Library Cooperation: A Serials Model Based on Philosophical Principles (Research Note)

Library cooperation has been an oftenstated goal m· library annual reports, at conventions and workshops involving librarians, and particularly in recent library literature. Noted examples of success are evident across the country; 1 however, few library scholars, if any, hilVe examined the philosophical principles of cooperation as the basis for a successful foundation for interinstitutional library cooperation. Bowling Green State University (BG) and the University of Toledo (UT) libraries utilized an applied philosophy model in developing their cooperative protocols. A philosophy intern was employed by both institutions to facilitate the process. In the summer of 1981, the two library staffs discussed the possibility of beginning greater cooperation in the area of serials. The project was implemented during January of 1982, and shortly thereafter the intern was brought into the project to be the major partner in formulating, presenting, and evaluating a serials survey that was distributed to faculty members of the English, biology, and economics departments of Toledo and Bowling Green. The experience gained by applying philosophical principles to library cooperation has been instructive and beneficial to the su<::cess of BG-UT cooperative ventures . Indeed, many of the principles are general enough to be applied not only to other cooperative situations in a library setting, but to almost any cooperativeventure.