Consortia purchasing: a feasibility study for the UK veterinary and animal health field
| Published date | 01 December 2001 |
| Date | 01 December 2001 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435120110406318 |
| Pages | 371-380 |
| Author | Bryn Davies |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Consortia purchasing:
a feasibility study for
the UK veterinary and
animal health field
Bryn Davies
The ASVIN project
ASVIN was a project funded by the UK
Research Support for Libraries Programme
(RSLP), which had a principal aim to develop
better co-operation amongst libraries in the
animal health and veterinary information
field. The project, which ran between
November 1999 and June 2000, aimed to
assist researchers in these fields, but it was
acknowledged that it would benefit the wider
community if most of the intended outcomes
were achieved. The nine partners involved in
the project were:
(1) Animal Health Trust.
(2) Bristol University.
(3) Cambridge University.
(4) Edinburgh University.
(5) Glasgow University.
(6) Liverpool University.
(7) Royal Veterinary College (RVC).
(8) Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
(RCVS).
(9) University College Dublin.
The seven universities all have veterinary
schools, offering undergraduate programmes
and having substantial post-graduate research
interests. The RCVS validates the
undergraduate programmes in the UK and
has substantial library resources in the field. It
also offers an important information service to
practising veterinary surgeons. The Animal
Health Trust is an organisation that has a
flourishing research community, with
significant resources, particularly in the
equine field.
Background
Long before the onset of electronic networks,
libraries were actively networking, though
they were more likely to call it collaboration
or co-operation (Naylor, 1999). Elkington
and Massie (2000) agree that co-operation
between libraries is not a new concept and
indicate that in the UK the National Central
Library was operating in 1916. In the USA of
America (US) libraries have participated in
similar formal and informal inter-lending
programmes even longer, and are often seen
as the home of library consortia, or networks,
as they were formerly known. Regional
networks developed as early as the 1930s as a
means of distributing state funding for
The author
Bryn Davies is now a Project Manager at Norfolk County
Council, Norwich, UK. E-mail: bdavies@btinternet,com
Keywords
Special libraries, Academic libraries, Consortia,
Collection management, Purchasing
Abstract
ASVIN was a project funded by the Research Support for
Libraries Programme (RSLP). The principal aim was to
develop better co-operation between nine UK libraries in
the veterinary and animal health field. The project
examined a number of library related areas, such as
journal archiving, collection development policies,
development of a common Z39.50 catalogue interface,
grey literature, electronic journals and consortia
purchasing. This paper examines the latter issue, taking a
brief look at the historical developments and exploring
the reasons why libraries enter consortia. It then focuses
on the effects upon collection development, models of
consortia and describes the ASVIN experience.
Electronic access
The research register for this journal is available at
http://www.mcbup.com/research_registers
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
http://www.emerald-library.com/ft
371
Library Management
Volume 22 .Number 8/9 .2001 .pp. 371±380
#MCB University Press .ISSN 0143-5124
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