “connected,” seizing opportunities, exploring cooperative ventures, remaining agile, working cooperatively, and establishing strategic partnerships.

Such partnerships require effective leaders, who Rosabeth Moss Kanter calls “cosmopolitans.” These are the people who are comfortable with operating across boundaries, forging links between organizations, finding common purposes, staying receptive to information outside of their current frameworks, and taking pleasure in new experiences and ideas.⁶

Let us all strive to be cosmopolitans as we look forward, envision new possibilities, and embrace a variety of mutually beneficial strategic partnerships on behalf of our libraries.

More examples of partnering

Athletes

• http://www.lib.csufresno.edu/ LibrarylnfomTation/Donors/BasketsForBooks. html

Author celebrations

• http://www. lib. calpoly.edu/authors/2001. html

• http://www. smu. edu/~ne wsinfo/ releases/99318

Community outreach

• http://gulib.lausun.georgetown.edu/ newsletter/marOO/food. htm

Cultural performances

• http://www. library. ucla. edu/libraries/ college/nwsevnts/powmusic/index. htm

Digitization

• http:// coloradodigital. coalliance. org/

• http://www.abcd.harvard.edu/public/ multimedia/1998/program.html

Fundraising

• http://www.bfoh.edu/admir/devefopmenl/ library„construction/index.cfm

• http:// www.library.upenn.edu/portal

Residence halls

• http://www. depauw.edu/admin/ stu dentaffairs/hou sing/Rlstaff .htm

• http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/ UGL/services/llc/activities.html

University press

• http://www.ucdp.uc.edu

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Notes

1. Peter F. Dmcker, Management Challenges for the 21st Century (New York: Harper Business, 1999), 183-
2. Hannelore B. Rader, “A New Academic Library Model: Partnerships for Learning and Teaching,” C&RL News 62, no. 4 (April 2001): 393-96.
3. Gail R. Gilbert, “Courting Athletics, Creating Partnerships,” Library Administration & Management 14, no. 1 (Winter 2000), 35-37.
4. Melba Jesudason, “Outreach to Student-Athletes Through E-Mail Reference Service,” Reference Services Review 28, no. 3 (2000), 262-67.
5. Nancy Allen and Liz Bishoff, “Academic Library/Museum Collaboration: I’m OK, You’re OK,” Proceedings of the ACRL 10th National Conference, March 15-18, 2001 (Chicago: ACRL, 2001), 59-69.
6. Rosabeth Moss Kanter, “World Class Leaders” The Leader of the Future (San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1996), 91.