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European University Institute Library

Consortia Structure and governance in Europe Tommaso Giordano Deputy Director, EUI Library, Florence. European University Institute Library. 4th E- ICOLC International Coalition of Library Consortia in Europe. Thessaloniki 3 October 2002. European University Institute Library.

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European University Institute Library

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  1. Consortia Structure and governance in Europe Tommaso Giordano Deputy Director, EUI Library, Florence European University InstituteLibrary 4th E- ICOLC International Coalition of Library Consortia in Europe Thessaloniki 3 October 2002

  2. European University InstituteLibrary In this presentation • Emerging consortia models in Europe • Key factors influencing their evolution • Main organisational components affecting their structure and governance

  3. European University InstituteLibrary Consortia: transitory solution or a model for a long term prospective?

  4. European University InstituteLibrary Scope Survey on consortia initiatives in 28 European countries: • 18 countries in Western Europe and the European context • 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe

  5. European University InstituteLibrary Consortia for e- resource • Consortia as library networks for sharing resource (union catalogues, ILL, e-resources) • Consortia for purchasing and management of e- licenses, established by the libraries • Consortia for selling e-services to the libraries organised by information providers

  6. European University InstituteLibrary General Trends • Persistence of the gap between the different areas (North, Central Eastern and South) • Discrepancies are arising in the same area and/or countries • Situation at initial stage in several Eastern European countries • Fragmentation of the initiatives in some countries • Convergence of the initiatives at national level • Emergence of broader alliances at international level • The relevance of OSI/ e-IFL programme in Eastern Countries

  7. European University InstituteLibrary Influential Factors in the European Context • Different political systems (centralised/decentralised) • Different economic and social situations (West/East) • Different size of the countries • Different library practices and policies (i.e. co-operation, investments) • Different educational/university systems and policy • Scarce availability of e-publications in non English languages

  8. European University InstituteLibrary Key Aspects • Scope and Geographical Dimension • Mission and Policy • Core Programme • Infrastructure • Financing • Structure and Governance

  9. European University InstituteLibrary Scope and Geographical Dimension • Consortia conceived and developed at national level • Or: Started at local level with a later shift to the national level • Regional consortia (Spain, Germany &c.) • Involvement of national and public libraries mainly in small countries • General tendency toward larger strategic alliances (interconsortia initiatives at national and international level)

  10. European University InstituteLibrary Mission and Policy • Few consortia articulate a clear vision or strategy • Some provide a wide range of library services • Some are just ‘buying clubs’ • Few have developed their own licence model • Focus on big international publishers • In some cases (mainly in Northern Europe) consortia are strongly connected with larger national digital programmes

  11. European University InstituteLibrary Core programme • cataloguing • ILL and EDD • infrastructure (i.e. IT) • collections development • e-licenses • portals and user interface • TOC’s • training programmes • e-resource preservation • academic e-publishing • digital conversion • ………..

  12. European University InstituteLibrary Infrastructure • Most consortia have a minimal infrastructure • Some have central staffing • In other cases, support is provided by one of the participating libraries • In some cases administrative and technical support is provided by a central body involved in the programme (i.e. national library or central agency) • Most consortia outsource services (technical support and expertise)

  13. European University InstituteLibrary Financing • Very few are completely self- financed by participating libraries • Most are partially supported by special funds • Others are strongly supported by central funds • Special funds are provided by national, regional or research agencies • Different invoicing and accounting procedures

  14. European University InstituteLibrary Structure and Governance • Library networks and “new consortia” • Variable dimensions (from 5/6 to 100 and more libraries) • Few consortia as corporate legal entities • Most based on memoranda of understanding/ informal agreements • Governance and decision-making mechanisms in many cases are extensive (complex) and ‘participative’

  15. European University InstituteLibrary Models Centralised National Regional Decentralised loose federation (informal) highly structured (legal entity) governmental agency

  16. European University InstituteLibrary Governance COUNCIL (Policy) SPONSORING BODY Subject Groups Mangement Board Admistrative & Technical support IT Infrastructure Consultants

  17. European University InstituteLibrary Emerging Models Nationalcentralised model • National strategy (and/or involvement of national library) e.g. FINELIB, COBISS National decentralised model • Begun as a limited group with gradual development at national level; e.g. COUPERIN Regional model (centralised or decentralised) • Regions (eg: land, canton, regione &c.); e. g. University Library Consortium of Catalunya (CBUC)

  18. European University InstituteLibrary Conclusion(strategy) • Political systems (centralised-decentralised) have a strong influence on library co-operation policies • Fragmentation in the absence of national strategies • Central/special funding support and policies are key factors for consortia development • Little consideration of using consortia as publishing partners for university research output • Emergence of transnational alliances (e-IFL, Gasco, SELL)

  19. European University InstituteLibrary Conclusion(structure) • Legal status as prerequisite for long term ( and larger) programmes • Decision procedures are slow in many cases • Significant overheads and management costs • Centralised solutions appear more cost effective • Increasing devolution of responsibility from libraries to consortia • Many consortia seem transitory in nature

  20. European University InstituteLibrary T. Giordano. “Library Consortia Models in Europe: a Comparative Analysis”. Alexandria, 14 (1), 2002, p.41-52

  21. European University InstituteLibrary ….finally my favourite consortium...

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