flexibility. Competition and protectionist attitudes must give way to institutional humility and stronger collaborative networks. After all, our users do not care which institution owns the original or provides the digital surrogate, they just want unfettered access. Further, purposeful collaboration takes effort, flexibility, and persistence to achieve the full potential of cooperative activity. Will Noel noted that data management is a major challenge for cooperative efforts, while Skinner added that collaboration demands an organizational structure in order to work. Discussion emphasized that development of infrastructure for collaboration is best kept lightweight, distributed, and virtual, keeping in mind that open, dynamic collaboration is useful for access and exposure, while a closer, constricted organization is necessary to protect and sustain collections. Regardless, consensus confirmed that programmatic digital and collaboration infrastructure are the key investments in effectively connecting researchers with distinctive collections. Conclusion: An Investment in the Knowledge Economy In closing, Ian Wilson reminded the audience that the future of special collections offers opportunities for leadership at the edge of evolving research practice. Taking advantage of the virtual space is like exploring a new land, where shared risk and calculated investment can result in significant impact. The way scholars learn and process knowledge is changing. Users now commit to search strategies rather than memorization of facts and details. The opportunity to engage the learning process via the raw materials of knowledge, rare objects, and primary sources, is greater than ever before. Moving forward, investment in special collections will require user-centered mission alignment, resource reallocation towards mainstreaming and sustainability, and the commitment and trust- intensive work of collaboration but such an investment offers a rich, rewarding, and transformative contribution to advancing knowledge. 1 Special Collections in ARL Libraries: A Discussion Report from the ARL Working Group on Special Collections (Washington DC: ARL, 2009), http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/scwg-report.pdf. 2 An Age of Discovery: Distinctive Collections in the Digital Age, Proceedings from the ARL-CNI Fall Forum, October 14–15, 2009, Washington DC, http://www.arl.org/resources/pubs/fallforumproceedings/forum09proceedings.shtml. 3 The Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University, Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America’s Research Universities (Boyer Commission, 1998), http://naples.cc.sunysb.edu/Pres/boyer.nsf/. RLI 267 16 Moving Special Collections Forward in an Age of Discovery: Themes from the ARL-CNI Forum ( C O N T I N U E D ) DECEMBER 2009 RESEARCH LIBRARY ISSUES: A BIMONTHLY REPORT FROM ARL, CNI, AND SPARC
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