Fees for service in medical library networks

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences Librarianship
• Information Management
• Medical Library Services

Background:

• The Cleveland Health Sciences Library established an Institutional Membership program in 1969.
• This program offered fee-for-service arrangements for library support, consultations, and educational initiatives.
• Currently, over fifty institutions participate in this membership model.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the implications of a resource library's relationship with numerous institutional libraries.
• To explore the development of effective cost structures and policies for institutional library services.
• To assess the outcomes of providing comprehensive access through a membership model.

Main Methods:

• Implementing a fee-for-service model with varying costs: per capita for hospitals with house staff, and cost-plus-fixed-fee for others.
• Providing total access to library resources and services for member institutions.
• Gathering data on usage patterns to inform future cost and policy development.

Main Results:

• The institutional membership model has grown to include over fifty participating organizations.
• The fee structure differentiates between hospital-based institutions and others.
• Experience gained from this model is intended to guide the refinement of costs and policies.

Conclusions:

• The Cleveland Health Sciences Library's Institutional Membership program has a long history and broad participation.
• The program's fee-for-service structure and tiered costs aim to balance resource provision with financial sustainability.
• Ongoing evaluation of usage is crucial for developing robust and equitable cost models for inter-institutional library services.