The Prospects for Vietnamese Academic Library Consortia: Results of a Survey

SURVEY ON LIBRARY COOPERATION AND CONSORTIA IN VIETNAM

As a part of my research, this survey is seeking facts and data on the current state of cooperative arrangements for libraries in Vietnam as well as obtaining opinions from my respected colleagues who are concerned about the future development of our libraries and are willing to share their ideas on the issues of consortia. I highly appreciate sincere cooperation of colleagues in academic libraries throughout/across the country and value their thoughts as important contributions to my research.

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. What type of institution does your library belong to?

   1. Public

   2. Private

   3. Regional

2. In which department do you work at your library?

   1. Public Services

   2. Technical Services

   3. Information Technology

   4. Administration

   5. Other, please describe:

3. What level of appointment do you hold in your library?

   1. Director or Deputy Director of Library

   2. Head of department or equivalent

   3. Qualified librarian (Master’s degree orhigher)

   4. Other, please specify:

NETWORKING

1. In the last five years, how often have you attended professional workshops or conferences organized in Vietnam?

   1. Never

   2. Once a year

   3. 2–5 times a year

   4. Over 5 times a year

   5. Unspecified (ad hoc)

1. In the last five years, how often have you attended international workshops or conferences?

   1. Never

   2. Once a year

   3. 2–5 times a year

   4. Over 5 times a year

   5. Unspecified (ad hoc)

2. If you have attended events like those described in Q.4 & Q.5, where did you get the funds to attend the workshops and conferences you just mentioned above?

   1. Parent institution

   2. Government

   3. International sponsors

   4. Library suppliers

   5. Personal (self-cover)

   6. Free of charge

3. Please rank by level of importance to you (from least important to most important) your reasons for attending a workshop or conference.

   1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
   Least important								Most important

   □ Improving knowledge/profession

      

   □ Improving practical skills

      

   □ Networking

      

   □ Other(s), please name and rank:

CURRENT STATE OF COOPERATIVE ARRANGEMENTS IN VIETNAM

Library cooperation refers to arrangements at a loose or general level of partnership such as joining societies, associations or clubs, etc.

1. Is your library currently a member of a library association/society/federation or did it used to hold a membership in any other organizations?

   1. No (Please go to Q.11)

   2. Yes

2. In what year did your library commence its membership in the following organizations?

   1. Vietnamese Library Association (VLA)

      1. 2006 (founding member)

      2. 2007 forward, please specify the year:

   2. Northern Academic Library Association (NALA)

      1. 1999 (founding member)

      2. 2007 forward, please specify the year: From To

   3. Federation of Southern Academic Libraries (FESAL)

      1. 2001 (founding member)

      2. 2002 forward, please specify the year: From To

   4. Northern Academic Library Association (NALA)

      1. 1998 (founding member)

      2. 1999 forward, please specify the year: From □   To □

   5. Other similar associations, please provide the name of organizations and the year your library commenced its membership:

      □ Year:

      □ Year:

      □ Year:

3. If your library has engaged in any organizations as described in Q.9, please:

   1. List the main networking or/and cooperative activities your library has undertaken.

      1. □

      2. □

   2. Tick the appropriate boxes to describe the reasons for your library to participate in cooperative arrangements?

      1. Follow other libraries

      2. Meet with other colleagues

      3. Visit libraries in other parts of the country

      4. Other reasons:

         1. □

         2. □

   3. Describe the benefits your library has obtained from joining these activities.

      1. □

      2. □

   4. List any disadvantages.

      1. □

      2. □

4. Does your library participate in any of these cooperative activities? You may choose more than one.

   1. Online catalogues

   2. Interlibrary loan

   3. Group purchasing of electronic resources

   4. Group purchasing of print materials

      Other activities, please describe:

   7. None

5. Does your library have any official view towards cooperative practices like these? Please describe.

   1. □

   2. □

CONSORTIAL PRACTICE AND POSSIBILITIES FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF ACADEMIC LIBRARY CONSORTIA IN VIETNAM

Consortia are organizations formed by libraries that collaborate on specific programmes to share common benefits. Consortial arrangements are formally involved in legal agreements signed by member libraries.

