Illinois State Library (ISL) Communications Manager Patrick McGuckin announced that the first meeting of the Future of Resource Sharing Committee was held at the ISL earlier this week. The group, chaired by Mary Konkel, Associate Professor and Head of Technical Services for the College of DuPage (COD) Library in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, “represents a wide range of multi-type Illinois libraries and consortial catalog groups.”
McGuckin stated, “Much of this week’s discussion focused on the challenges of selecting the best resource sharing solutions in the midst of evolving technologies. One example of this shifting paradigm is how the proliferation of e-book subscriptions changes the role of libraries from collectors of tangible items to access providers of digital information.”
“In the coming months,” he wrote, “the committee will examine existing automated library service options, new vendor platforms, open source software and cloud computing options.” Recommendations made by the Future of Resource Sharing Committee will assist the ISL “in determining the services and features necessary for meeting the changing resource sharing needs of Illinois libraries.”
Comments