Outsourcing Library Operations in Academic Libraries: An Overview of Issues and Outcomes - Hardcover

Benaud, Claire-Lise; Bordeianu, Sever

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1563085097 ISBN 13: 9781563085093

Publisher: Libraries Unlimited, 1998

Synopsis

As outsourcing becomes more commonplace in libraries, the need for a authoritative guide becomes indisputable. This book, designed to give librarians a broad understanding of outsourcing issues in academic libraries, synthesizes prevailing theories on the topic and describes current outsourcing practices in all areas of librarianship. After a historical overview and a detailed analysis of the pros and cons of outsourcing, the authors outline the steps for planning and implementing a successful outsourcing program. Individual chapters cover collection development, acquisitions and serials management, cataloging, retrospective conversion, authority control, preservation, and public services and systems. A special feature of the book is a detailed survey of more than 200 academic research libraries and other academic libraries about outsourcing practices.

About this title

About the Author

Claire-Lise Benaud is Head, Catalog Department, University of New Mexico General Library, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Reviews

Contracting out various services now stands as a major issue for all libraries. Authors Benaud and Bordeianu (heads of cataloging and serials cataloging, respectively, University of New Mexico Library) thoroughly cover outsourcing as applied in academic libraries. They first examine outsourcing from both business and library perspectives, including economic and political arguments for and against the practice. Next appears the history and basic questions of outsourcing in academic libraries. The authors then present survey results of Association of Research Library (ARL) and non-ARL institutions on current practices. They next move to the major points regarding outsourcing of collection development, acquisitions, serials, cataloging, retrospective conversion, authority control, preservation, public services, and systems. This well-written book complements the nuts-and-bolts approach of Arnold Hirshon and Barbara Winter's Outsourcing Library Technical Services: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians (Professional Media, LJ 1/97) and Outsourcing Library Technical Services Operations (Professional Media, LJ 1/98). It will not settle the debate but deserves to be read by all academic librarians considering outsourcing or interested in this topic.?Stephen L. Hupp, Swedenborg Memorial Lib., Urbana Univ., OH
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1563085097
• ISBN 13: 9781563085093
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 216