Library Consortia: Models for Collaboration and Sustainability

No library stands alone. A long-standing tenet of the discipline, library cooperation predates the founding of ALA. Although these are times of crisis and uncertainty for library consortia (by one count, more than 65 consortia have closed since 2008), the collaboration that consortia offer helps libraries extend the value of every dollar spent. With over 35 years of experience managing five different library consortia between them, Horton and Pronevitz are uniquely qualified to show how consortia have been transforming themselves, offering new services and products while growing ever more important to the library community. Covering the history, current landscape, management approaches, critical trends, and key services that define today’s library consortia, theyHighlight the current trends impacting consortia and the fiscal difficulties many have experienced since the 2007-2009 RecessionPresent conclusions drawn from sixteen case studies and the results of a recent survey on consortial environment and priorities Look into current management practices and give an overview of consortia activities, such as such as e-book technology and delivery methodsDiscuss the Discover to Delivery continuum, a key trend that allows libraries to maximize servicesThis book will help new library staff understand the full range of activities that take place in today’s consortia, while also showing consortia managers, participants in consortial governance, and participating libraries methods for revising current practices, places for expanding services, and adopting new project ideas.