When library patrons find scholarly material, they typically link directly to the full text, bypassing any page that would draw attention to their library’s involvement. The library becomes an invisible facilitator. While all libraries and librarians consider themselves to be agents of knowledge, most are not ready to see their role in knowledge dissemination and access become entirely anonymous. As a result of not being recognized for providing these core services, many libraries risk having their funding impacted.
Libraries fulfill a crucial role in building and maintaining collections for their users and facilitating access to materials’ full text. However, they need to find new ways to brand themselves as a space that exists virtually as well as physically and to use their renewed visibility to ensure their place as a critical part of the knowledge building process.
Expanding on my article, “Provision Recognition: Increasing Awareness of the Library’s Value in Delivering Electronic Information Resources,” published in the Journal of Library Administration, we suggest several ways of rebranding the library and increasing its visibility. We encourage the audience to share their own “invisibility” challenges and ways in which they have addressed them.
Frumkin, J., & Reese, T. (2011). Provision Recognition: Increasing Awareness of the Library’s Value in Delivering Electronic Information Resources. Journal of Libray Administration, 51, 810-819. doi:10.1080/01930826.2011.601277
