Successful Resource Sharing in Academic and Research Libraries

With diminishing finances, it is rarely possible for a library or information center to have enough resources to fulfill the needs of its clients. Libraries working under effective collaborative initiatives in developed countries have registered tremendous success compared to libraries in developing countries. There is a growing need for libraries in developing countries to redefine their resource sharing strategies so as to benefit from library collaboration that can result in a more effective means of meeting the needs of their library users. Consortium member libraries are influenced by services, products and programs that impact their library users directly, and those that are perceived to be cost effective. The innovativeness and enthusiasm of the consortium staff, and consortium history play an important role in the success of a consortium. The lack of consortium history might be an important factor in explaining why library consortia have not been successful in some developing countries.