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, they Highlight 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 services This 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.

This book starts from the premise that the last decade has brought more changes for the academic research library than any ever previously known. The book provides an authoritative overview and analysis of the issues and challenges affecting academic research libraries from the closing years of the 20th century onwards. While the focus on this period of white water change is primarily British, with a number of case studies based on the transformative initiatives of the UKs Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and its seminal Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib), as well as on the Bodleian Libraries far-reaching responses to the complex demands of the digital age, the issues themselves are presented in their global context, with implications drawn for research libraries everywhere. Written by one of the worlds leading academic research librarians Provides a comprehensive overview of the factors at work in an exceptionally significant and fast-moving decade of research library development Contains personal insights into many of the key library and information initiatives of recent years

Leading Together: Academic Library Consortia and Advocacy aims to fill the gap in LIS literature of models of consortia advocacy plans, actions, and assessments. It provides a look at the current landscape of consortia work, a consortium and other groups' advocacy frameworks, a workshop curriculum which may be used to develop an advocacy plan, and thoughts for the future.