Understanding Library and Information Networks: A Definition and Overview

Imagine a single library trying to satisfy every information need of its users on its own. No matter how large its budget or how vast its shelves, it would eventually fall short. Journals are expensive, storage space is finite, and the volume of published knowledge grows every year. This is precisely the problem that library and information networks were created to solve. By linking libraries together, these networks allow each institution to tap into resources far beyond its own walls. In this post, we will unpack what a library network really means, examine how leading experts have defined it, and explore the core elements that make these systems work.

What is a library network? 🔗

A library network is, at its simplest, a group of libraries and information centres that are interconnected to form a system. The goal is mutual support: each member helps the others meet the information needs of their users. Instead of operating in isolation, libraries agree to cooperate, share their collections, and coordinate their services.

The basic purpose behind any network is resource sharing. When libraries pool their books, journals, databases, and expertise, every member gains access to a much larger universe of information than it could ever own alone. This idea is not new. Library networks have their roots in centuries of library cooperation and resource sharing. What changed in recent decades was the technology. The arrival of computers and telecommunication links transformed informal cooperation into structured, technology-driven systems.

It is worth noting that the term “network” is increasingly used in place of older phrases like “resource sharing” or “cooperative systems.” The word “library consortium” is also sometimes used interchangeably with library network, though the two concepts have subtle differences in scope and formality. According to a widely accepted description, a network is a collection of interconnected information systems and communication facilities that work together through formal agreements to perform information handling operations and provide better services to users.

Why networking became necessary 🔗

Several pressures pushed libraries toward networking. The first was the sheer explosion of published material. Over ten million journal articles appear every year, and no single institution can acquire even a fraction of them. The second pressure was financial. Budget shortages combined with steadily rising prices for books and journals forced libraries to rethink how they spend their limited funds.

Networking offered a practical answer. By avoiding unnecessary duplication of expensive materials, member libraries could direct their budgets more wisely. One library might subscribe to a costly journal while another invests in a specialised database, and through the network, users of both libraries gain access to each. This cooperative model became especially attractive in the 1980s, when the telecommunication boom and growing government support made large-scale networking feasible.

Definitions by experts 🔗

To understand library networks precisely, it helps to look at how scholars and international bodies have formally defined them. Three definitions are especially important in library science literature, and each highlights a different aspect of what a network is.

The UNISIST-II definition 🔗

The most authoritative definition comes from the UNISIST-II Main Working Document. UNISIST, which stands for United Nations International Scientific Information System, was a programme initiated by UNESCO to promote the global exchange of scientific information. The programme was formally launched in 1972 at the 17th session of UNESCO’s General Conference, with the aim of facilitating the transfer of scientific and technical information for the economic and social development of nations.

UNISIST-II defines an information network as a set of inter-related information systems associated with communication facilities. These systems cooperate through more or less formal agreements and institutional arrangements in order to jointly carry out information handling operations. The purpose is to pool their resources and offer better services to users, and they generally follow identical or compatible rules and procedures.

This definition is significant because it captures three things at once: the technical infrastructure (communication facilities), the human and institutional dimension (formal agreements), and the shared standards (compatible rules and procedures) that make cooperation possible. It frames a network as much more than wires and computers; it is a coordinated system built on agreement.

Susan Martin’s definition 🔗

Susan Martin, a respected figure in library science, offers a broader and more flexible view. She defines a network as a group of individuals or organisations that are interconnected to form a system to accomplish some specified goal. Crucially, she adds that this linkage must include a communications mechanism, and that many networks exist for the express purpose of facilitating certain types of communication among their members.

Martin’s definition, drawn from her work on libraries in partnership, is valuable because it emphasises two ideas. First, a network is goal-driven; it exists to accomplish something specific. Second, communication is non-negotiable. Without a mechanism to exchange information, a group of libraries is merely a collection, not a network. Her view also reminds us that networks can connect individuals as well as organisations, broadening the concept beyond institutions alone.

Reynard C. Swank’s definition 🔗

Reynard C. Swank approaches the concept from the angle of structure and coordination. He defines a library network as a concept that includes the development of cooperative systems of libraries on geographical, subject, or other lines. Each such system has some kind of centre that not only coordinates the internal activities of the system but also serves as the system’s outlet to, and inlet from, the centres of other systems.

