Comparing academic libraries

BACKGROUND Interlibrary comparisons can be defined as the voluntary exchange among members of a group of libraries of quantitative information about their workloads and costs as regards operations common to all or most members of the group, such information being more detailed and analytical than data supplied regularly to the national or other agencies responsible for collecting statistics from libraries of similar type. Consistently with that definition, obviously at any time two or more libraries sharing common ground can trade such information. History suggests on the other hand that libraries have not often taken such initiatives, and research libraries hardly at all. In practice there are advantages in an external organisation with appropriate experience setting up and master minding the exercise. Such a body is arguably better placed than any one library to obtain consensus as to the outlines of the project, to establish definitions, provide interpretations, supply guidance throughout and arbitration on occasion, collect, tabulate and circulate returns among participants. Particularly if the organisation is one accustomed to deal with a variety of bodies other than libraries there is the possibility of a detached questioning of bibliothecal rituals. On both sides in the exercise a learning situation may be salutary.