Managing the life cycles of the document and library collections in Finnish academic libraries. Two case studies: Aalto and UEF
| Pages | 669-677 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435121011093432 |
| Date | 26 October 2010 |
| Published date | 26 October 2010 |
| Author | Ari Muhonen,Jarmo Saarti,Pentti Vattulainen |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Managing the life cycles of the
document and library collections
in Finnish academic libraries
Two case studies: Aalto and UEF
Ari Muhonen
Aalto University Library, Aalto University, Aalto, Finland
Jarmo Saarti
University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland, and
Pentti Vattulainen
National Repository Library, Kuopio, Finland
Abstract
Purpose – At the beginning of this millennium it was decided to renovate higher education legislation
and to restructure the institutions in Finland. The new University Act was passed in the summer of 2009.
One important aspect of the new Act means that the formerly state-owned universities become more
autonomous. In addition, the number of universities in Finland will be reduced by merging some of the
old universities into new units, like Aalto University and the UEF, whichwere both inaugurated in 2010.
This also has meant the birth of new multi-campus universities as well as posing new challenges for the
management of finances. At the same time, the digital revolution of scientific information has changed
the paradigm of the libraries from ownership to access. It is no longer necessary to purchase paper
journals and store them within the library building. Instead, the electronic versions are licensed, thus
providing academics as well as students with 24/7 access to the material. This digital change has also
triggered a generation gap between ageing library staff and the digital-age student generation. This
paper discusses the management of the lifecycles of different types of documents – printed/digital and
serials/monographs – in a rapidly changing environment. In addition, the paper aims to discuss the
distribution of work and outsourcing of the collection storage with the National Repository Library with
the emphasis on enabling access to the outsourced collections with the help of modern database
technologies. Some evidence of the effects on library expenses and usage is also given.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses the statistical data of Finnish academic
libraries in presenting its results.
Findings – The National Repository Library has enabled Finnish university libraries to focus their
collection policies and to make savings in the cost of premises.
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 thoughts for the building of global division of work in the
long-tail management of documents.
Keywords University libraries, Research libraries,Collections management, Finland
Paper type Case study
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 revising the English. This is a revised
version of the paper that was presented in ALSR 2010, Hong Kong.
Document
and library
collections
669
Received 8 March 2010
Revised 10 April 2010
Accepted 19 April 2010
Library Management
Vol. 31 No. 8/9, 2010
pp. 669-677
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/01435121011093432
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