Swank’s definition introduces a powerful idea: the network centre. In his view, a network is not a flat collection of equal nodes but an organised structure with a coordinating hub. That hub manages activity within the network and acts as the gateway connecting one network to another. This explains how networks can be built along different lines, whether by region, by subject specialisation, or by some other shared characteristic, and how they can eventually link up with one another to form larger systems.

Key elements of a library network 🔗

Drawing these definitions together, we can identify the essential components that every functioning library network shares. These elements distinguish a true network from mere informal cooperation.

Communication mechanisms 🔗

The first and most fundamental element is a communication mechanism. Susan Martin made this explicit, and UNISIST-II reinforced it by tying networks to communication facilities. In practice, this means the technical infrastructure that allows libraries to exchange data, requests, and documents. Modern networks rely on telecommunication links, computers, and increasingly the internet to connect their members.

This infrastructure enables services such as interlibrary loan, electronic document delivery, and access to shared online catalogues. A network is developed precisely when a group of libraries decides to exchange information using computers and existing communication facilities. Without this backbone, resource sharing on any meaningful scale would be impossible.

Shared resources 🔗

The second element is the actual sharing of resources, which is the very reason most networks exist. Member libraries share books, journals, documents, and electronic databases. They also share access to a wide range of information resources and services that no single library could afford on its own.

Resource sharing delivers two major benefits. It expands access for users, who can now reach materials held in many libraries beyond their own. It also improves efficiency by reducing duplication. Through coordinated collection development, libraries can avoid buying the same expensive items repeatedly and instead build complementary collections. A central union catalogue, which lists the holdings of all participating libraries, often makes this sharing possible by showing members exactly where a needed item can be found.

Institutional collaboration 🔗

The third element is institutional collaboration, supported by formal agreements. UNISIST-II stressed that networks operate through more or less formal agreements and institutional arrangements. These agreements set out the rules, responsibilities, and standards that members must follow.

Standardisation is a critical part of this collaboration. Members generally follow identical or compatible rules and procedures, for example in how they catalogue materials or how they handle interlibrary loan requests. This shared framework ensures that the network functions smoothly and that every member is treated equitably. Collaboration also extends beyond resources to knowledge itself, giving librarians opportunities to share their expertise, ideas, and training.

Library networks in the Indian context 🔗

The concept of library networks gained real momentum here after 1985, when a working group of the Planning Commission recommended a modernised plan for a National Policy on Library and Information Systems. Networking received a major push from the government, and the National Information System for Science and Technology (NISSAT) took the lead in establishing several networks.

The earliest examples were metropolitan networks. CALIBNET in Calcutta was established in 1986, followed by DELNET in 1988, which started as the Delhi Library Network at the India International Centre Library. DELNET was created with the prime objective of promoting resource sharing among libraries, and it has since grown into one of the largest operational networks in South Asia, connecting libraries across many states and even several other countries.

At the national level, the University Grants Commission established the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), which became an autonomous Inter-University Centre in 1996. INFLIBNET aims to link university libraries, colleges, and research institutions through a high-speed data network, optimising the use of information resources through shared cataloguing, interlibrary loans, and union databases. These networks demonstrate, in concrete terms, how the definitions of UNISIST-II, Martin, and Swank translate into working systems that serve millions of users.

Bringing the definition together 🔗

So what, finally, is a library network? It is a system of interconnected libraries and information centres, bound together by communication facilities and formal agreements, that cooperate to share resources and deliver better services to their users. UNISIST-II gives us the formal, comprehensive definition. Susan Martin reminds us that communication and a shared goal are essential. Reynard C. Swank shows us the structural role of a coordinating centre. Together, these perspectives reveal a concept that is at once technical, organisational, and deeply cooperative.

As information continues to grow and budgets remain tight, the logic of networking becomes only more compelling. No library is an island, and the networks that connect them have become essential infrastructure for modern information access.

What do you think? Which of the three definitions, UNISIST-II, Susan Martin, or Reynard C. Swank, best captures the true essence of a library network in today’s digital age? And as networks increasingly rely on shared digital resources, how might the balance between communication mechanisms, shared resources, and institutional collaboration shift in the years ahead?

References

1. https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Library_Network
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/information-library-networks
3. https://ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in/lisp12/chapter/research-library-networks-consortia-and-resource-sharing/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_networks_in_India