Exploring the features of the unique partnership set up between SAGE and the University of Sussex in 2010, this article outlines some of the outcomes and how they have added value to the work and experiences of both the library and the publisher. With the changing models of delivery in scholarly communication and the shifting funding arrangements for higher education in the UK, this collaboration was – and is – an innovative and unprecedented attempt to understand the pressures and current priorities of our respective professions. Lessons learned from the experience as well as future possibilities are covered in order to demonstrate the value gained from working together differently.