Many public and private higher education institutions continue to experience flat or reduced state budget allocations, coupled with tuition and fees that continue to exceed inflation. Finding proactive and innovative approaches to reduce costs without sacrificing quality of instruction and service is truly the challenge facing facility and…

There is no doubt that eProcurement technology has turned cumbersome paper-based processes into highly connected online systems. The most basic parameters of eProcurement range from shopping for or sourcing goods, to creating purchase requisitions and getting them approved, to placing orders with suppliers, to receiving invoices--all…

Today, as difficult as it is for large institutions to keep software and hardware up-to-date, the challenge and expense of keeping up is only amplified for smaller colleges and universities. In the area of data-driven decision-making (DDD), the challenge can be even greater. Because smaller schools are pressed for time and resources on nearly all…

Technology product procurement can be a daunting task for a college or university--especially a smaller institution--to accomplish alone. Perhaps this is why schools are tackling it by banding together. When it comes to purchasing technology, a little help from friends is the key to economies of scale, which frequently net schools the best…

Discusses how joint buying through consortial arrangements has had a dramatic impact on the purchasing power of higher education institutions, with cooperative agreements leading to significant savings for the member institutions. (EV)

A special purchasing group was formed by the Worcester Consortium for Higher Education with financial advantages. (Editor/HS)

One way colleges can approach cost control is by taking advantages of cooperative purchasing activities with other, similar institutions. Guiding principles for effective efforts include sharing the risk, sharing the resources, providing services to other institutions, and expanding institutional bargaining power through cooperation. Significant…

Drawing on a current study, funded by the British Library Research and Innovation Centre, the context of higher education libraries is discussed, including funding and costs and recent major official reports on education and libraries. Future trends and imperatives are outlined. Models of library purchasing consortia are presented. The operation…

A consortia of Rhode Island academic libraries used several research methods--checklists, vendor matrix, vendor demonstrations, dial-up access, on-site visits, and telephone conversations with representatives--to evaluate integrated library systems for purchase. With the help of private funding, INNOPAC was purchased and implemented. (EA)

In 1989, the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) introduced a microcomputer-based evaluation tool called the Collection Analysis CD. In 1993, the SUNY Stony Brook Libraries used this tool to measure its collections against those of 27 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) peer libraries and of a "mythical" peer group. In 1996, the…

Describes the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC), made up of universities, colleges, and the state department of education, which offers assistance in equipment procurement, courseware development, and inservice training in the use of computers in education. (Author/JM)

Results of a two-year study of the cost effectiveness of cooperative programs operated by voluntary consortia of colleges and universities are reported. The findings are demonstrated in such a way that the potential benefits of such programs can be more widely understood. Six consortia were studied, including a consortium of three Catholic liberal…

Opportunities for cooperation in higher education are described in this book, particularly how institutional linkages through a consortium can help colleges and universities improve the quality of instruction, deal with rising costs, meet the demands of new institutional roles, and confront such challenges as incorporating new technologies. Ways…