From the centralized national collection policy towards a decentralized collection management and resource sharing co-operation – Finnish experiences
| Pages | 111-122 |
| Date | 07 January 2014 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-03-2013-0023 |
| Published date | 07 January 2014 |
| Author | Ari Muhonen,Jarmo Saarti,Pentti Vattulainen |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,HR in libraries |
From the centralized national
collection policy towards a
decentralized collection
management and resource sharing
co-operation – Finnish experiences
Ari Muhonen
Helsinki University Library, Helsinki, Finland
Jarmo Saarti
University of Eastern Finland Library, Kuopio, Finland, and
Pentti Vattulainen
National Repository Library, Varastokirjasto, Kuopio, Finland
Abstract
Purpose – Finland had a legislation-based centralized collection policy until the mid-1990s. The main
components were national resource centers (selected higher education libraries) and provincial
libraries (selected public libraries). This paradigm changed during the recession of the 1990s when
new public management ideologies were adopted by the government. This ended the centralized model
and a new policy favoring a decentralized collection management which demanded resource sharing.
The models designated for the print-only age became obsolete also when the digital dissemination of
especially scientific documents began to be the norm. The Finnish libraries have started to implement
a new strategy consisting of different elements including a new model of library automation systems,
the National Repository which is the hub for the resource sharing of print materials, digitization
projects (to be especially implemented by the National Library) and with new policies defining the
roles and responsibilities of each of the libraries involved. This article aims to describe the history of
the Finnish centralized collection policy, its shift to the modern management of the collection as well as
the philosophy and tools used in this work.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes the evolution of the Finnish national
collection policy and its main trends.
Findings – The National Repository Library has enabled Finnish university libraries to focus their
collection policies and to make savings in the cost of premises. A new business model for the digital
era is needed for document sharing between libraries.
Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on Finnish experiences.
Practical implications – Models for national and international collection and preservation policies
are presented.
Originality/value – The paper provides proposals for the building of global division of work in the
long-tail management of documents.
Keywords Finland, Universitylibraries, Research libraries,Collection management,Resource sharing,
Policy making
Paper type Research paper
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
The authors are grateful to Dr Ewen MacDonald for linguistic advice. University of Eastern
Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Centralized
national
collection policy
111
Received 26 March 2013
Revised 20 June 2013
Accepted 23 June 2013
Library Management
Vol. 35 No. 1/2, 2014
pp. 111-122
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-03-2013-0023
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