Collaboration between academics and library staff: A structurationist perspective

Thi Hue Pham, Kerry Jeanne Tanner

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

    36 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Developing effective forms of collaboration has become essential for universities dealing with the challenges of complex, dynamic environments. Although the importance of collaboration between academics and library staff is widely accepted, collaboration is a complex concept, representing a high level of human relationship, and there are many potential barriers to developing an effective collaborative partnership. This article reports on a research project exploring this topic through in-depth case study research in an Australian university, drawing on the theoretical lens of structuration theory. The research aims to elucidate the factors that affect collaboration between academics and library staff, including the power asymmetries that exist between different professional groups in a collaborative relationship, and the impacts of temporal and spatial dimensions, individual participants, and structural enablers and constraints on the collaborative partnership.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)2 - 18
    Number of pages17
    JournalAustralian Academic & Research Libraries
    Volume46
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2015

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