Jeremy Frumkin
Assistant Dean / Chief Technology Strategist
University of Arizona
Pascal Calarco
Associate University Librarian, Research & Digital Discovery Services
University of Waterloo
Oren Beit-Arie
Chief Strategy Officer
Ex Libris, Ltd.
CNI: Library Brand Recognition: Generating Visibility In The Virtual Age from CNI Video Channel on Vimeo.
As economic pressures continue to drive higher education institutions to focus on increasing efficiencies and demonstrating their inherent value to the communities they serve, academic libraries are under similar pressure to demonstrate their value to their overarching institutions. In a digital world, where library users discover and access library-brokered content in real time using a range of platforms and tools, the library often becomes an invisible facilitator. Although the seamless flow of content to users is regarded as a benefit, the lack of recognition of the library’s role in facilitating content can also be a risk. The University of Waterloo and Ex Libris are piloting a new approach that enables libraries to brand electronic information resources (articles) to which they broker access. The solution is based on research conducted at the University of Arizona and Oregon State University. This presentation will describe the general context and need for libraries to better reflect their value to their users, the proposed solution and branding approach, and the current state of the pilot and initial findings from the University of Waterloo.