Boundary Objects/Boundary Staff: Supporting Digital Scholarship in Academic Libraries

In response to the increased construction of digital scholarship infrastructure in academic libraries this article articulates a new staffing model for the management of digital platforms in the academic library environment. Based on two cases, this article discusses the increased use of digital infrastructure in pedagogy by Library Special Collections at UCLA, and the workflow pressures these infrastructures created that challenge traditional staff roles. Digital infrastructures are then framed as types of boundary object, catering to multiple communities of practice. In order to tend to these boundary infrastructures, a new staffing model has been introduced-that of the boundary staff-whose primary purpose would be to support these hybrid infrastructures and more effectively integrate them into the general library environment. This approach to digital project collaboration can set the stage for more flexible and innovative digital instruction, building on the current skillsets of library staff to facilitate new modes of faculty and librarian partnerships.