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Foundation of Library and Information Science Reena Kapoor, Lovely Professional University

Notes Unit 4: Library Cooperation

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction

4.1 Meaning of Library Cooperation
4.1.1 Need for Library Cooperation
4.1.2 An Historical Overview of Library Cooperation

4.1.3 Advantages of Library Cooperation
4.1.4 Barriers in Library Cooperation
4.2 Types of Library Cooperation
4.3 Levels in Library Cooperation
4.4 Summary

4.5 Keywords
4.6 Review Questions
4.7 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:
Explain the meaning of Library Cooperation
Discuss the types of Library Cooperation
Describe the levels in Library Cooperation

Introduction

In the previous unit, we dealt with the changing role of library in socio-economic development
along with the role of education and recreation in dissemination the information in library. The
spread of knowledge sources available in various formats and financial constraints has made it
difficult for libraries to satisfy their users’ needs. However, the problems of information
explosion, ever changing users’ needs, shrinking library budgets and currency devaluations can
be overcome, to some extent, through resource sharing. Library professionals need to explore
options to extend users’ access to information sources by forming partnerships with other local
libraries having similar collections. These collaborative arrangements enable patrons to access
resources otherwise out of their reach. This requires each participating institution to contribute
in the network of their extended libraries’ family and do not operate in isolation. It is widely
acknowledged that no library, no matter how large and well-funded it is, can be self-sufficient
in meeting its users’ demands. Hence, libraries in India need to develop cooperative plans to
meet the challenges posed by rapid growth and diversity of knowledge sources, increased users’
demands and expectations, decreased budgets, hiking prices of books, journals and databases
are the major reasons for cooperation amongst libraries. The purpose of this unit is to enable the
students to comprehend basic expressions. At the end of this unit, you should be able to understand
the meaning, types and levels in Library Cooperation.

60 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY