UNIT 9 RESOURCE SHARING FOR

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT IN LIBRARIES

LECTURER: Ms. X.
RESOURCE SHARING

INTRODUCTION
Resource sharing is a mutual agreement between libraries to exchange resources. Generally,
resource sharing is geared towards satisfying the user by giving the less privileged libraries
opportunity to get richer materials from their colleagues.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
It is expected that by the end of this unit, you will be able to:
Define resource sharing
State the objectives and scope of resource sharing
Determine the need for resource sharing
Discuss the potentials of resource sharing
CONCEPT OF RESOURCE SHARING

Concept of Resource Sharing

Resource sharing is a mutual agreement between libraries to exchange resources. Each library
gives its own materials to other participating libraries and also receives same from them, Odini
(1991) quoting Ridings (1977) defines resource sharing as the process by which the resources or
network of libraries are made available to the sum total of persons entitled to use any of the
resources in those libraries. Nwalo (2008) also defines resource
sharing as a formal arrangement by a group of organizations that have common interests, to pull
their material and human resources together so as to meet clientele needs much more than they
could have done if they were to depend on individual efforts. At inception, interlibrary lending
constituted the major aspect of resource sharing, Today, it embraces many more activities,
Oyelude (2004) identifies the types of sharing as interlibrary loans; joint acquisition; central
cataloguing; exchange of library materials; computerized cataloguing schemes; awareness
services and joint storage of materials.

Generally, resource sharing is geared towards satisfying the user by giving the less privileged
libraries opportunity to get richer materials from their colleague's. .It is through sharing that those
resources or networks of libraries arc made available to people who desire them. Sharing
therefore makes information available at low cost and consequently reduces frustration of
information users. Malhot (1989) avers that sharing breaks down institutional barriers since
librarians identify libraries that have what they need and obtain these resources from them.
Exchange of collections, equipment, manpower and experience makes libraries richer and more
productive.
OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF RESOURCE SHARING

Objectives and Scope of Resource Sharing

Underlying principle of resource sharing is maximum service at a minimum cost. Main objectives of
resource sharing are to create a conductive environment in which libraries can offer better services to
meet user needs within available limited resources. The area of resource sharing is quite wide, which
broadly include all of the materials, functions, and services. Materials and functions include reading
materials of all types/formats, acquisition, cataloguing, storage and preservation. Services include all
the techniques employed in libraries to establish link between the reader and reading material. ILL and
book exchanges also fail into this. Following are a few objectives of resources sharing.
1. Increased Availability and Accessibility of resources: Clientele of the participating libraries will
have an access to resources available in all the libraries. Resources can be moved from one library to
another manually or through modern means. This provides an easy access to and easy/free flow of
information.
2. To Diminish Cost: Resource sharing helps in building specialized collection and all participating
libraries need not duplicate the procurement of similar materials. This facilitates availability of larger
collection and even the basic material required by the users can be obtained without causing much
delay.
3. Resource Exploitation: Resource sharing advocates making reading material of one library
available to the clients of other libraries. Thus, the resource sharing exposes the reading materials to a
wider group of users. Similarly, the services of a library can be exploited by the users of other libraries.
Co-operative activities like acquisition, exchange, storage, binding, training, reference and
documentation services, inter library loans, etc., can also be the part of resource sharing.
OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF RESOURCE SHARING

On the basis of experience and involvement in resource sharing activities in the area
of management, it can be visualized that the management institutes can have the
following objectives for their resource sharing initiatives:
o To provide better services
o To provide more coverage of collections and facilities
o To avoid duplication
o To share experiences
o To face financial crunch
o To promote interaction
o To provide wider access to users
o To provide high quality library and information support services.
AREAS OF RESOURCE SHARING

Keeping in view the need of stake holders of the management institutes as well as the potential information
needs of the users of library and information support services provided by management institutes, it is essentially
required to identify the various areas for resource sharing activities so that the management of management
institutes as well as users are able to enjoy the fruits of resource sharing equitably.
The following areas for resource sharing are identified and these may certainly be
beneficial to the management institutes' environment:
• Collection Building
• Inter Library Loan
• Reference Services
• Membership
• Contents Page Service
• Centralized Processing
• Human Resources
• Expertise and Facilities
• Data base creation
• Union Catalogue
• Training
• Software
NEED FOR RESOURCE SHARING

