EXCHANGE IS NO ROBBERY: AN ACCOUNT OF AN EXCHANGE OF EXPERIENCE EXPERIMENT AT PROFESSIONAL AND PARA‐PROFESSIONAL LEVEL

Describes first a local professional exchange of experience experiment for a period of one week. Outlines personal aims and gives a summary of the benefits and problems. Goes on to describe a non‐professional exchange between assistants at Leicester University School of Education Library and Leicester Polytechnic Scraptoft Campus library (now De Montfort University) which took place over a three‐month period. Outlines successes and failures from the management and the individuals′ point of view. Makes recommendations for the setting up of such a scheme. Concludes with a six‐point summary, sets out the overall value of, and guidelines for, local exchange schemes. Among these are the provision of “real” experience, cost effectiveness,their flexibility, value for all staff and the encouragement of co‐operation between, and knowledge of, local libraries.