Present Status of Library Cooperation, Networking, and Resource Sharing in Bangladesh: Web-based Library Cooperation for Access to World-wide Information.

Libraries have been cooperating and collaborating on collection building and resource sharing for many years. The cooperation was based on inter-library loan and preparation and publication of union catalogue. But the ways of cooperation in building resources and access to information resources was not easy and effective. Library cooperation for access to information resources was limited to the formation of networking among the libraries having homogeneous interest. Like many other countries, Bangladesh also formed networks of libraries of different disciplines of knowledge, which could not sustain due to lack of appropriate communication system. To ascertain the status of collection of information resources, networking, resource sharing and automation of libraries of Bangladesh, a questionnaire based survey has been conducted. The library surveyed fall into the following categories (a) academic libraries (b) research / special libraries. It is found that in terms of collection of information resources, the efforts of most of the libraries are confined to acquiring books only. Majority of libraries are not subscribing to current titles of journal. Many libraries have not taken part in resource sharing network and library cooperation programme. However a large number of libraries surveyed subscribe to on-line journals through a library consortium and they already initiated library automation programme. But a great chunk of the libraries developed library software to provide database service to its institution members only. Very few libraries developed software to provide database service to serve worldwide. The establishment of digital library by majority of libraries to provide full text information resources is still a far cry. This study delineates the ways of web-based library cooperation with the conclusion that the automation of libraries and effective formation of country consortium can only promote the effective library cooperation for access to worldwide information and global resource sharing. Current study also recommends that government should take up development project to provide appropriate ICT training at global standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]