Purdue e-Pubs Reshaping and rescoping university libraries to fit changing academic requirements RESHAPING AND RESCOPING UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES TO FIT CHANGING ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

Abstract The paper outlines the strategies and processes that were adopted by the Library at the University of New South Wales, a research intensive university in Australia, to provide eResearch support services for the University"s academic community. The focus of the paper is on how structural, technical, staff and content-related components of the Library were reshaped to integrate eResearch services with the organisation"s existing business. Relationships between Library work units were reconfigured and new collaborations with researchers and external partners were developed. The authors conclude that organisational flexibility is a core requirement for academic libraries to be responsive to changing research practice and developments in scholarly communication. Keywords: eResearch infrastructure; library research support services; organisational change; flexible workplaces Introduction Changes in research practice, including methods of scholarly communication, come with new challenges and opportunities for research intensive institutions. As research activity at universities generates increasing volumes of digital content from across the research lifecycle, institutions have become more accountable for the creation and management of their research output, resulting in a need to develop strong and stable research information infrastructures. Such a research environment has given each academic library an excellent opportunity to make a significant impact within its organisation. By exploiting its experience and understanding of managing content, knowledge of information systems, and knowing the value of collaboration, the academic library can contribute substantially to research information infrastructure