The Washington Research Library Consortium: A Real Organization for a Virtual Library

Abstract

Library consortia can be organized according to a variety of models ranging from loosely affiliated buying clubs to tightly integrated virtual or actual organizations. One of the most closely integrated consortia in the United States is the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC), whose member universities share book collections, an online library system containing multiple electronic resources including a union catalog, an offsite book storage facility, and a separately staffed service organization. This thorough integration of programs creates a virtual library and an actual organization shared by all members. WRLC's structure, governance, funding, and program planning are designed to promote organizational stability, flexibility, and equity for the member institutions. Introduction At ALA a number of years ago, Joan Frye Williams gave a very funny talk about library consortia from an automation vendor's point of view. The gist of it was that libraries getting together to share the purchase of an automated system behave like a group of friends going out for pizza. First about ten friends talk about going for pizza. Eight of them actually show up at the pizza place, but only five bring their money. Four want pepperoni only, three want everything, and one wants plain cheese. Then they ask the waiter for separate checks and a discount because they brought in so much business. Part of what's funny about this analogy is the idea that such an ad hoc collection of individuals would expect others to recognize them as a group. In library cooperation, as in the pizza party, the idea of sharing often comes first, followed only later by discussions of how to organize and sustain it. In recent decades, libraries have developed a variety of organizational models to support the different kinds of resource-sharing programs which have evolved. The success of any kind of library cooperation can be furthered by designing an organizational infrastructure appropriate for the participants and the resources being shared. At one end of the spectrum are loosely affiliated buying clubs, where libraries come together primarily to share a discounted rate on electronic (or other) resources. The resource being shared is the staff time required for selection and procurement, and the relationship between the members is largely a financial one. At the other end of the spectrum are consortia which are tightly integrated organizations sharing a variety of resources which require long-term commitments and collaborative decision making at all staff levels. One of the most tightly integrated consortia in the United States is the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC), whose member universities share book collections, a library automation system with an online union catalog and multiple electronic resources, an offsite book storage facility, and a separately staffed service organization. This tight integration of programs creates a single virtual library shared by all members. WRLC's structure, governance, funding, and program planning are designed to promote organizational stability, flexibility, and equity. Organization The Washington Research Library Consortium is a regional library consortium supporting the information and research needs of seven universities in the Washington, D.C. area: American University, Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Marymount University, and University of the District of Columbia. These are five private and two public universities, serving a combined total of 75,000 students. The largest enrolls around 20,000 students, the smallest around 2,000. The libraries contain a combined total of about 5 million volumes. Their close geographic proximity--most of them are less than five miles from their nearest member neighbor--led to the interlibrary cooperation which ultimately became WRLC. …