Amalgamations And Libraries

Amalgamations and Libraries

Because 30 Australian colleges of advanced education, principally teacher training institutions, were scheduled to be amalgamated in 1982, a study was undertaken to determine the problems likely to face librarians at these institutions and to produce guidelines on amalgamation and running multi-site operations for both college administrators and librarians. The guidelines developed were primarily based on (1) information on related experiences at British polytechnic libraries, collected during 12 site visits in October 1981; (2) the writings of W. Ashworth, the major author in this area of librarianship; and (3) comments received from Australian librarians with experience of amalgamations and multi-site operations. In addition to the guidelines, this document presents a statement of the rationale for Australian amalgamations; a discussion of the study's background, scope, and methodology; a description of the Australian and British experience with amalgamations; a review of the literature on the management dilemmas inherent in amalgamation situations; a delineation of the problems and advantages of multi-site libraries; a statement of conclusions and recommendations based on the study; and an extensive review of comments received on the guidelines for administrators and librarians. A 10-item bibliography and information about the author are also provided. (ESR)

Amalgamations and Libraries

Australian Academic and Research Libraries