This is the companion to volume 36 in the series; the central subject in both is collaboration and mergers in libraries and similar institutions. Whereas the previous volume dealt with the broader picture, this one focuses on case studies. Practitioners might prefer this volume because it could provide them with a specific model to follow in their own environment, though I felt (as a minor criticism) this one lacked any over-arching chapters to tie it all together.
There are two parts; one with case studies on collaboration and the other on the less common, more risky and sometimes more proactive mergers of libraries with each other and with other institutions. Technology makes collaboration potentially easier, at least in the eyes of managers who sometimes drive the change, and a typical example of a case study here is that of collaborative virtual reference. What the reader gets from the chapter by Weak and Luo is detail of the policies, staff structures and organisational cultures that can stand in the way of effective cooperation and how they dealt with them. Other chapters tell us about library spaces, library support for a joint master’s programme, working together on an image database and more. The diversity of the forms of collaboration ought to be clear from just these few examples.
Mergers are sometimes forced through with the intention of saving money, though to be fair, services can be improved by greater sharing of resources (including staff). The higher education sector in Finland went through a period of significant and rapid restructuring, and here, Palonen, Blinnikka, Ohvo and Parikka tell us about the different operational models of joint libraries, particularly they emphasise the administrative solutions that were found to be most effective. Rozum and Brassaw report from Utah (USA) on how two institutions of higher education were brought together, yet each managed to maintain a particular identity after the merger. Other mergers reported here include shared library service desks, shared back-office services and an e-resources consortium in Jamaica. There is plenty of food for thought for the manager who may wish or be forced into greater cooperation.
