Collections unbound: collection directions and the RLUK collective co…

"A presentation given to RLUK Members' meeting at the University of Warwick. The library identity has been closely bound with its collection. However this is changing as research and learning behaviours evolve in a network environment. There are three interesting trends. First, atttention is shifting from a library-centric view of a locally owned collection to a user-centred view of a facilitated collection in places where the library can add value. Second, there is growing emphasis on support for creation, for the process of research, as well as for the products, the article or book. And third, we are seeing a changing perspective on the historic core, the print book collection. Increasingly, this is being seen in collective ways as institutions manage down print, or think about its management in cooperative settings, or retire collections as space is reconfigured around research and learning experiences. This presentation also provides preliminary findings for the analysis being carried out by OCLC Research of the RLUK collective collection."