Building a Cross-Institutional Infrastructure for Technical Services: The OhioLINK CollaboraTeS Project

Academic libraries in the 21st century must forge new cross-institutional service models based on the knowledge and expertise gained by years of building the shared bibliographic environment. Specific tools, such as cross-institutional best practices, must be developed. OhioLINK’s Database Management and Standards Committee (DMSC) is building the infrastructure that will enable OhioLINK libraries to look across institutional boundaries for inspiration and opportunities. In the spring of 2009 DMSC surveyed OhioLINK libraries to inventory cataloging and technical services expertise. The results are in and are available for use on a day-to-day basis by OhioLINK libraries. OhioLINK’s CollaboraTeS Project facilitates cross-institutional projects by providing information on which libraries are willing to assist others, barter or trade for assistance, or contract for assistance, skills or work. The project will include supportive best practices documents including boilerplate contracts, project specification patterns, cost models and sample memorandums of understanding. The researchers will present what they discovered and provide an update on the status of CollaboraTeS. Ohio academic libraries will become more aware of resources available to them via the CollaboraTeS project, and other libraries will be encouraged to consider the model