Library Consortia Documents Online is a collection of about 100 Web-accessible primary source documents dealing with the governance and administration of library consortia and cooperatives. This site will be useful for practitioners who need to study consortial governance documents while reviewing or creating their own consortium's governance structure. This site will also be helpful for library and information science educators with research interests in library consortia and cooperatives, as well LIS students doing class projects or research papers on the topic.
This site focuses on four types of consortial documents:
Bylaws -- Bylaws are a great source for information on how a consortium's governance structure is constituted. Bylaws often indicate the legal status of the consortium, describe committee structures, and outline membership criteria.
Memoranda of Understanding -- Memoranda of Understanding generally outline the business relationships between the consortium and the member libraries, including the rights and responsibilities of membership.
Resource Sharing Agreements -- Resource sharing agreements describe the "rules of the game" for one of the basic functions of many library consortia: sharing physical library resources. Some are very restrictive, while others are fairly liberal.
Strategic Plans -- In one sense, strategic plans reflect the way a consortium sees itself, or perhaps the way a consortium would like to see itself. They offer a good look into the "soul" of a consortium.