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Contact: Kathlin Smith 202-939-4754

Report Examines Models for Shared Print Repositories

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As libraries respond to user demands for new types of services, space, and information formats, many are considering how to manage their growing collections of print materials that have high research value, but are used infrequently. Several institutions have collaborated to create shared print repositories. Some consortia and university systems are using such repositories to move beyond the immediate goal of providing cost-effective collection storage and delivery and to begin cooperatively managing and preserving their research collections.

A new report from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Developing Print Repositories: Models for Shared Preservation and Access, documents the growth and achievements of shared repositories while also pointing to the potential they hold for collaborative solutions to problems that libraries have in common. Authors Bernard Reilly, Jr. and Barbara Des Rosiers, of the Center for Research Libraries, challenge us to think about how such cooperative arrangements might do more than solve problems caused by a shortage of real estate on campus.

The report suggests which practices, policies, and programs best foster the equitable sharing of the costs of collections care. It identifies which practices and organizational and financial structures best support the integration of cooperative collection development and preservation efforts. It also explores the extent to which the repositories studied represent an emerging architecture of broader cooperation—one in which libraries might move beyond serving their regional communities and participate in a national network for cooperative preservation.

The transformation of existing shared repositories into sites for shared collections development and management has been difficult to achieve, say the authors. Trust plays a critical role in the development—or lack of development—of shared management of collections. A "strong interinstitutional culture" is needed for the kind of long-term commitments required to achieve economies of scale and improved stewardship. Repositories that go beyond the mere sharing of storage space to the sharing of management and access—in some cases decoupling ownership from governance—are those that have a history of collaboration and interdependence.

Developing Print Repositories: Models for Shared Preservation and Access is available on CLIR's Web site at http://www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub117abst.html. Print copies will soon be available for ordering through the Web site.

The Council on Library and Information Resources is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the management of information for research, teaching, and learning. CLIR works to expand access to information, however recorded and preserved, as a public good.

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