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UW System Home > Council of University of Wisconsin Libraries > Coordinating Committees > Collections & Resource Sharing

The System-wide Collections and Resource Sharing Initiatives Coordinating Committee will oversee the cooperative development of the University of Wisconsin libraries’ collections and encourage and oversee their sharing of collections to become “One System, One Library.”   This cooperation will be exemplified by such initiatives as cooperative purchasing of library materials, including databases; cooperative contracting; and sharing of both physical and virtual resources through the use of Interlibrary Loan, document delivery, Universal Borrowing, or other services.  This committee will be responsible for assessing the efficacy of these efforts, gathering information, and recommending changes or new policies to meet the goal of a shared system-wide collection.

The Collections and resource Sharing Initiatives committee is charged to encourage actively cooperative collection building and resource sharing among UW libraries.  Specifically, to:

• Oversee the development and implementation of a plan for shared collections and resource sharing generally, in accord with the University of Wisconsin Libraries’ Strategic Directions
  
  
• Analyze needs of the UW libraries for shared electronic resources
  
  
• Recommend to CUWL, with the advice of appropriate constituencies including the Collection Development Committee, the databases or other electronic resources for which the Shared Electronic Collection funds should be used
  
  
• Develop process to assess duplicative collections and to identify gaps in collections across the UW System; develop means to address those duplicated collections or gaps
  
  
• Develop benchmark criteria for decision-making in terms of cooperative purchasing of resources as well as resource sharing services; review, revise, or update criteria to meet changing needs
  
  
• Oversee the process of contract development for system-wide purchasing of library materials and make recommendations to CUWL
  
  
• Assess the use and effectiveness of primary vendor and other system-wide contracts
  
  
• Periodically review and analyze the effectiveness of resource-sharing services, e.g., Universal Borrowing or ILLiad, and further develop resource-sharing policies with the advice of appropriate constituencies; recommend changes in or the adoption of new resource-sharing policies and procedures to CUWL as appropriate
  
  
• Analyze and seize opportunities for additional means by which to improve the collections of the UW libraries and the services through which those collections are made accessible to UW constituencies
  
  
• Report periodically to CUWL and on the CUWL website the proceedings of its meetings and reports on its efforts