Page 67 - DLIS001_FOUNDATION_OF_LIBRARY_AND_INFORMATION_SCIENCE

Foundation of Library and Information Science

Notes The most common type of library cooperation involves the concept of RS, or “resource sharing”.
This is based largely on three functions: bibliographic access, interlibrary lending services, and
cooperative collection development.
Cooperation is a long-term effort. Participants must be interested in long-term benefits; the
progress of mutual efforts is slower than that of individual initiatives; the final benefits, however,
are greater and their cost lower. Participants must accept standardised solutions; joint approaches
often impose restrictions on local freedom but work well enough and offer better value for
money. Decision-making can require plenty of time; progress is being made one step at a time
and much information and discussion is needed. Cooperation requires patience.

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Caution Participants must be prepared to change the present infrastructure and to accept
new arrangements to achieve long-term benefits.
Cooperation today requires a new approach. Cooperation cannot be based on barter; the beautiful
idea of working together is no longer enough; traditional cooperation has often created more
expense than benefit. The approach has to be business-like, with clearly defined goals and a
realistic cost-analysis; cooperation must be possible even if those involved dislike each other.
Participating libraries must focus on the needs of their users and less on their own ambitions,
which make them compete with each other on inappropriate issues. Cooperative programmes
must have clear rules and an organised administration; the procedures for practical
implementation of the programmes have to cater for the needs of all participants. Because the
decision-making usually has to be based on consensus, general acceptance of the procedures is
necessary. In addition to the shared decision-making, an executive body is needed for the joint
work; there is a need for an organisation which prepares the programmes and implements them
when decisions have been made. In principle, it is possible to have such a body separately for
every single programme if it is easier to arrange and to finance.

4.1.1 Need for Library Cooperation

The needs for library cooperation are as follows:
To know what is available for sharing from other libraries through union catalogues,
bibliographic listings, opacs, indexes and other bibliographic utilities;
To avail of expedited interlibrary loans and document delivery services;
To build complementary collections of materials on which to draw;
Development of new subjects and subject specialization;

Increase of reading community and information seekers;
Diversity of user groups and their information needs;
Demand of pinpointed, expeditious information services;
Increased access to information and services at existing cost;

Access to existing information and services at less cost;
Increase in Quantity/Cost;
Demand for expertise and rare documents;
Space constraint; and
Budget constraint.

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