Although spiraling costs and reduced budgets require that small academic libraries form clusters to share resources and services, consortia and library networks so far have taken only tentative or shallow steps in this direction. Real and meaningful steps can and must be taken to develop joint acquisition policies, effective and timely…

As part of its responsibility for the development of bibliographic services in Australia, the Australian National Library presents this draft proposal for a national online shared cataloging facility to be known as the Australian Bibliographic Network or ABN. A preface describes ABN's historical background and relationship to BIBDATA, a previously…

Discussion of Illinois experiences in library cooperation and computerization (OCLC, Library Computer System, LIBRAS) describes use of library materials, benefits and drawbacks of online networking, experiences at Lake Forest College (Illinois), and six tasks recommended for small academic libraries as preparation for major changes toward…

Discusses the development of interlibrary lending and union catalogs, problems of library resource sharing, the development of resource sharing and interlibrary lending in Maryland, governance and costs of interlibrary lending systems, and the Maryland Interlibrary Organization School Media Project. Twenty-five references are provided. (EJS)

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…

Discusses libraries' participation in consortia, cooperatives, or networks to help cope with the financial pressures created by more available materials and less money. Reasons for participating are examined, factors to determine the value of belonging are suggested, cost factors are considered, and cooperative collection development is described.…

Discusses library cooperation and academic library consortia and presents a case study of a Canadian consortia that conducted a cost-benefit analysis for purchasing an electronic resource. Reports on member library subscription costs, external economic factors, value of patron time saved, costs and benefits for patrons, and net savings. (LRW)

Discusses the growth of library consortia that has been largely driven by the rise in cost and quantity of electronic journals and products. Highlights include activities in addition to purchasing agreements, including staff development, distance learning, and minority recruitment; national consortia; database pricing; vendor opinions;…

The PICKLE Consortium of independent college libraries (Nebraska) has acquired the ARIEL system of hardware and compression software designed to transfer print materials via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) over the Internet. This development follows on the heels of a 1989 fax grant which was used to cooperatively develop the libraries' journal…

Presents an economic model to analyze the cost efficiency of access to journal articles via three alternatives: journal subscriptions, consortium membership, and commercial document delivery. Results show cost efficiency is based on the value of future journal use, costs of delivery and subscriptions, and the value of time to patrons. (Author/LRW)

The Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) surveyed Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions to measure the degree of electronic resource sharing in ARL libraries; to discover which resources are being shared and between what kinds of institutions; and what documentation is available. Of the 119 ARL institutions surveyed, 53…

The International Coalition of Library Consortia statement on provision of electronic information addresses current problems, needs for the future, and preferred practices in the emerging electronic-information environment. Specific topics include increasing expectations, budgets, fair use, archiving, the scholarly communications system, pricing,…