Coming Soon: The OCLC Research Library Partnership Launches on July 1, 2011

From an OCLC Research “Hanging Together” Blog Post:

This new — or perhaps more appropriately, evolved [OCLC Research Library Partnership] will launch on 1 July 2011.

The OCLC Research Library Partnership builds on and extends the work of the current RLG Partnership. Like its predecessor, the new OCLC Research Library Partnership will include college and university libraries, municipal research libraries, national libraries and archives, privately funded research collections, plus special institutions and large-scale cultural repositories of various kinds. Current Partners are located on several continents and represent some of the world’s greatest libraries. We hope that an expanded and more inclusive Partnership will emerge over the next 2-3 years; we’d like it to become a considerably larger transnational group of research-led institutions.

OCLC Research Library Partners will be part of a leading-edge, peer-based, transnational collaborative. Institutions will participate in a challenging and rewarding set of activities designed to improve the information-driven environment in which your students and scholars work. Partners’ efforts will be backed by the full capacities of OCLC Research, and Partners will collectively influence and direct a substantial portion of the OCLC Research effort. Institutions will have an opportunity to share expertise with some of the most innovative and forward-thinking library managers and leaders in the world.

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Following in the model that we’ve already established, the Partnership will continue to help research libraries operate in an environment transformed by Google, Amazon and other game-changing organizations. Distinctive strategic areas of focus for the Partnership will include: enhancing and extending rich information discovery; supporting the abilities of research libraries to mobilize unique collections; facilitating (both technically and operationally) the wide use of shared print repositories; creating a knowledge access environment that integrates all forms of research content within efficient organization and discovery processes; and exploring global approaches to research information management.

Official Intro and FAQ

• Introducing the OCLC Research Library Partnership (PDF: 2 pages)
• OCLC Research Library Partnership Frequently Asked Questions (.PDF: 3 pages)
• OCLC Research Library Partnership Agreement Form (PDF: 2 pages)

Sample of Recent Outputs:

• White papers, such as Cloud-sourcing Research Collections: and Managing Print in the Mass-digitized Library Environment (Constance Malpas, January 2011).

• Position pieces, like Collaboration Contexts: Framing Local, Group and Global Solutions (Günter Waibel, August 2010).

• Surveys & guided interviews, for example: Taking our Pulse: OCLC Research Survey of Special Collections and Archives (Jackie M. Dooley and Katherine Luce, October 2010) and Research Libraries, Risk and Systemic Change (Jim Michalko, Constance Malpas and Arnold Arcolio. March 2010).

• Events, for instance, Yours, Mine, Ours: Leadership Through Collaboration. Hosted by the Smithsonian Institution, September 2010.

• Commissioned research, e.g., A Slice of Research Life: Information Support for Research in the United States (Susan Kroll, and Rick Forsman.) June 2010.

Much More About the OCLC Research Partnership in the Complete Blog Post and Announcement from OCLC Research

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, Associations and Organizations, Interviews, Journal Articles, Libraries, Management and Leadership, National Libraries, Open Access, Resources