Creating value for all: joint academic library in the service of five universities

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse practices of a joint university library as a model of cooperation between universities. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a descriptive case study on the benefits and challenges of collaboration based on experiences of one joint library. Findings In 2000–2010s, Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences have undergone structural changes becoming public corporations. The ideal of the government policy is an effective, productive, entrepreneurial university with lean infrastructure and support services. One solution in pursuing cost-effectiveness and efficiency are joint regional libraries. In Vaasa, the five university units share a joint academic library, Tritonia. Tritonia offers library and information services that consist of print and digital information resources, researchers’ support services, pedagogical and technical support for digital education, and learning commons for its five universities. Originality/value The paper describes service production and its development and presents an existing model for cooperation in joint libraries of several academic institutions that are becoming more common.