RESOURCE SHARING AMONG LIBRARIES IN DIGITAL ERA

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RESOURCE SHARING AMONG LIBRARIES IN DIGITAL ERA

• Role of Consortia
• Amitabha Chatterjee
• Dept. of Library Information Science
• Jadavpur University
• Kolkata 700032

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INTRODUCTION

• No library is able to satisfy all the needs of
  its clientele
• This gave rise to the concept of Library
  Cooperation
• The concept is now known as Resource Sharing
• Library Cooperation remained confined to
  inter-library loan
• Even inter-library loan was not being practised
  widely

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• Internet and other local and national networks
  have facilitated resource sharing
• E-resources have further facilitated information
  exchange
• Emergence of library consortia is a promising
  development
• Advent of ICT has opened up new opportunities for
  greater cooperation among libraries
• Emergence of Library Consortia is a promising
  development for Resource Sharing

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SOURCE RESOURCE

• The concept of Information Resource is often not
  defined properly
• Library documents are called Information Sources
  as they provide information
• They are also called Information Resources
• But the terms Information Source and Information
  Resource are not interchangable
• A Source is one that makes something available,
  but a Resource helps in creating something new

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• As a library generates all its services on the
  basis of its information sources they can also be
  called information resources
• So long libraries were having printed resources
• Now resources are available in various other
  formats, such as AV, digital, etc.
• E-resources are more popular these days because
  of their distinct advantages

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RESOURCE SHARING

• Resource sharing does not merely mean mutual
  sharing of information sources among libraries
• It will mean utilizing information resources of
  one library for generating services of another
  library
• Information Resources and Library Resources are
  not synonymous
• Library Resources may include other resources,
  besides information resources, like staff and
  equipment

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• Thus Resource Sharing may mean sharing of all
  these resources for the mutual benefit of
  libraries and their users
• In this sense connotation of Library Cooperation
  and Resource Sharing will be almost same

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LIBRARY CONSORTIA

• Consortium literally means temporary cooperation
  of several powers or large interests to effect
  some common purpose
• Library consortium is a group of libraries that
  agree to pool their resources by allowing the
  user of each institution some type of access to
  resources of all other institutions
• It is a community of value creating entities,
  generating value through an aggregation of
  library units within and across organizations

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PHASES OF DEVELOPMENT

• First phase several libraries come together for
  the mutual benefit of the respective users
  Library Cooperative
• Second phase Libraries are linked together with
  the help of ICT
• Library Network
• Third phase Libraries come together to acquire
  and share e-resources
• Library Consortium

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CHANGES IN ENVIRONMENT

• In the first phase the documents were only in
  printed format and the stress was on use through
  inter-library lending
• In the second phase too documents were mainly in
  printed format. Bibliographical databases of the
  holdings of all the libraries could be accessed
  from any library and required documents could be
  procured through document delivery service
• In the third phase the documents are mainly in
  digital format which can be accessed directly by
  the users of any library remotely

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OBJECTIVE OF CONSORTIA

• Basically consortia have been created for
  acquisition and sharing use of e-journals
• It is possible for the users of participating
  libraries to access and/or download the required
  materials remotely
• The objective of consortia can be widened to make
  them efficient instruments of sharing of all
  types of library resources

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ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS

• A variety of organizational models of consortia
  have been developed
• At one end are loosely affiliated buying clubs
  aiming at sharing a discounted rate of
  e-journals and databases
• At another end are tightly integrated
  organizations sharing variety of resources

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TYPES OF CONSORTIA

• Theoretically consortia can be of various
• types depending on their characteristics
• By type of libraries covered
• Consortia of multi-type libraries
• Consortia of same type libraries
• By geographical area of coverage
• Local level consortia
• State level consortia
• National level consortia
• International level consortia

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• By subject/discipline covered
• Single discipline oriented consortia
• Multi-discipline oriented consortia
• By type of organizational structure
• Loosely knit federation
• Tightly knit organization
• By basis of formation
• Non-sponsored consortia
• Sponsored consortia
• Any existing consortium may fall in more than one
  category