Scientific and research based information has a significant contribution for rapid promotion of
research, education and development of various other sectors of the economy. It saves a lot of human
effort, financial input as well as application of physical and logistic resources otherwise needed to re-
invent the wheel every time. It provides vital technical support to keep going on all the scientific
endeavors. Sharing of research information through decentralized internet data input has a
significance of its own. It is both economical and time saving not only for users but also for the
information professionals and document lists. For the cause of economy, information data is prepared,
entered, and processed, stored and retrieved at a very high speed. Therefore, its utility is many times
higher than the conventional means of information sharing.
i. Knowledge Explosion: Research institutions, universities, industrial and commercial
organizations and others academic institutions are responsible for knowledge generation. Inter-
disciplinary, extra-disciplinary research and emergence of new disciplines have become more
important and relevant. Professional activities in R & D also have increased considerably.
Procuring all published literature by a library is too difficult, but on the other hand the users have
been demanding access to all such available literature.
ii. Increase in Library Users: Population explosion, influx of people from rural to urban, education,
high priority on research and development have shown liberal use of libraries by all. Increase in
user population demands growth in libraries and services, but there is a limit to such growth, as
libraries cannot grow beyond a certain point. Due to the increase in users' demand for diversified
information, the libraries are prompted to investigate ways and means for wider range of service
and collections. Resource sharing offers practical solutions to these problems.
NEED FOR RESOURCE SHARING

iii. Library Services: Users in the libraries have become more and more information conscious than
ever before, demanding effective quality library services. The CAS, SDl, information repackaging and
consolidation would not be possible unless libraries share resources. Also the disciplinary
interdependence calls for diverse collections of a variety of disciplines, which is not within the
capacities and competence of a single library.
iv. Acquisition Problems: Increase in publishing output necessitates large intake in libraries to
update their collection. This needs a large space to house the collection. Obsolescence of knowledge
also calls for weeding of collection. Co-operative acquisition, storage, and services can eliminate the
problems of space, balanced collection building, efficient services, etc.
v. Economic Resources: General Price index everywhere indicates the rising trend. Prices of books
and journals have zoomed over the years. This has tremendously affected the purchasing capacity of
libraries. In spite of governmental and institutional finance, libraries are not in a position to buy all that
is required for their user community. Regular budgetary cuts and introduction of new services and
maintenance of staff also have affected the procurement of libraries.
vi. Web Based Resource Sharing: Computer and telecommunication technology are playing a vital
role in the design and operation of resource sharing systems network. A library network means as a
group of libraries are inter-related through different areas. Now, resource sharing among libraries has
been accepted as a necessity. These are required for working of large systems on national and
International levels also. Web based resource sharing includes the sharing of resources hosted on the
net. It is very important for bibliographic control of the explosion of literature and knowledge. It also
avoids duplication in purchase of costly documents. Library web resource sharing is a helpful way to
develop the flow of information among the special information centers / libraries and other types of
libraries.
THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF WED BASED RESOURCE SHARING

• Improve the sharing of resources among the member libraries;

• Centralize the information processing system;
• Reduce the communication gap among the libraries;
• Improve in productivity with fewer blind requests, automated creation and tracking
of requests, and faster turnaround;
• Control in costs (For one low transaction charge, we can route each request to many
libraries);
• Co-operative collection development;
• Increase use of collections with instant local access;
• A way for all group members to contribute, maintain and access information in the
group's database.
POTENTIALS OF RESOURCE SHARING

Potentials of Resource Sharing

The need for resource sharing in libraries cannot be overemphasized. The benefits accruing from it include:
1. Provision of access to different libraries and resources. Through this, researchers have opportunity to see
materials written by experts in their fields and where they can be found. Library patrons can apply for these
materials through their librarians. Where the libraries arc near, they can avail themselves of the resources
through direct consultation and personal contact.
2. Resource sharing affords librarians the opportunity to exchange services with other libraries in terms of
manpower and programmes. Rosernberg (1993) opines that if libraries share work to be done, collections,
equipment, manpower and experience, then each library will be richer.
3. When libraries have challenges with specific users' requests, resource sharing helps them to identify
libraries that have such materials. The librarian can then make arrangements on how to obtain these
resources for the users. This indirectly saves the time, energy and money that the user would have spent in
going to such libraries to source for the materials by them.
4. While libraries share materials, the sharing of experiences and ideas is important. Librarians are faced with
challenges in the daily execution of their work and no librarian can boast of having all the wealth of
experience needed to race present and future demands in the library. It behooves libraries therefore to share
work, expenses and also benefits. Each library gains from the money and efforts accruing from active
participation, while exchanging materials, libraries with fewer resources have the privilege of enjoying the
resources of bigger ones. In addition, it provides wider platform for mutual benefit, irrespective of institutional
size and capacity. Libraries that share resources stand a better chance to provide robust materials for their
readers. This stems from the fact that materials in different formats arc pulled together so that each
participating library accesses them.
POTENTIALS OF RESOURCE SHARING

Ikpaahindi (2006) quoting

Rahman (2000) summarizes the need for resource sharing thus:
• to promote free flow of information resources
• to ensure better aces to information resources
• to ensure maximization of information resources
• to save resources and avoid duplication of efforts
• to ensure faster provision of information and literature support to users.
• to facilitate reciprocal exchange of local publications

CONCLUSION
The era of ICT is an important one in the history of librarianship. It has brought to bear
digitization of resources thus making digital exchange possible.