On-site and off-site collections: costs and challenges

Abstract

There is little doubt that the internet provides public libraries with the opportunity to develop their collections beyond the walls of their libraries. The physical location of materials is no longer the key issue, rather the provision of timely access to information. Those public libraries that are actively selecting web sites to meet client needs are in effect developing an off-site collection. However, many librarians are operating in a political environment where the internet is viewed as an extra cost burden for public libraries. There is a perception by some that it costs more to provide access to a library's off-site collection than a library's on-site collection. Is this the case? Little has been written to date on a comparison of the costs. This paper attempts to identify the main costs in on-site and off-site collections and to specify the main challenges in an on-site/off-site collection strategy.