Multitype library networking: a framework for decision‐making

Abstract

Libraries and other information services are likely to be faced with continuing economic difficulties over the next decade. One of the most promising reliefs for them is networking and other forms of resource sharing. Unfortunately, networking has not yet achieved its full potential because of a lack of understanding of what networking is and how it can help individual organisations. Too often network structures have been imposed upon organisations without regard to their economic considerations or without their participation. In this paper we describe a framework for library networking that can be used for decision‐making by individual libraries, groups of cooperating libraries or centralised services. The framework consists of six interdependent dimensions including: functions to be performed, type of access to information, types of materials handled, products and services to be offered, networking configurations and communications means. An economic model based on the framework can be used to determine the levels within each of these dimensions that should be accomplished by the individual libraries, groups of libraries or a centralised service.

Citation

Griffiths, J. and King, D.W. (1984), "Multitype library networking: a framework for decision‐making", The Electronic Library, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 31-39. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb044610