The Center for Research Libraries and Cooperative Collection Development

Abstract

The environment for cooperative collection efforts has significantly altered in the last five years due to online public access catalogs, technology changes, and economic realities. One of the most effective mechanisms for establishing a cooperative collection agenda including providing access to a much richer bank of resources, making the most economical use of funds, and setting a shared political agenda is the establishment of library consortia. The changes that have made this a viable model are considered in light of the role of the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) as a partner in the cooperative collection development agenda.