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.

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.

ContentsAcknowledgmentsChapter 1: Library Consortia OverviewChapter 2: The Consortial LandscapeChapter 3: Managing ConsortiaChapter 4: Consortia ServicesChapter 5: Discovery, E-content Delivery, and Resource SharingChapter 6: Physical Delivery: Future and PresentCase Study 1: Online InstructionCase Study 2: The Enki Experiment: Library E-book Consortia SystemCase Study 3: Statewide E-book Projects for Multitype Libraries in MassachusettsCase Study 4: Article Licensing Information Availability Service (ALIAS)Case Study 5: Embracing Wide Deals (Interconsortial Licensing)Case Study 6: Open SUNY Textbook ProgramCase Study 7: Interstate Library DeliveryCase Study 8: Open-Source Integrated Library Systems: A Consortial Implementation of EvergreenCase Study 9: Open-Source Software and Consortium Governance StructureCase Study 10: Vendor-Based Shared Integrated Library SystemsCase Study 11: Enhancing Access to History: Collaborative Digital InitiativesCase Study 12: Shared Physical Depository: The Five College Library DepositoryCase Study 13: 2CUL: A Case Study in Research Library Shared StaffingCase Study 14: Human Resources Management: Contractual Staffing at a Library ConsortiumCase Study 15: BiblioTemps: A Temporary Employment Service for Libraries in MassachusettsCase Study 16: Consortial Fiscal SponsorshipConclusionAbout the Authors and ContributorsIndex

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 prioritiesLook 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.