Exploring Collaborative Practices: A Survey of Library Cooperation within University Networks
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59365/amsj.2(2).2024.94Keywords:
University libraries; Collaboration; Cooperation; Departmental library; Central library; PakistanAbstract
The University library is considered the heart of the educational system.
Collaboration among university libraries is essential to fulfill the users'
information needs. The current study is designed to examine areas of library
cooperation between the central library and departmental libraries within the
university domain. Benefits, obstacles, and preferences for library cooperation
have also been explored. A quantitative research methodology was adopted to
execute the study. A questionnaire was used as a data collection tool and data was
collected only from those university libraries having central and departmental
libraries. The data was collected from 110 academic librarians working in central
or departmental libraries of universities across Pakistan. The findings revealed that
libraries within a university are frequently cooperating in many areas. The highest
cooperation is in the exchange of books followed by cooperation in the
classification of books. More than half of the universities have established
integrated cooperation among libraries within the university. One-fifth of the
libraries have interactive relationships, and the remaining libraries have weak
cooperation or no cooperation at all. Cooperation among libraries has improved
access to print resources, improved quality of the library services, enhanced access
to library services, and improved coordination in the acquisition of library
material. Limited financial resources, lack of formal framework for library
cooperation, and lack of technology infrastructure were major obstacles faced by
libraries. Based on the study findings it is proposed that there should be an
integrated relationship among libraries for cooperation and resource sharing within
the university domain for uniformity in services.
