Consortia are not new to libraries. This kind of collaboration is typical of libraries and brings much of value to all those who participate. But consortia do not always succeed for many and varied reasons. So, how do we ensure these valuable arrangements are successful and will continue to be so into the future?
Editors Horton and Pronevitz, who have also written some of the content, have over 35 years of managing five different library consortia between them. Thus they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to Library Consortia: Model for Collaboration and Sustainability in their effort to help libraries create, maintain or rejuvenate existing consortia so that they benefit all those involved for the long term.
The book is divided into two parts, the first giving an overview of library consortia, the current landscape, managing consortia and ending with a chapter each on consortial arrangements for e-resources and physical resources. These chapters are written by the editors, with two co-written with other authors. Each of these chapters also includes a short list of quality references for further exploration of the topic.
The second part is dedicated to case studies of selected consortia, written by staff involved in them, as well as case studies on particular types of consortia that cover inter-consortial licensing and local history digital initiatives.
The book is very US-centric, as the survey and case studies are based on US consortia and references are to the US legal requirements for library consortia. The narrower focus is only a small detraction from the content, however, as most of the information, from management practices to online training to cataloguing to discovery tools, either applies, or is easily translatable, to the Australasian library environment. Australian libraries are already heavily involved in local consortia and, in times of tightening budgets, are finding them of more value than ever before.
With good foundational information and excellent illustrative examples of consortia from which to learn, librarians will find Library Consortia: Model for Collaboration and Sustainability a valuable tool in achieving and sustaining library cooperation.
Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation
© 2015, Michelle McLean
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2015.1100273