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Executive Summary
This report examines the recent trends in collaboration and cooperation between public libraries, archives and museums. In many cases, the shared or similar missions of the institutions reviewed make them ideal partners in collaborative ventures. Different types of collaborative projects are examined, including exhibits, community programs, digital resources and joint-use facilities. Examples come from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom (UK), as well as from Russia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The report concludes with a guide to collaborations, including examples of best practices in the field, a guide to a successful collaboration, a discussion of the benefit and risks of collaboration, and a list of resources consulted.
Alexandra Yarrow
Barbara Clubb
Jennifer-Lynn Draper
June 2008
Introduction: Why Collaborate and Cooperate?
Whereas in the past, the general trend for libraries and other cultural institutions was to assume that customers would come to them, most institutions are now looking at outreach and other ways to be more relevant to their communities and their customers' daily lives. The focus is now on the experience, both real and virtual, of the institution itself, as well as the institution's collections.
Libraries, archives and museums are often natural partners for collaboration and cooperation, in that they often serve the same community, in similar ways. Libraries, archives and museums all support and enhance lifelong learning opportunities, preserve community heritage, and protect and provide access to information. In "Charting the Landscape, Mapping New Paths: Museums, Libraries, and K-12 Learning," a report about library, museum and school partnerships by the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the US, researchers observe that "collaboration may enable ... museums and libraries to strengthen their public standing, improve their services and programs, and better meet the needs of larger and more diverse cross-sections of learners, especially underserved learners" (9). Partnerships of various kinds can help all three institutions fulfil these goals and serve the community to the best of their collective abilities.
Project Proposal
The objective of this project, which is sponsored by the IFiLA Public Libraries Section Standing Committee, is to document the trends toward greater cooperation and collaboration between public libraries, museums and archives, particularly at the local municipal level. Public libraries,...