Resource sharing: academic library

Abstract

Within the new context in which academic libraries live, and starting with the consideration that “there is no single best model for a library consortium” (Helmer 1999, p. 119), the purpose of the research is: • to analyse the origins and development of which academic library consortia in different contexts • to evaluate which have been the advantages and disadvantages of working in cooperative form • to provide an overview of library academic consortia models in U.S. and Europe, where the phenomenon of consortia creation and development is more recent • to identify new trends and models, based on the needs of the market (represented by the various stakeholders). The research takes into consideration the different stakeholders involved in the process of scholarly communication, and dwells on the impact that consortia activities have in the wider context, represented by institutions, libraries, publishers and users.