The CRKN along with the Institutional Mobilization Task Group are pleased to announce the launch of the Institutional Mobilization Toolkit.
Libraries have been working together for years to expand access to digital content via innovative technologies, but as many of you know, the current ecosystem we find ourselves in is unsustainable and threatens our ability to ensure permanent and long-term access to the research required in our universities.
With the Institutional Mobilization Toolkit we are taking the first steps in working together, along with our researchers and administrative colleagues, to propose a national strategy. We know that by working together we can call on our collective strengths, knowledge and expertise to secure access to electronic journals and databases in the short term, while working towards new organizational, business and scholarly communication models to meet the information needs of our researchers as a long-term goal.
Getting Started
The best way to solve a problem is to really understand the issues, and while most academic librarians are well versed in the issues facing our industry, researchers and administrators may not have enough information about the challenges that libraries face in providing access to the research content needed to support teaching and research in Canada’s Universities. This is where the Institutional Mobilization Toolkit comes in; the Toolkit provides you with the background information to effectively communicate the challenges that we are facing by giving history, context and suggestions to get the conversation started with your colleagues. The first step is to generate more awareness within our universities that the increasing cost of journals is outpacing the increase of library budgets which in turn puts pressure on libraries to do more with less. The next step is to start having conversations with researchers and administrations about the ways we can all work together to find solutions to these issues.
How Can I Get Involved?
The best way to get involved is to review the resources provided, utilize them within your own institution as a means to initiate dialogue and engage faculty and administration on the issues, and provide us feedback as you use these tools within your community.
We want to hear about what is working and how we can provide additional support. The Toolkit will be updated and improved as we learn more about the ways in which librarians are using these tools. The founding principle of the Toolkit is united collaboration, so by working together, sharing progress, successes and challenges we can learn from each other and adapt strategies as necessary.
The Toolkit is now available at www.crkn.ca/imtg. We look forward to hearing from you by email (imtg@crkn.ca) or on Twitter using hashtag #LetsMobilize.