From Passive to Pervasive: Changing Perceptions of the Library's Role through Intra-Campus Partnerships

Abstract

Traditional views of librarianship, and of academic libraries, have focused on the library‟s role as a collec- tor of external resources for student and faculty use. As this role is increasingly challenged by the explo- sion of openly available online content, however, academic libraries must move beyond this limited per- ception of our utility and expand our role to become partners in a broader range of scholarly activities at our institutions. At Pacific University (Oregon), the University Library has developed a series of partner- ships and services (many supported by our institutional repository platform) that extend the Library‟s reach and that lend needed support to our faculty and students‟ scholarly pursuits. In taking on a much more active role in the creation, dissemination and preservation of internally produced scholarship, the Library has demonstrated its value to faculty and administrators and has opened the door to new part- nerships which will not only strengthen the University, but also the Library‟s place within it