A University Press Publishing Consortium for Africa: Lessons from Academic Libraries

Darko-Ampem, Kwasi

doi:10.3138/jsp.36.2.89

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The purposes for initiating the collaborative project as reflected by the individual and collective worldviews of research participants fall into three main categories:to enlarge and improve the library services, including increasing users' access to inter‐library information resources;to reduce costs by sharing manpower and resources; andto share experience through communication and enhance skills and knowledge of staff through collaborative training.These three factors have been widely discussed in the literature on academic library collaboration. The analysis of the literature showed that the majority of academic libraries join collaboration programmes to share access to information resources and reduce the unit costs of information (Hirshon, 1999; Birdie and Alladi, 2002; Nfila and Darko‐Ampem, 2002; Darko‐Ampem, 2005). The next three sections will discuss these three main incentives for collaboration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The potential of inter‐state collaboration for Omani academic libraries

Al-Harrasi

Al-Aufi

2012

Library Review

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the attitudes and views of library directors and key librarians on issues related to library collaboration and its impact on the welfare of advanced and cost‐effective systems of library and information services.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach was utilized through the use of semi‐structured, face‐to‐face interviews for collecting needed data from library directors and key librarians in four major universities located in diverse regions in Oman. Collected data were transcribed and relevant themes and patterns were identified following an interpretive thematic approach.FindingsResults show that participants indicated an overall positive attitude toward library collaboration in an academic setting. They believed in the desired individual and institutional benefits that they would gain if their libraries or parent organizations developed and enhanced a collaborative system. The three most important advantages of collaboration were emphasized. They are: to enlarge and improve the library services, including increasing users' access to inter‐library information resources; to reduce costs by sharing manpower and resources; and to share experience through communication and enhance skills and knowledge of staff through collaborative training.Practical implicationsThe paper provides an overview and insights into demanding issues related to academic library collaboration in Oman. The result of this study helps propose a frame‐work or strategy for the purpose of initiating and developing a new system of academic library collaboration in Oman.Originality/valueLibrary collaboration, overall, has hardly been studied in Oman, or at least in the context of academic librarianship. This paper highlights the importance of library collaboration and its impact on the changing environment of academic libraries.

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