Democratizing Discovery: The Impact of Digital Culture on the Research Library

Abstract

This chapter will consider the changing nature of the work of research libraries such as the Bodleian Libraries in response to the digital shift, and the requirement to refresh, extend, and enhance our skills beyond traditional librarianship. It will consider the importance of an integrated approach to physical and digital collections and curation, and the key importance of collaboration for future digital development. The Bodleian Libraries form part of the GLAM (Gardens, Libraries, and Museums) division of the University of Oxford, and we are encouraged to work collaboratively with our museum colleagues to meet the challenge of engaging the public with our world-class collections while at the same time serving our ‘traditional’ constituency of researchers and scholars of the University. This changing focus has required the Bodleian Libraries to reassess user needs and audience expectations as part of our digital strategy, and feeds into our thinking on search and discovery, metadata management, digitization, preservation, and many other areas.