Library Consortia: Models for Collaboration and Sustainability
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-07-2017-0147 |
| Date | 02 October 2017 |
| Published date | 02 October 2017 |
| Pages | 1067-1068 |
| Author | Raewyn Adams |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
Library Consortia: Models for Collaboration and Sustainability
by Valerie Horton and Greg Pronevitz
Chicago, IL
ALA Editions
2015
202 p.
USD$67.00
Soft cover
ISBN: 978-0-8389-1218-8
Review DOI 10.1108/EL-07-2017-0147
Having participated in various local and national library consortia myself, I was
interested in what perspective this book could add to my experience, and wasn’t
disappointed. The scene is set with a good definition of consortia and an overview of
the history of various types, from combined catalogue and interlibrary loan services
to large journal and article delivery collectives. The content is American and focusses
on libraries within the USA but I found it highly relevant to my situation. It’sclear
that libraries the world over face similar economic issues and during tough times they
can also struggle to survive; that is when consortia can provide maximum benefit.
Survey data are provided about consortia in the USA –numbers, total budget spend
and the different areas of collaboration. The chapter on consortium management
divides the consortia into different types and describes the various governance and
structure options that can be encountered. It covers the complexities of budget
management in this environment, and also the human resources challenges associated
with differences in employment status for people working within libraries who are
employed by a consortium. Most of the suggestions apply fairly generically but there
is an acknowledgement of trends towards sharing staff among consortium members.
Paragraphs about strategic planning, advocacy, public relations and communication
cover these concepts and when this coverage is superficial readers are directed to
other resources for more depth in those areas. The needs of the participating libraries
can be quite diverse, and the book demonstrates that a consortium manager needs to
be able to focus on the conflicting needs with a clear strategic vision. The chapter on
consortia services revisits the six areas of cooperation listed earlier in the book and
provides a few paragraphs about each. From there the focus moves on to the delivery
of different types of content, including group licensing and the management of e-
content. Today’s fast-changing technology and the ongoing development of discovery
tools and authentication systems continue to challenge us all and the book gives a
good focus on that. Before moving to the case studies that form the second half of the
book, there is one last chapter on service delivery, which again gives more depth on
topics that have been touched on earlier. I feel that this is important as technological
advances in our ability to deliver information whilst staying within copyright and
licensing boundaries is a fast-growing challenge. The second half of the book is
devoted to case studies that demonstrate the benefits of both innovative and
traditional approaches to collaboration. They are well laid out and at about five pages
Book reviews
1067
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