1. Have you ever heard of /learned about the concept of “library consortium”?

   1. Yes

   2. No (Please go to Q.15)

2. Where did you find the information on library consortium/consortia from? (Select all that apply.)

   1. The literature /In the media

   2. On the Internet /Library websites

   3. Conference/Workshop

   4. Colleagues, friends

   5. Other (please specify):

3. Are there any official or unofficial documents regarding library cooperation or consortia that have been issued by or received by your library?

   1. Yes. Please state how many:

   2. No

   3. Not sure.

4. Is your library currently a member of a consortium or consortia?

   1. No, please go to Q.18

   2. Consortium for Purchasing Electronic Resources (CPER)

      1. 2003 (initial member)

      2. Other, please specify the year

   1. Other consortia

   1. Please name:

      When did your library join?

   2. Please name:

      When did your library join?

5. The literature describes benefits that library consortia have brought to academic libraries. Which of the following benefits would your library value the most? (You may choose more than one.)

   1. Saving costs in purchasing materials

   2. Solving technological issues

   3. Saving costs and time in cataloguing

   4. Spirit of cooperation and sharing

   5. Other(s) (your own thoughts)

6. For each of the following statements, please tick the appropriate box to indicate your level of agreement on possible reasons for a perceived lack of engagement in library consortia in Vietnam.

   		Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
   1. There is a lack of information about consortia.		□	□	□	□	□
   2. Cooperation culture has not been popular among academic libraries in Vietnam.		□	□	□	□	□
   3. Joining consortia is not beneficial to my library.		□	□	□	□	□
   4. My library has difficulties in terms of in-house legislation and administrative requirements.		□	□	□	□	□
   5. There is a belief of unequal sharing of responsibilities or interests.		□	□	□	□	□
   Others, please describe:		□	□	□	□	□
   6.		□	□	□	□	□
   7.		□	□	□	□	□

7. Do you support the initiation of consortia for Vietnamese academic libraries?

   1. Yes

   2. No

8. Would your library join consortia if they were established in Vietnam?

   1. Yes

   2. No

9. How would you rate the level of activity that your library might have in these potential arrangements?

   1. Very active

   2. Active

   3. Just participate

   4. No participation

10. What benefits would you expect if your library joined consortia?

11. Please rank, in order of importance from least important to most important, the following reasons for becoming a member of future consortia:

    1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
    Least important								Most important

    1. Saving costs in purchasing electronic resources

    2. Saving costs in purchasing print materials

    3. Saving costs and efforts in cataloguing

    4. Improving library services to users

    5. Improving staff skills

    6. Networking

    7. Other(s). Please name and rank:

12. Is your library able to decide to join a certain consortium or do you need to ask for permission from your parent institution?

    1. Yes, we can decide

    2. No, we need to seek permission

13. Who would decide whether or not to join a consortium?

    1. The Rector/President

    2. A direct superior of the library

    3. The library director

    4. Other, please describe:

14. Would your library be seeking support from the Vietnamese Government, parent institution, international organizations and others if it was to engage in consortia?

    1. Yes

    2. No (please go to Q.29)

15. If you answered yes to Q.26, what kinds of support would your library seek?

    1. Financial

    2. Professional

    3. Legal

    4. Encouragement for cooperation and sharing

    5. Other(s), please describe:

16. In the event that you could not get any support, would your library still be willing to join consortia?

    1. Yes

    2. No

17. Which of the following do you think would play a key role in organizing consortia for academic libraries in Vietnam? Please rank from the least relevant to the most relevant using this scale.

    1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
    Least important								Most important

    1. The Ministry of Education and Training

    2. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

    3. The Vietnamese Library Society

    4. please name and rank

    5. The National Library of Vietnam

    6. Large universities and regional universities

    7. Groups of libraries by themselves

    8. Other(s), please name and range:

18. What services could your library actually provide to consortia members or what do you think your library would do to contribute to consortia agreement/s?

    1. Reference and/or virtual reference

    2. Cataloguing

    3. Interlibrary loan

    4. Collection development

    5. Staff training programmes

    6. Sharing digitized institutional repository collections

    7. Other(s), please describe

19. Concerning the position/role and future development of Vietnamese academic libraries, would you have any additional suggestions for the development of academic library consortia as a contributing factor to library development?

Thank you for your cooperation.