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Renuad, Robert E. Shaping a New Profession: The Role of Librarians When the Library and Computer Center Merge. Library Administration & Management 20, no. 2 (2006): 65-74.

The article presents information on the challenges faced by librarians when the library and computer center merge. Some educational institutions are merging their library and information technology departments to create a new division of library and information services. The emergence of the Internet has changed the face of information services in higher education. Full-scale digital libraries have opened up exciting opportunities for scholarly communication by blurring the distinctions between physical and digital collections. The U.S. colleges and universities with merged library and IT functions are predominantly private liberal arts colleges, suggesting that their common attributes play a role in their formation. Librarians in these merged organizations experience redefining of their work as they cross professional boundaries, respond to emerging opportunities, and serve on cross-functional teams. As mergers happen, the definition of a librarian's role undergoes an evolution that accommodates new forms of scholarly communication and even extend the profession's expertise to areas of the college beyond the academic program.