Convergence and Collaboration of Campus Information Services

(Paperback)

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Description

Convergence and collaboration enable an academic library to be more fully engaged with its campus. In its simplest form, convergence is defined as joint activities of a campus's units to further their shared mission of supporting teaching, learning, and inquiry. Convergence, which involves collaboration in both organizational structures and service delivery, leads to users benefiting from contact with individuals who have relevant expertise. Collaboration also may lead to convergence of collections, thereby enhancing library service to an institution's constituents. Specific examples of convergence/collaboration include centers for teaching excellence, tutor and writing centers, information arcades, facilities for multi-media production and delivery, information and learning commons, cafes, photocopying centers; centers for distance education, participation in the use of course management software (e.g., Blackboard) to make library resources available to classes digitally and to make students more information literate, publishing (e.g., university presses and digital collections, including institutional repositories), counseling and career centers, and services for students for whom English is a secondary language (mostly in community colleges). For anyone interested in how academic libraries can be more closely tied to the various missions of the colleges/universities in which they reside.

Reviews

The sharing of ideas, successes, obstacles, and challenges by colleagues in the field can be of great use to any academic library seeking to integrate its services into the college curriculum and student service areas. * ARBAonline *
. . . stories suggest innovative and interesting ways for librarians to work with colleagues in enriching students' learning. . . . this book is a rich vein for ideas, and is recommended for all academic libraries. * Catholic Library World *
recommended to all managers of academic libraries willing to take up the challenges of the twenty-first century. * Library Hi Tech *

Author Bio

PETER HERNON is a professor at Simmons College, Graduate School of Library and Information Science. RONALD R. POWELL is a professor in the Library and Information Science Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.