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By definition, interlibrary lending is a process involving two libraries. The digital revolution changed the method by which the scientific documents were disseminated during the past couple of decades. Nowadays, researchers can exploit several software applications that enable them to upload, save and deliver their documents from one peer to another without the need for a middle man. This paper reviews this change via a study conducted in two Finnish academic universities. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which researchers have adopted these new possibilities for document dissemination and how this change will affect the role of the libraries in document delivery in the future.

This paper is based on a survey conducted with the academic professors in two Finnish universities. The results were analyzed descriptively.

Academics mainly used digital resources when acquiring documents; library interlending (ILL) was the least widely used means. The majority of the academics usually transmitted their own documents to other persons by e-mail.

This paper is based on data from two Finnish universities.

Libraries should be better aware of current peer-to-peer document delivery practices and evaluate how this will impact on their interlibrary loan services.

Libraries should be more active in document delivery implemented through the various internet applications for academic document dissemination.

Peer-to-peer document exchange is an inadequately investigated topic, especially from a library perspective.

At the beginning of 2010, new higher education legislation was enacted in Finland which caused several university mergers. In addition to that, a self-directed type of organizational restructuring had been going on in Finnish academic libraries. This chapter describes the merger and the restructuring processes of the libraries in three universities, namely Helsinki University, University of Eastern Finland, and the University of Turku. Using a case study approach, the chapter describes different approaches used in the merger process, particularly how to manage service integration, resource reallocation and planning, and implementing new types of services. Performance measures and indicators are among the tools used to assess the successes, particularly in direct services to library users. Although this is based on Finnish experiences, it is helpful for other libraries considering, or engaging in, similar mergers, because of the given examples and tools for the actions needed for new structures and services. Also described are the challenges that three libraries met in the strategic work of reshaping of their organizational structures. While this chapter addresses library mergers only in universities, the methods and tools used will provide models for other types of libraries and nonprofit organizations.

Finland had a legislation-based centralized collection policy until the mid-1990s. The main components were national resource centers (selected higher education libraries) and provincial libraries (selected public libraries). This paradigm changed during the recession of the 1990s when new public management ideologies were adopted by the government. This ended the centralized model and a new policy favoring a decentralized collection management which demanded resource sharing. The models designated for the print-only age became obsolete also when the digital dissemination of especially scientific documents began to be the norm. The Finnish libraries have started to implement a new strategy consisting of different elements including a new model of library automation systems, the National Repository which is the hub for the resource sharing of print materials, digitization projects (to be especially implemented by the National Library) and with new policies defining the roles and responsibilities of each of the libraries involved. This article aims to describe the history of the Finnish centralized collection policy, its shift to the modern management of the collection as well as the philosophy and tools used in this work.

The paper describes the evolution of the Finnish national collection policy and its main trends.

The National Repository Library has enabled Finnish university libraries to focus their collection policies and to make savings in the cost of premises. A new business model for the digital era is needed for document sharing between libraries.

The paper is based on Finnish experiences.

Models for national and international collection and preservation policies are presented.

The paper provides proposals for the building of global division of work in the long-tail management of documents.

To describe the development of interlending and document supply (ILDS) in Finland and the recent initiative to move to patron initiated ILDS.

Historical narrative and analysis.

That ILDS in Finland is declining primarily because of the “Big Deals” and the introduction of ILDS charges after the privatisation of the postal service. That Finland needs to move to a more developed patron initiated culture for the supply of documents to users.

The need for further ILDS software development has been identified in order to underpin unmediated ILDS; this will be progressed during 2006.

Provides information on the current ILDS situation in Finland and to a lesser extent other Nordic countries. Provides an insight into how a European country is moving towards unmediated ILDS.

At the beginning of this millennium it was decided to renovate higher education legislation and to restructure the institutions in Finland. The new University Act was passed in the summer of 2009. One important aspect of the new Act means that the formerly state‐owned universities become more autonomous. In addition, the number of universities in Finland will be reduced by merging some of the old universities into new units, like Aalto University and the UEF, which were both inaugurated in 2010. This also has meant the birth of new multi‐campus universities as well as posing new challenges for the management of finances. At the same time, the digital revolution of scientific information has changed the paradigm of the libraries from ownership to access. It is no longer necessary to purchase paper journals and store them within the library building. Instead, the electronic versions are licensed, thus providing academics as well as students with 24/7 access to the material. This digital change has also triggered a generation gap between ageing library staff and the digital‐age student generation. This paper discusses the management of the lifecycles of different types of documents – printed/digital and serials/monographs – in a rapidly changing environment. In addition, the paper aims to discuss the distribution of work and outsourcing of the collection storage with the National Repository Library with the emphasis on enabling access to the outsourced collections with the help of modern database technologies. Some evidence of the effects on library expenses and usage is also given.

The paper analyses the statistical data of Finnish academic libraries in presenting its results.

The National Repository Library has enabled Finnish university libraries to focus their collection policies and to make savings in the cost of premises.

The paper is based on Finnish experiences.

Models for national and international collection and preservation policies are presented.

The paper provides thoughts for the building of global division of work in the long‐tail management of documents.

The response to the call for chapters about mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, partnerships, and joint ventures proved to be rich and resulted in an unprecedented number of proposals. Furthermore, the range of proposals illustrated both variety in scope and a broad range of topics. As a result, the material accepted for publication was split into two volumes. This volume includes those chapters deemed broadest in nature, while Volume 37, to be published later this year, will present material of a narrower and more focused nature and mostly in the form of case studies at the operational level. At a time when the volatile nature of the world economy calls for new approaches to business, these volumes provide an interesting panorama from the nonprofit sector of libraries and information services about the world of mergers and acquisitions (M&A’s) as well as the less riskier, but equally dramatic, activities of collaborations, partnerships, and joint ventures.

At the beginning of 2010, new higher education legislation was enacted in Finland. As a result, 17 state universities were consolidated into three newly formed and autonomous universities. This chapter describes the merger process of the libraries in these new universities, namely Aalto University, University of Eastern Finland, and the University of Turku. Using a case study approach, the chapter describes different aspects of the merger process, particularly how to manage cultural change in formerly independent libraries into a single new organization, as well as how to define the new structures and alter directives for management, leaving the past behind. Although this is based on Finnish experiences, it is helpful for other libraries considering or engaged in similar mergers by giving examples and tools for the actions needed for new structures to succeed. Also described are the challenges that the three libraries met in introducing innovations, the necessity for broad communication, and marketing of the new structures within their respective universities. Also included is a brief background description of the overall impact of the new legislation on universities as a whole. Higher education in Finland encompasses polytechnic institutes and universities. This chapter addresses library mergers only in universities.

The field of librarianship has undergone traumatic shifts (mostly downward) due to the global financial meltdown that began in the fall of 2008. While libraries were not mentioned in the motion picture, Inside Job (Marrs & Ferguson, 2010), they were, and still are, deeply affected by the worst recession since the Great Depression. Worse yet is that current dialogues and negotiations about declining library budgets show promise of continuing well into 2012. Permanent reductions to budget support for libraries by all levels of government in the United States have resulted in library closures, loss of staff, reduced material purchases, deferred maintenance, and fewer or altered services in all types of libraries. Library associations experienced similar strains with the Canadian Library Association facing a budget crunch and the American Library Association giving staff a week's unpaid furlough in 2010. Five library systems in Illinois sought government approval to consolidate into one system and some consortia/networks merged or, like Nylink (NY), simply closed their doors.