Open access dissemination challenges: a case study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore dissemination, broadly considered, of an open access (OA) database as part of a librarian‐faculty collaboration currently in progress. Design/methodology/approach Dissemination of an online database by librarians is broadly considered, including metadata optimization for multiple access points and user notification methods. Findings Librarians address OA dissemination challenges by investigating search engine optimization and seeking new opportunities for dissemination on the web. Differences in library metadata formats inhibit metadata optimization and need resolution. Research limitations/implications The collaboration is in progress and many of the ideas and conclusions listed have not been implemented. Practical implications Libraries should consider their role in scholarly publishing, develop workflows to enable it, and extend their efforts to the web. Originality/value This paper contributes to the scant literature on dissemination by libraries, and discusses dissemination challenges encountered by a non‐peer reviewed, dynamic scholarly resource.