Budgeting for Information Access

Citation

Morgan, S. (1999), "Budgeting for Information Access", Library Review, Vol. 48 No. 6, pp. 51-52. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.1999.48.6.51.11

At last we are moving away from the “access VERSUS ownership” debate to one of “access AND ownership”. Although decisions will continue to be made about whether particular information products should be owned or accessed in some way, the debate has widened considerably. What is the balance between the two methods of provision offered by a library or information service, is now more accurately the focus of the questioning. In other words, where does a service perceive itself to be on this continuously moving spectrum of the “hybrid” library? Martin and Wolf do not ‐‐ indeed, cannot ‐‐ attempt to answer the question, whatever the wording. It is for individual services to do that. However, what this impressive volume does do, is to fully arm the reader with details of the sometimes complex issues surrounding access to information so that sensible decisions about resourcing can be made. It is an authoritative guide to planning resource budgets.

The first three chapters consist of introductory comments covering the nature of library resources and information access and its implications. These are followed by 11 further chapters, culminating in a selected bibliography. Chapter 4 explores the notion of resource sharing and some of the complexities that get ignored when any cooperative venture is mooted. To some organisations resource sharing can seem somewhat at odds with the kind of competitive thrust encountered within the public services sectors over the last 15 years. Chapters 5 and 6 look at alternatives ‐‐ information and purchase, respectively. The former considers the properties and characteristics of printed and electronic information together with the budgetary implications of each format. In Chapter 6 the authors address issues such as purchase on demand, consortial and access relationships, leasing and legal/economic implications of some purchasing arrangements. The next two chapters are also very interrelated. The subject of the first is interlibrary loan (ILL), the standard response to a library′s inability to provide ready access to all the information by library users. This consists of a descriptive account of the management of a conventional ILL service which “is likely to remain an integral part of libraries′ information services for the foreseeable future”. No real surprises there. Document delivery is covered in Chapter 8. This the authors see as an extension of the long‐standing alternative to purchase, covered in the previous chapter. A wider exploration of this increasingly important service would have been welcome. Continuing the electronic theme, the Internet forms the core of the next chapter including cost structures, shared services, contractual relationships and memberships. The next four chapters are concerned with the nitty‐gritty of budgeting: analysis of library services and transactional budgeting; choosing alternative information sources; changing from purchase to contracts and leases (particularly useful given the current climate); the practicalities of developing a resource budget. In an interesting final chapter the authors consider the long‐term implications of the electronic revolution. A restating of the view that librarians in general need to adopt a more aggressive attitude towards their funding agencies is welcome.

Written in an easy‐to‐understand style, Martin and Wolf have tackled a complex area which has been neglected in terms of readability and imaginative thoughts. The resource implications of information access have been thoroughly unpicked and intelligently discussed.