Libraries are now grappling with traditional computing issues such as security, software compatibility, and data archives. Mission relatedness of academic libraries and computing services, together with the desired goal of coordinated and effective access to information resources, transcends matters of control and culture. The main objective should now focus on exploiting points of convergence to advance campus information and technology agendas. If the premise of correlated missions is accepted, there is a need to forge relationships at a deeper level than reporting lines on an organizational chart. Dialog must begin with an exploration of the process of collaboration.
Collaboration creates a shared meaning about a process, a product, or an event.
But the true medium of collaboration is other people. Real innovation comes from this social matrix. Collaborations have in common people who realize that they can't do it all by themselves. They need insights, comments, questions, and ideas from others. Information value, then, does not derive from the medium that produces it, but rather from the people who interact with it.