Bev Bruce: Director of Electronic Publishing, MCB University Press.

A SHARING PHILOSOPHY
Library consortia or resource-sharing networks have existed for a long time - particularly in the USA. But their main aim has moved from the sharing of printed material to providing common access to electronic resources via the Internet.

A principal problem (and benefit) of consortia agreements for electronic information stems from co-ordinated licence negotiations with publishers - along with keeping abreast of the activities of both developing and established consortia groups. Getting librarians and publishers to engage in meaningful discussion and share knowledge about the future of the information industry is not easy!

CONSORTIA BENEFITS
MCB UPL believes that the idea of consortia agreements is, on the basis of the constraints seen in the education service, to offer to universities low-cost access to information. This allows scientists, researchers and public officials To obtain the latest data and use that in their teaching, research and daily activities.

EXTENDED READERSHIP
Group purchasing expands the readership of the journals by allowing more users to access journal and database subscriptions. Currently MCB has signed eight consortia groups, giving a potential million plus users access to our information.