Better together: the ESRC in the university research library of the twenty-first century

Abstract

This article describes the role of the University of Melbourne Library in relation to the roles and services provided by the eScholarship Research Centre (ESRC): how this relationship was established and how it is currently being maintained. Drawing primarily on the findings of the 2015 academic review of the Centre, the article also demonstrates how, within the changing information management environment, the ESRC provides immense value as a resource for the University and the research sector more generally. The article concludes by describing how, going forward, the recommendations from the review will strengthen the relationship between the ESRC and Library, and within the context of the growing field of digital humanities this relationship will help to position the University of Melbourne at the forefront of social and cultural informatics practice and knowledge infrastructure development.