Texas A&M And University Of Texas Systems To Open Joint Library Storage Facility Tomorrow

From Texas A&M University:

The Texas A&M University System and The University of Texas System will celebrate the opening Friday (May 24) of their Joint Library Facility at Texas A&M University’s Riverside Campus. The 18,000-square-foot library facility represents an unprecedented collaboration between the state’s two largest university systems to provide joint storage of more than a million books and make them available for use by other academic or medical institutions.
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[Director of UT Libraries Fred] Heath cited the benefits of the cooperative endeavor.
“At a time when academic libraries face twin challenges of limited space and diminishing financial resources, this collaborative solution is a model for how unified efforts can result in positive outcomes for all involved,” Heath pointed out. “While we maintain a competitive rivalry that constantly challenges our respective institutions to reach ever higher, we also recognize that we share common goals that benefit from working together. The success of this project is another example of that collaborative spirit.”
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[Our emphasis] To streamline collections, the collaborating institutions will implement a novel process of “sharing” a single copy of duplicated holdings in the new facility. The process will eliminate redundancy while making a “shared” copy available for research and study among users at multiple institutions.

Read the Complete Announcement

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