Strategic Collaborations in Health Sciences Libraries

Due to physical space changes (sharing of library space with other academic units), budget constraints (need to work with others to save costs or to generate revenue), and to political considerations, health sciences librarians need to optimize collaborating with others in their institutions, as well as with other types of librarians. They need to understand what leads to successful collaborations and to be able to outline why collaborations may be beneficial. Using case studies with examples of successful and failing collaborations, Strategic collaborations in health sciences libraries: Best practices for success provides a framework and evidence for learning about key factors to consider when thinking about new collaborations. Readers of this book will also be able to contact the chapter authors to obtain more details than those provided in the book. This connection between the experts with collaboration experience with those seeking to understand successful collaborations is the key impact of this book.

The purpose of this edited book is to focus on the positive aspect of collaboration in health sciences libraries, encouraging others to form collaborations mutually beneficial to the library and the collaboration partnerThrough case studies (from the past five years), readers will be exposed to new ideas or ways to enhance existing collaborationsThis book will encourage readers to contact individual authors to learn more about their experiences, share ideas and connect with a network of librarians with collaboration expertise

1. CEBIS: Collaborating with clinicians to inform evidence based practice 2. Collaboration is Key: Advancing the Academic Health Sciences Library's Mission through Campus Partnerships with Library Spaces 3. Collaborating to connect the underserved with patient portals 4. Finding our way without a road MAP: Cultivating a UK-wide community of practice 5. Open collaboration: How separate library systems harmonized their support for open access scholarship 6. Bringing the evidence to the table: Librarians partner with performance improvement for high quality, safe, and cost-effective patient care 7. Successful collaborations at the local and national level build teenagers’ skills to advocate for improved health: Project SHARE 8. Strengthening strategic planning through diverse collaborations 9. e-channel: A platform for disseminating the scholarly output of innovators 10. It takes a village: Operating an app bar within a hospital