| Summary: | The article combines information on theoretical and practical issues of library consortia. This form of library cooperation is the response to the needs of the times and serves as a strategic decision to reduce costs and expand the limited capacity of libraries. The main areas of consortia activities focus on discovery and delivery of information, group purchasing, and services that empower the library staff. The article identifies obstacles that prevent the development of such associations. Like every phenomenon consortia have their advantages and disadvantages - they also considered, because they are very important for the risk assessment of collective work. The basic factors affect types of consortia are detailed also. The working examples of consortia include projects of union electronic catalogues and next generation library catalogues. The creators of these projects are Czech Republic, Latvia, Iceland, and North America (the USA).
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