Abstract
The organization of libraries into consortia is a very recent development. Instead of cooperation affecting services such as interlending and document supply, consortia are concerned with such activities as the acquisition of journals, mainly in electronic form, in order to secure lower prices and/or more favourable licensing terms. Other benefits are that they can solve problems as they arise, and also help to raise the profile of libraries. Consortia come in various sizes and organizational structures. A multinational consortium is the eIFL, funded by the Open Society Institute. Relationships with publishers have had problems of discounts and licensing terms, some of which remain to be resolved. In the UK, the National Electronic Site Licence Initiative (NESLI), which is managed by the JISC Journals Working Group, has negotiated some good deals; it is self-financing, and institutions can opt in or out of any particular deal. Expectations have not always been realized, and there is much more that can still be done to increase journal use and make savings, but undoubtedly much has been achieved. Consortia offer libraries and users a better future.
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