UC Libraries Forum 2025: Standing Up and Standing Out in Turbulent Times

Hospital mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have become increasingly common in academic medical centers, UC included. They are often driven by financial pressures, strategic realignment, and/or efforts to expand services. While much attention is paid to the operational and clinical ramifications of these changes, their impact on institutions’ libraries is often overlooked. Libraries are rarely included in early stage campus discussions about M&As, despite the long range effects these additions have on everything from licensing to service points to resource access.

This panel discussion will be facilitated by three librarians from UC campuses currently navigating the complexities of hospital M&As: San Francisco, San Diego, and Irvine. With backgrounds primarily in collection development, we will share how mergers have affected resource pricing, licensing negotiations, and collections scope at our respective campuses. We will then invite participants to share their own experiences to explore the broader implications M&As have on the UC Libraries, such as budget challenges, library staffing, evolving service models, communications, IT, and access for new user populations.

In addition to surfacing shared concerns and collective knowledge, we will strive to answer the question of how we can raise awareness among stakeholders of the importance of including the library in the early stages of M&A discussions. This panel discussion will explore strategies for advocacy, collaboration, and adaptability in the face of ongoing institutional change. The goal of this session is to bolster the UC Libraries so we can stand out as essential, resilient campus partners in a dynamic healthcare landscape.