Sharing the Wealth:
Cooperative Agreements and Consortia
Academic Libraries and the Library of California:
8,000 Libraries Working Together
Barbara Will
California State Library Networking Coordinator
Library of California
AT THE state level Barbara Will discussed the Library
of California, which will ultimately link 8,000 California libraries--academic,
medical, corporate, law, special, school and public--to share collections,
databases, facilities and expertise. The key considerations for this new
linking are:- Multiplies the collection made available to any individual to
literally billions of dollars worth of information resources
Participation is voluntary, with the local library determining what it will share and what it will not share
Builds upon and enhances related academic projects, such as the California Digital Library
Enables faculty and students to access specialized and relevant materials
Governor Wilson signed SB409 (Library of California) into law on Sept. 9,
1998, with $5 million to fund the first phase, saying, "California is home
to some of the finest public and private library collections in the world.
The Library of California will open up these treasures to people of all
ages statewide." For more information see: www.library.ca.gov/loc/.
Cindi Bouvier
San Diego State University
Annual
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