Continuity and change: The integration of Oxford University's libraries'

Prior to 1997, the University of Oxford in Great Britain had approximately one hundred autonomous libraries with little coordination of services, collection development, or management among them. In that year a new director was hired with the mandate to integrate many of these libraries into one centralized system. Over the past seven years Oxford's libraries have been reorganized; the restructuring has consolidated a number of previously independent libraries and changed the way library service is provided at Oxford. This longitudinal case study is based on visits to the libraries, inter-views with participants, and examination of relevant print and electronic resources. The research provides an overview of the process that resulted in the founding of the Oxford University Library Services.