Multilateral Digital Library Partnerships for Sharing and Preserving Instructional Content and Context

Two themes are explored relating to Digital Library (DL) development. The first considers partnering as a strategic response to the problem of competitive convergence. The second considers the value added to information by providing what I call here its "context of use." The context of use is of strategic interest to libraries as the critical information need of library users shifts from information access to relief from overwhelming abundance of information. Both themes are explored via a case study of developing electronic course reserves at an academic research library. The case study is significant to academic libraries because it illustrates the degree to which courseware and educational information initiatives are taking place outside the publishing paradigms on which library technical and public services are based. It also highlights how much these initiatives depend on partnering as a strategy. Libraries are challenged both to consider their own DL strategies in light of this context-rich instructional DL infrastructure, and to consider these strategies vis-à-vis an emerging digital university (DU).