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INDIAN LIBRARY CONSORTIA

• Library consortia have come up in many countries
• Several consortia have come up in India too
• Forum for Resource Sharing in Astronomy
  and
• Astrophysics (FORSA)
• Indian National Digital Library in
  Science
• Technology (INDEST)
• INFONET Project of UGC Health Sciences
• Library Information Network (HELINET)
  
• CSIR E-Journal Consortium
• DAE Library Consortium
• IIM Library Consortium

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FUNCTIONS OF CONSORTIA

• Obviously existing consortia are basically
  serving as buying clubs
• With little initiative these can be developed
  into effective platforms for sharing valuable
  resources of libraries, both printed and
  non-printed
• Besides resource sharing, these consortia can
  also take up several activities for the mutual
  benefit of the participating libraries

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INFORMATION RESOURCE SHARING FUNCTIONS

• A consortium can take up following activities
  for promoting information resource sharing
• Cooperative collection development among member
  libraries
• Cooperative processing of information resources
  acquired through consortium
• Creation of virtual library covering all the
  e-resources available in member lib raries

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• Compilation of bibliographical and /or full-text
  databases of the holdings of the member
  libraries, both print and non-print
• Sharing of information resources, both
  traditional and digital, of member libraries
  through network or document delivery service
• Allowing reciprocal borrowing by the members of
  all libraries of the consortium
• Supporting member libraries for setting
  institutional repositories, e-print archives,
  electronic theses collection, etc.

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• Digitization of valuable and rare collections of
  member libraries available in printed format and
  providing access to such materials to the members
  of all the libraries of the consortium
• Developing common interface to catalogues,
  databases and e-collection by creating portals
• Creating inter-operability among member systems,
  databases and services

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OTHER RESOURCE SHARING FUNCTIONS

• A consortium may also share other resources
  in the following manner
• Sharing the storage facilities, thereby
  minimizing expenditure on space
• Pooling of expert manpower and promoting
  professional development
• Assist member libraries in creating IT
  infrastructure

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• Facilitating joint preservation and archiving
  activities for print and digital materials
• Initiating and supporting research projects of
  common interest
• Collectively promoting, marketing and publicising
  the library services

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MOBILIZATION OF LIBRARY COMMUNITY

• In spite of the benefits of consortia approach
  the library community in general in India is not
  actively coming forward to adopt it
• Only a few libraries have formed consortia
  voluntarily
• Some others have been induced to join consortia
  by the sponsors
• A large number of libraries is still out of the
  ambit of any consortium

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• The main reasons of this situation are
• Lack of awareness among the libraries and/or
  library authorities about the ultimate benefits
  of consortia
• Conservative mentality of the library authorities
  with regard to e-information resources, specially
  online resources
• Unwillingness of some libraries to share their
  resources
• Unwillingness of some libraries to share the
  burden of resource sharing i.e. serving users of
  libraries other than their own

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• Uneven development of libraries of different
  sectors and slow progress of library automation
• Inability of many libraries in meeting the
  minimum commitment required to join a consortium
  due to financial and other infrastructural
  constraints
• Lack of demand for resource sharing on the part
  of users
• Poor bibliographical control of the holdings of
  the libraries
• Lack of sufficient information resources to be
  shared

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• To harness the enormous benefits of consortia it
  is necessary to mobilize the library community to
  adopt the method
• Govt. agencies like UGC and CSIR have come
  forward to mobilize the libraries being funded by
  them
• Steps should be taken to mobilize more libraries
  by making them aware about the benefits of
  consortia approach and removing the barriers
  faced by them in this regard

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CONCLUSION

• In India resource sharing has not yet developed
  in true sense
• NISSAT has been dismantled
• Library networks, started with much fanfare have
  not yet become effective vehicles of resource
  sharing
• Happily some consortia have come up, but they are
  yet mostly buying clubs

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• To boost resource sharing activities
  three-pronged approach is needed
• Strengthening and reengineering of existing
  consortia to make them true vehicles of resource
  sharing and not merely sharing of e-journals
• Starting new consortia and networks for resource
  sharing on suitable basis
• Linking of the consortia based networks to
  achieve nation-wide network of libraries

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• Implementation of these steps may take some time
  and face many hurdles
• But once done it will be possible to have
  effective nation-wide resource sharing
• This will save enormous amount of money and
  expedite research at all levels thereby
  contributing greatly in national development
• THANK YOU