A toolkit for services engaged in mergers, alliances, amalgamations, and other closer working practices

Health library and knowledge services have a strong track-record of sharing expertise and working across boundaries. Resource sharing and collaboration are in our DNA. How do we take this a step further?

Knowledge for Healthcare talks about action “with a focus on customer care and value for money for taxpayers, achieved through better coordination, collaboration and cooperation, including through pooling resources and expertise.”

The Toolkit, designed to help guide library and knowledge services staff through the process of any type of joining or merger, was developed by a Task and Finish Group as part of the objectives for Knowledge for Healthcare agreed with HEE.

The aim was to develop a resouirce to support service redesign – including mergers, amalgamations and the potential for ‘fewer services covering larger geographies’.

As our initial task, the group has produced an ABC Guide, shared case studies and background reading to support library staff and their managers through process of coming together – one which presents opportunities and can pose difficulties turn by turn.

One way, perhaps the best way, to implement service redesign is to learn from the practical experience of peers whose experiences (good and not so good) provide practical advice. So, these materials are just the start not the end of the development of this toolkit. You are invited to use the case study template here to share your experience for the benefit of others.

This is not intended to be the definitive guide to how (or how not!!) to combine services but highlights some common issues which you might encounter and things that may happen that you might not expect.

• ABC Guide
• Template for Library Merger and Collaboration Case Studies
• Library Merger and Collaboration Case Studies #1
• Library Merger and Collaboration Case Studies #2
• Reading List
• Evidence Search Results