Provocation on Theme I: Collaboration

Abstract

Area and International Studies Librarians have always functioned in a collaborative environment. For them, collaborative activities can take many forms ranging from collection development and reference with colleagues at the national level to close collaboration with academic departments and programs on campus and, in many instances, collaboration with librarians at the international level. The Center for Research Libraries’ Area Microform Projects (AMPs), which include collaborative digitization and microfilming projects with libraries in various areas of the world as well as collaborative collection development projects, are just one example of this wide range of collaborative activities. More recently, several institutions have experimented with and implemented new models of collaboration where an area studies librarian position is shared by more than one institution. With the increasing awareness in recent years among large research libraries in the U.S. that no library can build and maintain comprehensive collections anymore, combined with developments related to the digital age, collaboration among research libraries in general has been taken to a higher level. The development of shared print repositories, partnerships such as HathiTrust as well as consortial purchase agreements are just a few examples that illustrate the importance of and reliance on collaboration and partnership as defining themes going into the future.