Abstract
Research libraries have provided a key to unlocking the knowledge of the centuries. The nature of their stewardship of knowledge has led to a focus on understanding the value and sustainability in terms of collections. The extraordinarily rich collections have made a great contribution to education and to the communities they serve. A new theory of change which underpins the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) highlights the contribution that activities can make to improve national and international economic, social, community and governmental health. This article analyses the nature of major research library activities in light of the SDGs methodology. Taking this broad framework to the work of International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) libraries provides new insights into the value and broader contribution of those libraries. The indicators assessed in the framework specifically relate to the outcomes of education and information within the societies they service. The case study suggests that the libraries make a significant and deep contribution both to the current national environments as well as in creating a framework for future returns on the investment to their universities.
Highlights
Research libraries in universities have nourished education for many centuries
Library collections have grown from manuscripts that record knowledge through the evolution of printed material that made the products of knowledge more widely available to new forms of information and storage in the digital age
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework to reconsider the benefits that are provided by research libraries both to their institutions and the broader community
Summary
Library collections have grown from manuscripts that record knowledge through the evolution of printed material that made the products of knowledge more widely available to new forms of information and storage in the digital age Throughout these revolutions in the creation and storage of knowledge there have been challenges and opportunities that have led to the development of new activities that provide access to collections, as well as training that enhances the skills of those using collections to navigate their way to locate and use digital and print information resources. Libraries have survived through periods of physical attacks, disasters and wars Across this history of collecting knowledge the chains originally used to tie books to shelves have been unbound with generational change. The modern focus on providing access through digitisation and open access liberates knowledge to an audience never reached before
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