Strength in Numbers The Research Libraries UK (RLUK) Collective Collection Constance Malpas and Brian Lavoie Strength in Numbers: The Research Libraries UK (RLUK) Collective Collection Constance Malpas Research Scientist Brian Lavoie Research Scientist © 2016 OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ June 2016 OCLC Research Dublin, Ohio 43017 USA www.oclc.org ISBN: 978-1-55653-515-4 OCLC Control Number: 950534748 Please direct correspondence to: Constance Malpas Research Scientist
[email protected] Suggested citation: Malpas, Constance, and Brian Lavoie. 2016. Strength in Numbers: The Research Libraries UK (RLUK) Collective Collection. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC Research. http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/2016/oclcresearch-strength-in-numbers-rluk- collective-collection-2016-a4.pdf. Cover image: Map depicting the approximate locations of the 37 institutions comprising the RLUK membership. The ten RLUK members located in the London area are represented by a single large dot. FOREWORD Researchers and students all over the world benefit from the collections held by RLUK member libraries. These collections have grown over centuries: through purchases and donations, strategic subject building and happy accident, through collaboration and serendipity, all supported by a robust legal deposit system. We have exceptional individual collections, but we are becoming increasingly interested in the total collection within the UK. We are asking strategic questions about the preservation and storage of print books, the best use of library space, the range and effectiveness of digital surrogacy, and the nature of collecting. Our colleagues at OCLC have harnessed the unique possibilities offered by WorldCat to provide us with a window into what they have coined the “collective collection” across RLUK institutions.