Keywords
Increased Access to Unique collections; Virtual Reading Room; Digital Shift; Digital service models; Strategic collaboration; Partnership
Description
The University of Melbourne and Sydney Libraries in Australia have unparalleled collections of special, rare and archival collections in the national academic library landscape. Both institutions are driven by the same ambition; to maximise engagement and use of these unique collection to further global scholarship. During the peak of the global pandemic physical access to collections was limited which led to the development of digital solutions to provide a minimum level of access for scholars. On emerging from lockdowns, we engaged in a range of reflective practices about how we may transform and evolve service models in direct response to changing expectations of access for global scholars and regional communities, in particular Indigenous communities but also in tandem strengthen global professional networks. Over the last year, in partnership, the libraries at Melbourne and Sydney have developed distinctive and different approaches to piloting two new service models; Virtual Reading Room (VRR) and Virtual Teaching Space (VTS) which has been informed by the global practice emerging through the Research Libraries UK (RLUK) and International Alliance of Research Library Association (IARLA). This presentation will outline our motivations for exploring these service models and the benefits we see them realising. In addition, we will outline the power of strong and strategic partnerships across university libraries in developing new service models to increase the visibility and engagement with unique and distinctive collections for local and global communities.
The Virtual Reading Room: thinking globally, acting locally
The University of Melbourne and Sydney Libraries in Australia have unparalleled collections of special, rare and archival collections in the national academic library landscape. Both institutions are driven by the same ambition; to maximise engagement and use of these unique collection to further global scholarship. During the peak of the global pandemic physical access to collections was limited which led to the development of digital solutions to provide a minimum level of access for scholars. On emerging from lockdowns, we engaged in a range of reflective practices about how we may transform and evolve service models in direct response to changing expectations of access for global scholars and regional communities, in particular Indigenous communities but also in tandem strengthen global professional networks. Over the last year, in partnership, the libraries at Melbourne and Sydney have developed distinctive and different approaches to piloting two new service models; Virtual Reading Room (VRR) and Virtual Teaching Space (VTS) which has been informed by the global practice emerging through the Research Libraries UK (RLUK) and International Alliance of Research Library Association (IARLA). This presentation will outline our motivations for exploring these service models and the benefits we see them realising. In addition, we will outline the power of strong and strategic partnerships across university libraries in developing new service models to increase the visibility and engagement with unique and distinctive collections for local and global communities.