This article reports the findings of an investigation into merger experiences of several libraries of colleges of higher
education in Flanders. The purpose of the study was to gain first hand knowledge from institutions who recently merged;
especially, what best practices to follow and what to avoid. Data was gathered with a mail questionnaire and followed by
personal interviews with the heads of the selected libraries concerned. The article includes topics such as the composition
and tasks of merger task teams, most difficult issues in the planning phase, the role of consultants, how progress is
monitored and communicated, dealing with different organisational cultures, decisions that have an impact on merger
outcomes, appointment of a post-merger library head, duration of a merger, do’s and don’ts, outcomes of library mergers,
and challenges of library mergers. It is concluded with a list of lessons that other libraries can learn from the Flemish
experience and indicates whether a particular lesson is supported by the merger literature or not.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:tut/oai:encore.tut.ac.za:d1001006 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Swanepoel, AJ |
| Publisher | South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | |
| Rights | South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science |
| Relation | Tshwane University of Technology |
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