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Foundation of Library and Information Science

Notes
One of the six libraries, St. Michael’s, is without the services of a full-time librarian or even
access to professional expertise on a regular basis. However, this research has unearthed
no evidence that there have been fewer cooperations because of the absence of a librarian.
Commenting on his own library’s lack of links with the other CATS libraries, the Dean at
St. John Vianney commented that the need for sharing information resources “has not hit
us in quite the same way it has hit other people” (Johnston 2003). He explained further that
the very raison d’etre of the colleges was the main culprit impeding cooperation. The
colleges were basically institutions for preparing students to become ministers rather
than for theological education. Furthermore, ministers are formed for denominations;
hence the library and its resources are slanted that way and have a “strong denominational
bias”. But, he conceded, the need for cooperation would be stronger if the theological
colleges were faculties or schools of theology rather than centres for ministerial formation.
The absence of librarians on the CATS steering committee has undoubtedly stymied
cooperation among the association’s libraries. The administrators from St. John Vianney,
St. Michael’s, Codrington and UTCWI respectively, all confirmed that CATS was not a
forum for discussion of library matters (Johnston 2003; Milner 2003; Titus 2003; Williams
2003). Instead, the caucus dealt with curriculum and examinations matters; those who
attended meetings were generally deans and/or principals. Insofar as administrators
seem to be less aware of the possibilities of cooperation, the unfortunate absence of
librarians is no doubt a factor why CATS has not promoted cooperation among its member
libraries. Denominationalism has often been cited in this case as an obstacle to cooperation.
In this, denominationalism seems to be a potential barrier to cooperation but the evidence
is not overwhelming. Responses were mixed as to the possibility of cooperation between
a library that was part of the ecumenical movement and one which was not.
Questions:
1. Write down the case facts.

2. What do you infer from it?
Source: http://www.librijournal.org/pdf/2005-2-3pp148-153.pdf

4.4 Summary

Cooperation is a social activity as old as human civilization itself

Library Cooperation is an umbrella term for a wide spectrum of cooperation processes
and mechanisms.
Library Cooperation is a reciprocal beneficial sharing of resources; developed or pre-
existing by two or more libraries.
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.

Library cooperation is age old and can be traced to 200 B.C. when Alexandria Library
shared its resources with Pergamon Library.

The first library cooperation activity in India is reported to be the Catalogue of Manuscripts
complied by Whitney Stokes in 1868.
The various libraries in a given community differ in many of their objectives but they
share responsibility for providing the general and specialized information needs of the
local citizenry.

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