SHARES

SHARES Introduction

As institutions evolve toward a notion of “collective collections,” resource sharing partnerships that expand access to collections are of primary importance. SHARES, the resource sharing consortium of the OCLC Research Library Partnership, unites trusted partners that provide low-cost access to their diverse collections. SHARES also supports resource sharing innovation and best practices.

What we do

• SHARES supports active collaboration among its partner libraries and a generous resource sharing program, which provides onsite use and interlibrary loan of the SHARES libraries’ strong, rich, diverse, and unique collections.
• SHARES partners explore and recommend current and innovative technologies, policies, and practices to facilitate this enhanced sharing. Recent SHARES working groups have explored packaging and shipping, ILL unit costs, collection-sharing best practices, and reciprocal onsite borrowing.
• An international sharing partnership, SHARES expands and enhances local collections with materials owned by partners around the world. 

SHARES is managed by the SHARES Executive Group. Affiliation with the OCLC Research Library Partnership is a prerequisite to joining SHARES.

Current Activity

The SHARES community has come together throughout the COVID-19 pandemic crisis to share information, navigate unprecedented disruption, experiment with new strategies for service provision, and plan for having staff and patrons return to the physical library.

SHARES 2021

This year the SHARES Executive Group invites all SHARES members to participant in a suite of conversations and activities focused on four themes of vital interest to the consortium and to the entire resource sharing community.

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