Collaboration Between Libraries

Writer:
Hendrikus Franz Josef, M.Si

Regional Library and Archive Office of

Yogyakarta Special Region
2019
 Abstract

Implementation of three tertiary service programs, namely education, teaching,

research, and community service require library support. Libraries in universities
function as information sources/documentation centers, research supporters, and
learning resource centers. The role of the library as a source of information is to
provide information to library users, either at the user's request or even without being
asked. Libraries are often used as a place to obtain information relating to the daily
tasks of users and other general information. With its collection, the library must try to
answer every question posed by library users. The role of the library as a
documentation center is to store human works such as books in a broad sense,
including printed or graphic forms, non-print, electronic forms, and others. For
example, college libraries usually function as deposit libraries whose duty is to store
all public institutions, such as research documents, research reports, theses, theses,
and dissertations. The role of the library for research activities is to provide
information for support research. In supporting research programs, libraries
assigned to provide a list of books, a list of journal articles, make/compile abstracts
scientific writing and so on. In addition, the library also provides a list of selected
articles according to the subject or topic of the research being worked on by a
lecturer and researcher. The role of the library as a center for learning resources is as
a place of education lifetime. Someone who has left college can continue to do so
the learning process in the library. In the library someone can develop knowledge,
insights and other abilities to support the profession and his work.

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 Part I
Background of Library Collaboration

Basically there is no single library, however large the library is, which is
able to gather all the information produced by publishers and writers
throughout the world, even for the most specific scientific disciplines.
Realizing this, every library or information center always tries to establish
cooperation with existing libraries or information centers. The definition of
collaboration between libraries is collaboration that involves two or more
libraries. There are several factors that encourage collaboration between
libraries, namely:

1. There is a tremendous increase in science and influence more and more

books are written about that knowledge;

2. Widespread educational activities, ranging from elementary schools to

tertiary institutions, encourage more and more diverse user requests that
increasingly require information from day to day;

3. Progress in the field of technology with its various impacts on industry and
trade and the need for leaders and employees to develop new skills and
techniques. These skills, among others, can be obtained from reading;

4. Development of opportunities and opportunities for international

cooperation and international traffic; both of these encourage the latest
information about foreign countries;

5. The development of information technology, especially in the field of

computers and telecommunications, enabling the implementation of
cooperation to run faster and easier, even cheaper;

6. The demands of the community to obtain the same information services.

All this time is a fact that the community of information users in big cities

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 obtain information services better than users who live in the area
isolated;

7. Collaboration allows saving of facilities, costs, human resources and time.

An activity or business carried out by several people (institutions,

government, etc.) to achieve common goals in the same fields. Furthermore,
Sulistyo Basuki (1996) states that there are terms that are closely related to
the term library collaboration, namely information networks. Both have
different historical aspects. Collaborative libraries involve collaboration
between two or more libraries without seeing whether the collaboration uses
the help of computers or telecommunications facilities or not. While
information networks in addition to implementing cooperation using
information technology devices, the members are not only limited to libraries
but also other information units, such as the Documentation Center,
Information Center, Information Analysis Center, Reference Center, Data Bank
and Housekeeping.

The principle of collaboration between libraries is done because it is

assumed that no library has a complete collection, so cooperation with other
libraries is needed. So, what is meant by library cooperation is an activity or
effort carried out by several libraries to achieve the purpose of the library in
providing and utilizing its collection for the benefit of users, readers in various
interests. Suprihati, (2004) argues that library collaboration has two main
things, namely realizing the vision and mission of the library, and both of them
obtain added value or benefit from the collaboration of the library.

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 Part II
Various Types of Library Collaboration

Library cooperation network, documentation and information is an

integrated system of agencies engaged in information processing, such as
libraries, documentation centers, information analysis centers, information
centers with the aim of providing relevant data entry without regard to the form
and origin of user data needs.

The common forms of library cooperation include:

1. Cooperation in procuring library collections.

This collaboration is carried out by several libraries working together in

procurement of books. Each library is responsible for the wearer's information
needs by selecting books on request the wearer or based on alleged librarian
knowledge of necessity the wearer. The books for user needs were procured
together by the library appointed as the coordinator of the collaboration.
Collection placement carried out in each library that ordered the book,
however these books can be used jointly by each user library.

