scholarly journals New Consortial Model for E-Books Acquisitions

2016 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Swindler

E-books constitute major challenges for library collections generally and present fundamental problems for consortial collection development specifically. The Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) and Oxford University Press (OUP) have created a mutually equitable and financially sustainable model for the consortial acquisition of e-books coupled with print titles needed to support instruction and research across the disciplinary spectrum within a transitional framework that is acceptable to users while moving both libraries and publishers to a decidedly electronic environment for monographs. Working with YBP Library Services, TRLN and OUP developed a flexible vending model for systematically increasing e-books acquisitions in tandem with reducing print intake over time and keeping net costs constant that other consortia and publishers would find useful. This article focuses on creating an acceptable and sustainable model that allows libraries to shift to e-books and the implications for traditional cooperative collection development. The research reports on the principles undergirding the pilot, how it developed, challenges encountered and lessons learned, librarian and user reactions to this format shift, and resulting philosophical and practical evolutions in consortial approaches to monographic acquisitions and understandings of what constitutes cooperative collections success in a digital environment.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Schell ◽  
Meghan Sitar

Information literacy at the graduate level can happen at the intersection of research method education and mentorship into a disciplinary community of practice with its own traditions of inquiry, communication, and knowledge creation. Funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the Library as Research Lab Project at the University of Michigan enables graduate students, academic librarians, and information science faculty to engage in a series of research activities together, illuminating tacit knowledge in information studies and librarianship, both as a discipline and as a profession. In the project, three interconnected labs pursue authentic research questions emerging from challenges faced by the Library while providing School of Information students with mentorship, new skills, and a fellowship stipend. A common curriculum across the labs includes research ethics, publishing, project management, and current issues in higher education research. Engaging with the frames of “Research as Inquiry” and “Scholarship as Conversation” from the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education​, students also learn how to effectively discuss, iterate upon, and present their research activities to different audiences. At the end of the fellowship, students enter the profession with an understanding of complex challenges facing libraries and with new strategies for responding to ambiguity and pursuing new solutions through research. As we complete the final year of the grant, the librarians from the Design Thinking for Library Services Lab will reflect on lessons learned and share student perspectives as a way of discussing how similar initiatives might facilitate positive and critically engaged research projects at other institutions. Attendees will be able to describe strategies for developing similar environments in support of authentic research experiences and will be able to apply strategies documented in a mentoring handbook from the project in their own work.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 653-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Lynn Jakubs

Purpose – Cooperation among research libraries is a venerable pursuit with a long history. The purpose of this paper is to examine three collaborative tools and programs ranging from the late 1970s to the present to identify the promise of each as well as the challenges, the factors that both facilitate and interfere with true cooperation, highlighting the lessons learned. Design/methodology/approach – The author analyzes the development and functions of the Conspectus of the Research Libraries Group, the Global Resources Program of the Association of Research Libraries, and the Triangle Research Libraries Network in the state of North Carolina, USA. Findings – While the goals of collaborative collections initiatives are laudable, it is often difficult to accomplish true, balanced, and lasting cooperation that results in both expanded access and financial reallocation. Originality/value – The study is a first-hand, inside look at the methods and mechanisms of cooperative collection development that offers suggestions for future partnerships on either a small or a large scale.


2004 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlene Kellsey ◽  
Jennifer E. Knievel

The authors counted 16,138 citations within 468 articles found in four journals from history, classics, linguistics, and philosophy in the years 1962, 1972, 1982, 1992, and 2002 in order to identify trends in foreign-language citation behavior of humanities scholars over time. The number of foreign-language sources cited in the four subjects has not declined over time. Consistent levels of foreign-language citation from humanities scholars indicate a need for U.S. research libraries to continue to purchase foreign-language materials and to recruit catalogers and collection development specialists with foreign-language knowledge.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (11) ◽  
pp. 3-16
Author(s):  
A. Zemskov

To what extent do academic and research libraries contribute to the work of their mother organizations, i.e. research institutes and universities? What is the role of libraries in scientific research? Which problems do hinder the development of librarianship? These and related questions were in the focus of an analytical study conducted in 2018 by Springer Nature, which sent many questionnaires to the libraries around the world with a supplementary limiting interview of 20 librarians. Some part of the responses was quite predictable, and respondents specified the library problems as lacking money, underestimation of the library services and libraries themselves, toughening requirements of university community, and expanding needs of research teams. The respondents often mentioned new, positive approaches in the work of libraries – support of researchers willing to publishing their papers, building and maintaining repositories, increasing independence of libraries in acquisition process and collection development. The study findings offer some solutions to the dispute about the status of libraries and their prospects, which is held by our reputable experts, e.g. V. K. Stepanov, Yu. N. Stolyarov, etc.


2001 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley L. Schaffner

This article examines the impact of electronic technology on libraries and scholarship. It focuses on some of the challenges of using electronic resources in research libraries, which include the cost of acquiring electronic formats and the effect that such expenditures have on other library services and collection development practices. The article also explores how electronic resources have changed the way students and scholars conduct research. The goal of this essay is not to criticize or condemn electronic formats but, rather, to illustrate that electronic technology is simply one tool, among others, for the dissemination of information. As such, electronic resources should complement rather than replace other formats.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 116-142
Author(s):  
Hui-Lan H. Titangos

Purpose To provide library service to users of all ages has been one of the primary missions of county libraries since 1908 when the first branch of the first county library system was born in Sacramento as a proud milestone in the history of California public library. It has been a constant challenge to local governments and library staff members alike, especially when there are economic downturns or many priority programs to balance with. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The paper introduces an innovative methodology in collection development to promote the concept that library collections, traditional or digital, can serve users of all ages as long as they can be adaptable to meet the changing needs of users, and compatible with changing information technologies. Findings By examining the process of an audio collection integrated as part of library collections and deeply rooted in users’ lives, the author reports the findings in the following areas: developing a robust audio collection catering to all users at Santa Cruz Public Libraries, despite technological changes and limited budget; getting involved in the whole organization’s programs and projects by collaborations; offering innovative promotion approaches; providing comprehensive subject coverage and always keeping the local community in mind; and evolving constantly to make technologies your friends, not foes. Research limitations/implications The paper analyzes a successful collection development experience in audio collections to strive to realize the original county library’s ideal to serve users of all ages in California. Practical implications The successful collection development experience is useful not only for acquisition librarians, but a much broader audience such as library managers in charge of library material budgets. Social implications The findings point out a number of social implications confronting library professionals worldwide. They include conflicts between users’ real needs vs our assumptions, limited budget vs expanding coverage, and library services vs the nature of technology. Originality/value The paper helps library professionals to develop, maintain, and succeed in their short- and long-term goals in collection development.


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