Operationalizing Collaboration: Building Open Scholarship Capacity at a Growing Research-Intensive University Library

Academic research libraries increasingly rely on collaboration to develop and sustain emerging services, yet the operational work behind these partnerships remains under-explored. This retrospective case study examines Clemson University Libraries’ Open Scholarship Department, established in 2022 to unify several distinct services within a shared organizational structure. Drawing on planning documents, assessment data, program records, and employee experiences, the study analyzes four dimensions of collaboration: Strategic positioning, coalition building, sustainability and assessment, and personnel management. Its findings highlight the complementary roles of frontline librarians and administrators in building capacity and suggest practical strategies for sustaining collaborative Open Scholarship initiatives at research-intensive universities.