The libraries at Columbia University and Cornell University are taking a new step in their 2CUL partnership: integrating a major part of their operations.
The two libraries will integrate their technical services departments with the help of a three-year, $350,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. These departments purchase and license library materials, such as books, e-books, e-journals and databases, and they provide data so that users can find and use those materials.
For library users, the 2CUL integration will mean better and faster access to more materials — including licensed journal articles, foreign materials and other content. When negotiating with vendors and other third parties for services and content, the technical services operation will exercise bargaining power on behalf of both research libraries.
The integration will also include seeking a common library management system that integrates data and workflows; and establishing collaborative collection building and coordinated processing. It will also include
reviewing policies, practices, workflows and job responsibilities at each institution, with an eye toward reconciling them as much as possible. Drafting best practices and using guidelines; and adopting a new organisational structure and culture are also part of the integration plan.
Since both of these libraries serve high-level research institutions, their technical services work requires specialised language expertise (the 2CUL libraries collect materials in around 50 languages) as well as a range of unique content. The integration will give both libraries an enhanced pool of expertise and capacity, it is expected.
Additionally, some workflows will be similar enough to support work-sharing. The transformative 2CUL partnership began in 2009, with an initial grant from the Mellon Foundation that allowed Columbia and Cornell to join forces in addressing budgetary challenges posed by the economic recession and improve library efficiencies, promote innovation and meet new and emerging academic needs.
The new round of funding from the Mellon Foundation supports a critical piece of 2CUL's "Phase 2" period. Beyond the scope of the grant, the two libraries will pursue other goals for advancing the partnership, including more integrated collection building and mainstreaming 2CUL in other areas based on the success of the technical services integration.