2. Collaborative Exchange and Redistribution of Library Collections.

Exchange cooperation is carried out by exchanging publications of the

parent agency the library with other libraries without having to buy. This
method is normal also to get publications that are not sold or publications that
are hard to trace in bookstores. This exchange is usually done by principle
one to one means that one publication is exchanged with one publication with
no looking at the number of pages, the thickness of the publication or the
price of the publication. Redistribution cooperation is a collaboration carried
out by two libraries or more in terms of the re-placement of books that are no

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longer needed at one library or excess in a library. The book can offered to
other libraries that might need that books.

3. Cooperation in Processing Library Materials.

In this form of collaboration, the library collaborates to process materials

library. Usually at university libraries with various branches or public library
with its branches, processing library materials such as: cataloging,
classification, labeling of books, book cards and others. this can be done by a
library that is the coordinator of cooperation.

4. Cooperation in Providing Facilities.

This form of collaboration may feel strange for libraries in developed

countries because their libraries are generally always open for use by users
general. In this form, libraries agree that their collections are open for other
library users. Libraries usually provide facilities in the form of opportunities to
use collections, using library services such as search, flash information, use of
a copier, but not open opportunity to borrow. Usually borrowing books for
borrowers is not members are carried out using inter-library loan facilities.

5. Collaboration between librarians.

This form of collaboration is done because other library users cannot

borrow another library collection. Instead the library is lend books from other
libraries then the library lend it to the wearer. Who is responsible for borrowing
the book is a library that borrows.

6. Cooperation Between Bibrarians.

This collaboration was carried out between librarians to solve several

problems faced by librarians. This form of collaboration takes the form of
publishing guidebooks for librarians, meetings between librarians, courses
refreshment for librarians and others.

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7. Cooperation in Compiling the Master Catalog.

Two libraries or more compile a library catalog together. The catalog

contains information about books owned by the library participants of the
collaboration were accompanied by information about the location of the book.
Cooperation like this is not new in Indonesia. Even some master catalogs
many have been published nationally. .

8. Cooperation in Providing Services and Information.

This form of collaboration is carried out by two or more libraries that agree
to cooperate with each other to provide information services. One form of this
collaboration is borrowing between libraries, search services, and
photocopying services. Cooperation like this involves all the resources in the
library. So it is not limited to lending between libraries.

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 Conclusion

The concept of library cooperation is to use the principle of synergy,

because basically a library will not be able to serve the needs of users of
library materials needed. There are several reasons that make a library
require cooperation, among others, is because of the increasing number of
books published every year so that the library cannot afford to buy new books
for the benefit of users. Also the number of types of media published, the
reason for the user's needs for various information, as well as reading. This is
due to the demands of the community to obtain information / documents that
are as good as not looking at where they are and because of technological
developments, especially computer and telecommunications technology.

The development of many information technologies means accelerating

the process of accessing information both locally, regionally and
internationally. Actually what is meant by access to information is the
discovery of information both printed and non-printed and from various
sources of information quickly and accurately, especially by using computer
technology. Computers used to access information must have a connection on
a computer network. Computer network is a group of computers that are
connected to one another using communication protocols through
transmission media or communication media. This computer network aims to
bring data-information from the sending side to the recipient (access to
information) quickly and precisely without any errors through the transmission
media or certain communication media.

Library cooperation should be a concern with SliMS users, at least for the
adjacent libraries, for example libraries in one sub-district. This cooperation
has at least several benefits: 1. Library cooperation can overcome problems
in the case of lack of funds for the procurement of library materials, especially
for the procurement of supporting collections. 2. The image of the library can
be lifted because "impressed" there is always new library material in the
library, 3. Helping librarians at least in terms of processing, especially if the

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library manager is limited, not only limited in the number of human resources
is also limited in terms of classification and cataloging capabilities. 4. Between
library managers can share knowledge of a new thing that he gets. Thus,
actually this can overcome the limitations of the cost of HR development as
well. For library cooperation, it is necessary to have regular meetings to
strengthen relations. Therefore, in this forum we invite library managers to
consider library collaboration more seriously by utilizing this SliMS application.

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Utama

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