First published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This volume casts light on mergers and alliances in higher education by examining developments of this type in different countries. It combines the direct experiences of those at the heart of such transformations, university leaders and senior officials responsible for higher education policy, with expert analysts of the systems concerned. Higher education in Europe faces a series of major challenges. The economic crisis has accelerated expectations of an increased role in addressing economic and societal challenges while at the same time putting pressure on available finances. Broader trends such as shifting student demographics and expectations, globalisation and mobility and new ways of working with business have contributed to these increased pressures. In the light of these trends there have been moves, both from national or regional agencies and from individual institutions to respond by combining resources, either through collaborative arrangements or more fundamentally through mergers between two or more universities. After an introductory chapter by the editors which establishes the context for mergers and alliances, the book falls into two main parts. Part 1 takes a national or regional perspective to give some sense of the historical context, the wider drivers and the importance of these developments in these cases. Included are both systemic accounts (for countries as France, Sweden, Romania, Russia, Wales and England), and specific cross-cutting in itiatives including a major facility at Magurele in Romania and a Spanish programme for promoting international campuses of excellence. Part 2 is built from specific cases of universities, either in mergers or alliances, with examples from different countries (such as France, UK, Romania, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland). A concluding chapter by the editors assesses these experiences and indicates the implications and future needs for understanding in this domain.

The Role of Information Professionals in the Knowledge Economy: Skills, Experiences, Practices and Strategies presents the tools that are necessary for the acquisition and development of a scientific culture. The work and profile of the information professional is no longer limited to the world of libraries. In countries with developing and peripheral economies that are seeking to reduce dependence on knowledge generated by rich countries it is necessary to develop and foster new professional profiles with high expertise in knowledge generation and management in order to support such paradigm shifts. This comprehensive book presents the case for this paradigm shift and is an ideal resource for information professionals who are interested in new avenues of exploration. - Promotes the idea that an information professional is the right person to offer support in the knowledge economy - Provides guidance on how to provide and develop a scientific culture in an institution - Identifies information competencies that are important for information managers in scientific communication - Redefines the profile of professional information graduates and identifies this new skillset as a job opportunity