UNBINDING THE LIBRARY A new initiative seeks to make the University Libraries omnipresent Libraries are nothing more than physical collections—
are to better understand scholarly research behavior,
buildings with books on shelves. That’s a prevailing
to uncover the full range of resources that support re-
notion among many academics, and–misguided as
search, and, ultimately, to develop new tools and services
it is–it’s not hard to understand its origins. At the
to create a more coherent and coordinated whole out of
University of Minnesota, library facilities are spread
these currently fragmented resources.
across three campuses in 15 separate buildings. Over six million volumes are held within these walls.
laboratory with scientists, clad in white coats, peering
While scholars draw upon a range of resources for their
into microscopes. But for many academic scholars—espe-
research, the librar y has always been the “go to” place
cially scholars in the liberal arts—the library is the labora-
for books.
tory. The University Libraries and cla embarked on this
Most academics were working long before
the advent of the digital age. What’s more, scholarly re-
project to better support this kind of academic research.
search itself is changing: academic disciplines are refocus-
“In a digital age, we have an opportunity to reconceive
ing their priorities, and scholars often perceive libraries as
libraries in a more holistic way,” said University Librarian
behind the times.
Wendy Pradt Lougee. “At their core, libraries are about
“A Multi-Dimensional Framework for Academic Support,”
providing collections and access to information.
But
a University Libraries research project, is out to change
with new technologies, we have the opportunity to knit
those perceptions.
together library and other resources into a coordinated
The goals of the project, a collaboration between the University Libraries and the College of Liberal Arts (cla),
6
When people think of research, they often envision a
spring 2006 . issue 2
online environment. We can break down the boundaries to effective research.”