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Assessing The Strategic Credibility Of Special Collections, Erin Passehl, Rick A. Stoddart

Rick A Stoddart

In this time of often precarious funding at many colleges and universities, any case that can be made to illustrate how a department strategically fits into the overall university mission is not only worth merit, but an essential survival technique. This “strategic credibility” within the university is a vital form of currency in determining institution-wide resources prioritization, collaboration opportunities between organizational units, and overall direction of departments. This paper presents a case study of academic special collections in the Northwest and examines the methods these departments use to demonstrate value to the university. This paper considers how well do special …