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In November 1998, the new Fondren Library Center (FLC) was dedicated at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. This building, connecting the main Fondren Library with the Science and Engineering Library (SEL), was the first building to be completed in SMU’s five year capital campaign “The campaign for SMU: a time to lead”, 1997‐2002. Was this seminal event a reflection of the university’s commitment to its library system; a tribute to donor generosity; the result of intense lobbying on the part of faculty and library staff; a happy accident; or some combination of all of the above? The article hopes to show that, like much fund‐raising, the latter was the case.

The purpose of this paper is to document the use of digital strategies in managing print collections more efficiently in a small research institution.

This is a case study which documents a four prong strategy that was used to manage collections as diverse as nineteenth century photographs, early twentieth century regional art, faculty conference papers, church history and student engaged learning initiatives.

It takes several years to build critical mass. Patience, partnerships and creativity are essential. Timing is often crucial. Changing the culture is necessary. A university mandate is required.

Sharing best practices is crucial in our profession. Although each institution is unique, we all have things we can learn from each other and tweak or adapt to our own environment. The important lessons here are in breaking down the digital projects into samplers and engaging users, donors and collectors to promote and support the work.

More and more technical service divisions world‐wide, especially American libraries, have created Home Pages on the World Wide Web. These Home Pages vary in design and content, including traditional print based, electronic and on‐line tools, department policies and manuals, staff job descriptions, links to other Internet resources, etc.