Library spaces that blend collaboration areas, advanced technologies, and librarian expertise are creating new modes of scholarly communication. These spaces enable scholarship created within high-definition, large-scale visual collaborative environments. This emergent model of scholarly communication can be experienced within those specific contexts or through digital surrogates on the networked Web. From experiencing in three dimensions the sermons of John Donne in 1622 to interactive media interpretations of American wars, scholars are partnering with libraries to create immersive digital scholarship. Viewing the library as a research platform for these emergent forms of digital scholarship presents several opportunities and challenges. Opportunities include re-engaging faculty in the use of library space, integrating the full life-cycle of the research enterprise, and engaging broad communities in the changing nature of digitally-driven scholarship. Issues such as identifying and filtering collaborations, strategically managing staff resources, creating surrogates of immersive digital scholarship, and preserving this content for the future present an array of challenges for libraries that require coordination across organizations. From engaging and using high-technology spaces to documenting the data and digital objects created, this developing scholarly communication medium brings to bear the multifaceted skills and organizational capabilities of libraries.
Robustify Your Links! For better stewardship of references to web resources in digital scholarship
