Outsourcing Library Operations in Academic Libraries

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.