Metadata implications for academic libraries seem to manifest themselves in the form of digital
initiatives and, more specifically, institutional repositories. Piorun & Palmer remind us that institutional
repositories can help academic libraries develop relationships with other campus departments, as well as
provide new avenues for outreach into the surrounding community (2008). In times of budgetary
challenges, academic libraries need to find ways to demonstrate they are central to the university’s
mission of teaching and learning. Engaging the campus faculty and graduate students in contributing to
the building of an institutional repository should yield concrete results in raising the profile of the library on
campus and in the community.