Consortia from past to future
| Pages | 12-22 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-02-2018-0006 |
| Date | 14 January 2019 |
| Published date | 14 January 2019 |
| Author | Frederick Nesta |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,HR in libraries,Library strategy,Library promotion |
Consortia from past to future
Frederick Nesta
University College London, Doha, Qatar
Abstract
Purpose –The purposeof this paper is to reviewthe global history oflibrary consortia fromancient times until
the present and propose further development of consortia to address journal costs and research distribution.
Design/methodology/approach –The global history of consortia is reviewed, with a concentration on the
early years of the American Library Association.
Findings –Consortia have proved their value in making libraries more efficient and in advancing research
through combined efforts in developing indexes and catalogues.
Research limitations/implications –The paper encourages libraries to build on their history of
cooperation and extend it by linking their repositories, using their own strengths to battle excessive
subscription fees, and become publishers in their own right.
Practical implications –Consortia are encouraged to work together to build a global repository, to stand
firm against predatory pricing and to take the lead in the dissemination of scholarship.
Originality/value –This paper proposes that libraries join in broad regional consortia to oppose
unjustifiable prices imposed by the major publishers and that libraries, with their institutions, work
regionally and internationally to take control of the distribution of research.
Keywords Publishing, Consortia, Open access, Elsevier, Fair open access, Library history
Paper type Viewpoint
The great libraries of antiquity were more noted for being rivals than for being fellows.
We know that the library at Alexandrea in Egypt exchanged copies with libraries in Athens
but we do not have any evidence of any sharing between the library at Alexandra and its
rival in Pergamum, on the west coast of what is now Turkey (Aman, 1989, p. 84). There was
intense competition between them in collecting manuscripts. Although the shortage of
papyrus may have other causes, Egypt banned the sale of papyrus to Pergamum in the
second century CE, possibly as an attempt to stifle its rival. Pergamum responded by
exploiting parchment, so perhaps a lack of cooperation can stimulate new developments
(Casson, 2001, p. 52; Martin, 1994, p. 51; Roberts and Skeat, 1983, p. 6). The 120-volume
catalogue of the Alexandra library the Pinakes (Tables) created by its librarian, Callimachus
(310–240 BCE), may not have been shared with Pergamum but the library there developed a
catalogue that was similar enough for ancient writers to search both catalogues for the
works they wanted to consult (Witty, 1958, p. 133 note 3, p. 135 note 21).
While medieval libraries were known for chaining their books, they did share
manuscripts for reading and copying, though not always without rancour. Seventeenth-
century Europe saw further developments in librarianship and library cooperation, some
of it initiated by philosophers and writers who were also librarians. The philosopher and
writer Lessing was Librarian at the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel
from 1770 to 1781. While there, Lessing began an exchange programme with other
libraries and proposed a consortial acquisition scheme with the University of Göttingen.
Goethe, who, among his other government duties in Weimar, oversaw the libraries of
Weimar and Jena, proposed a union catalogue and shared collection responsibilities
(Wormann, 1968, pp. 340-341).
The great developments in library cooperation came a bout after the Amer ican
Library Association was formed in 1876. Being the first professional organisation for
librarians, it made cooperation central from the beginning. Melvil Dewey saw that
individual libraries could not bring about cooperative cataloguing or “any other plan”
Library Management
Vol. 40 No. 1/2, 2019
pp. 12-22
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-02-2018-0006
Received 1 February 2018
Revised 30 July 2018
Accepted 19 August 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
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