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ABOUT TEN YEARS ago were born a number of colleges of advanced technology, based on technical colleges of the highest quality and intended to begin a revolution in higher education. About five years ago the CAT'S became universities, and are now carefully working their way towards respectability in the university sector. From the ashes have arisen the polytechnics, made up of another batch of colleges, but with certain differences. The polytechnics, surprisingly enough, are less committed to science and technology. The ex‐CAT'S grew from single technical colleges whereas the polytechnics have usually risen from an amalgamation of colleges of technology, art, commerce and, occasionally, of education. A result is that many polytechnics are cursed with split sites and as one wanders around Bristol or Portsmouth, it is easy to understand the problems of fragmentation. There is a lack of cohesion because of the immense difficulties of effective integration. Libraries possibly suffer most having to duplicate all sorts of services, to employ extra staff, to buy additional books, and to make time‐consuming selection decisions.

This paper examines the growth of research in polytechnics. It considers the extent to which polytechnic libraries are able to support academic research. The role of large research collections, such as exist in many university libraries is discussed. The paper argues that polytechnic libraries can best support research not by emulating the collection‐building policies of the universities, but rather by developing active information services. It uses a case study from Brighton Polytechnic to demonstrate how a successful service has been offered to researchers in the subject fields of accountancy, business and management. Analysis of online search records and of a survey of academic staff is used to evaluate the efforts of Brighton Polytechnic library to provide a useful service to academic researchers.

To assess the effect which the Council for National Academic Awards has had on the growth and present standing of polytechnic libraries is impracticable without first putting the polytechnics themselves in their historical perspective.

Different operational models of joint libraries of universities and polytechnics are examined in this chapter. These joint academic libraries were founded in Finland during the 2000s. Although universities and polytechnics have different objectives, educational programs, and educational degrees, they are nevertheless expected to cooperate. Library services have become a well-functioning model of cooperation in four provincial centers. Joint libraries serve their parent organizations, but are also open to the public and in this way they support the availability of scientific and vocational information in their regional areas. The emphases of this case study are the administrative solutions and matters concerning personnel. In addition to this, electronic resources are dealt with. Since the electronic licenses are institution specific, they complicate the joint library services. Because the operational environments of the libraries differ, the models will not be placed in any order of supremacy. Regardless of the challenges that the joint libraries face, they still show how relatively small educational organizations can develop the library services within their own community through cooperation.

The management of the budgeting process in UK polytechnic libraries is described, with particular reference to recent changes in the organisation and governance of polytechnics and major colleges. Issues addressed include: the funding process; policy considerations in determining library budgets; the allocation of book funds; staffing and equipment budgets; the use of income; the operation of virement and carry‐forward provisions.

THE process of setting up the new Polytechnics initiated by the White Paper of May, 1966 entitled “A Plan for Polytechnics and other Colleges” is now approaching completion. Of the 30 Polytechnics proposed 14 have now been established and practically all the others should be in operation by next September. All of them embrace one or more Colleges of Technology. Colleges of Art, Building and Commerce are also involved and, in two cases, Colleges of Education.

In 1993, all of the six polytechnic institutions in Ghana were elevated to the status of tertiary‐level institutions. This study is an assessment of the state of polytechnic libraries in relation to their new roles as libraries of tertiary institutions. It seeks to investigate the adequacy or otherwise of personnel, finance, materials, accommodation, equipment and services in these libraries. The writers conclude that these facilities are woefully inadequate and have to be improved in order to enhance the academic performance of the students and staff of the polytechnics.

Polytechnic libraries are increasingly finding the need to justify their costs, but although many are multi‐site, differences between them have hampered attempts to apply standards. This article gives the results of a study carried out at Brighton Polytechnic to identify the proportion of staffing and materials costs which could be attributed to the fact that it operated nine separate libraries rather than one central facility. In analysing costs and benefits, some advantages emerge for the multi‐site library. Financial costs are generally cited as a major disadvantage, but polytechnic library statistics show no correlation between funding and number of sites. The study at Brighton calculated the effect of the multi‐site situation on staff numbers and gradings. It found that this accounted for 36 per cent of the salaries bill. A survey of book and journal provision showed that 14 per cent of the materials budget was being spent on duplicating material across sites. Overall 28 per cent of the library budget at Brighton could be attributed to the multi‐site factor. The effects on capital equipment and space utilisation are also noted. At the same time, it is recognised that costs cannot be considered in isolation from services and that many other factors affect the level of funding in the multi‐site library.

The polytechnic experiment, which started in the beginning of the 1990s, is the largest educational reform in the history of the Finnish system of higher education. The polytechnics were built on former colleges and institutes of higher vocational education. Hardly any of the polytechnics had sufficient library and information services. This reform has meant many changes in the libraries of the polytechnics and it has brought to attention the need to upgrade the skills of the library staff. What competence or abilities did they feel they were lacking? What educational needs did they identify? These were some of the issues that were studied in a nationwide questionnaire in Finland. In this paper the results of the study are reported. The educational needs identified by the library staff concerning four main topics (library work, leadership and management, inform‐ation technology, and learning and learning environment) as well as the main topics for continuing professional education, preferred methods of instruction and suggestions arising from this study are discussed.

The importance of research in appreciating the problems of libraries and the hypothesis examined in this study are described. The historical background of the Ibadan Polytechnic and the objectives of the library makes for better understanding of the academic environment of this study. The methodology used is described. Ten tables which emanated from this research are analysed and discussed. Recommendations and conclusions are given for the improvement of resources, facilities and services for the good of the Ibadan Polytechnic students.