Library and Information Science Commons^™

Communication In Library Consortia, Matt Lee, Valerie Horton

Collaborative Librarianship

The authors interviewed ten library consortia leaders and studied the communication tools used by a number of consortia. Library consortia employ a broad range of communication tools to share information with their libraries. Different methods are used for different purposes, but a hierarchy of utility emerged from our study. Certain communication vehicles anchored nearly every communication message, some provided secondary support, and others suited highly specialized needs. This paper reviews shared communication methods, highlights communication best practices, and shares unique communication ideas employed by library consortia.