Reference and Information Service Section Conference and Exhibition 6-8 September 1999, Sydney Hilton, Australia

Library Cooperation in the UK.

With current economic pressures and technological networking developments, cooperation is high on the library agenda. It has recently been spurred on by two government initiatives: local government reorganisation leading to the formation of many new, small authorities - the bottom up; and devolved government to the regions, with the requirement to produce regional cultural and economic plans - the top down. The UK government is stressing "joined-up thinking" between its departments and the national push towards cooperation is gradually winning the day over competition. This paper will assess current structures of cooperation between library services in the UK, within and across sectors, both formal and informal.

Barbara Buckley, Research Programme Manager, Library & Information Commission