Subject Access Through Community Partnerships

SUMMARY Innovations in scholarly communication have resulted in changing roles for authors, publishers, and libraries. Traditional roles are disappearing and players are actively seeking or reluctantly assuming new roles. Library roles are changing as they become involved in building and indexing electronic(e-) repositories and supporting new modes of e-research. A library-run service, the SPIRES particle physics databases, has not only weathered, but also led, many of the transitions that have shaped the landscape of e-publishing and e-research. This has been possible through an intense and in-depth partnership with its user community. The strategies used and lessons learned can help other libraries craft cost-effective roles in this new environment.