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    360 Consortium Edition: Consortium Models

    • Product: 360 Consortium Edition

    What are the different sharing and inheritance models our consortium could use with 360 Consortium Edition?

    360 Consortium Edition is designed to allow the top-down sharing of resources from a consortium to its member libraries. This functionality lessens the efforts by the member libraries of managing the resources they can simply inherit from their consortium.
    Each Client Center profile may fit into one of four possible types:
    • Consortium Manager (also called Consortium): Subscribes to 360 Consortium Edition and has at least one member library to set up sharing of electronic resources.
    • Hybrid Member: Same as Consortium Manager (has its own member libraries), but is also a member library of another, "higher-level" consortium.
    • Pass-Through Profile: Same as Hybrid Member, but may not be an actual library with its own staff to handle inheritance and sharing. Instead, Pass-Through Profiles are usually constructed and managed by Consortium Manager staff, so as to better organize resource sharing.
    • Member Library: A member of one or more consortia that subscribes to one or more 360 services (although it does not need to subscribe to 360 Consortium Edition).
    • Non-Client Member: A consortium member that does not currently subscribe to any 360 services but has a ProQuest profile created and linked to the consortium.
    In the rest of this document, we outline several basic consortium models, each of which is supported by 360 Consortium Edition.
    It is likely that your organizational structure will mirror to some degree at least one of these representations and it is important to bear in mind that, while these models are the most common, they are not exhaustive. Your organization may have some variation of one or more of these models; we are happy to work with you to determine exactly what type of structure we can support.

    Important Note: There are some hybrid-consortium configurations that 360 Consortium Edition is not able to support for technical reasons (for instance, when a library is a member library of two hybrid consortia, both of which are members of another consortium). If there is a possibility of a complicated hybrid library relationship, please contact Serial Solutions (using the Support Portal option above) so we can help determine whether there is a viable consortium relationship.

    Simple Two-Tier Model

    Simple Two-Tier Consortium Mode

    What This Represents

    This is the simplest organization model, where a Consortium acquires electronic resources on behalf of its member libraries, and wishes to share the resources directly to the members. Members in this case inherit the electronic resources from the Consortium for use in their own libraries and their ProQuest services. A Consortium Manager can share items with non-client member libraries (those which do not subscribe to any 360 Products); these types of members will only be able to view inherited items after subscribing to 360 services.

    ProQuest Services Required

    The Consortium Manager must subscribe to 360 Consortium Edition, and either 360 Resource Manager or 360 Search (or both). It can also subscribe to any other services.
    The Member Libraries do not need to subscribe to any ProQuest services. However, Member Libraries will inherit resources from the Consortium Manager for the services they have in common. For example, if both the Consortium Manager and the Member Library subscribe to 360 Resource Manager, then the Member Library will inherit licenses, contacts, and notes from the Consortium Manager.

    Organizations That Might Choose This Structure

    • Small consortia that need to share resources directly to member libraries
    • University library systems that negotiate for resources at the university level and share them to campus libraries -- for example, a health-sciences library, law library, engineering library, and a main undergraduate library
    • Municipal library systems that share resources directly with branch libraries

    Multiple-Tier Model

    Multiple-Tier Consortium Mode

    What This Represents

    This organization model represents a scenario in which a Consortium acquires electronic resources on behalf of its members, which may themselves have member libraries below them in the hierarchy. The Hybrid Member inherits resources from the Consortium, but acts as a Consortium itself by sharing resources to its Member Libraries. The Hybrid Member can share resources inherited from the top-level consortium as well as resources entered directly in the Hybrid Member profile.

    Serials Solutions Services Required

    The Consortium Manager and the Hybrid Members must subscribe to 360 Consortium Edition, and either 360 Resource Manager or 360 Search (or both). They can also subscribe to any other services.
    The Member Libraries do not need to subscribe to any ProQuest services. However, Hybrid Members and Member Libraries will inherit resources from the library "above" them for the services they have in common. For example, if both a Hybrid Member and one of its Member Library subscribe to 360 Resource Manager, then the Member Library will inherit licenses, contacts, and notes from the Hybrid Member (which may have received them from the Consortium Manager, or may have created them on its own).

    Organizations That Might Choose This Structure

    • Medium or large consortia whose members have their own two-tier structures; for example, a state-wide consortium that negotiates for acquisition of electronic resources on behalf of the universities and public library systems in its state

    Pass-Through Model

    Pass-Through Consortium Mode

    What This Represents

    This organizational structure represents situations where a Consortium Manager acquires electronic resources on behalf of its Member Libraries, which themselves can be grouped into types based on their subscription requirements. Academic libraries, for example, may need different sets of resources than public libraries. The Pass-Through Profile allows for the ability to group like Members together for the purposes of sharing similar resource allotments to them. When the Consortium Manager shares an item with the Pass-Through Profile, the item is automatically shared with all Members of the Pass-Through Profile.
    A Pass-Through Profile behaves similarly to a Hybrid Member with ProQuest services, but differs because it is not an actual library with its own staff to handle inheritance and sharing; instead, Pass-Through Profiles are usually constructed and managed by Consortium Manager staff.

    ProQuest Services Required

    The Consortium Manager and the Pass-Through Profiles must subscribe to 360 Consortium Edition, and either 360 Resource Manager or 360 Search (or both). They can also subscribe to any other services.
    The Member Libraries do not need to subscribe to any ProQuest services. However, the Pass-Through Profile and the Member Libraries will inherit resources from the library "above" them for the services they have in common. For example, if a Consortium Manager, a Pass-Through Profile, and one of its Member Libraries all subscribe to 360 Resource Manager, then the Member Library will inherit licenses, contacts, and notes from the Pass-Through Profile (which would have received them from the Consortium Manager).

    Organizations That Might Choose This Structure

    • Large regional or state consortia managing resources for a variety of library types, each of which has multiple Member Libraries and requires different sets of electronic resources

    Complex Multiple-Tier Model

    Complex Consortium Mode

    What This Represents

    This organizational model represents a situation in which a Consortium Manager needs to be able to share electronic resources with Hybrid Members, Pass-Through Profiles, and Member Libraries.

    ProQuest Services Required

    The Consortium Manager, Hybrid Members, and Pass-Through Profiles must subscribe to 360 Consortium Edition, and either 360 Resource Manager or 360 Search (or both). They can also subscribe to any other services.
    The Member Libraries do not need to subscribe to any ProQuest services. However, Hybrid Members, Pass-Through Profiles, and Member Libraries will inherit resources from the library "above" them for the services they have in common. For example, if a Consortium Manager, a Hybrid Member, and one of its Member Libraries all subscribe to 360 Resource Manager, then the Member Library will inherit licenses, contacts, and notes from the Hybrid Member (which may have received them from the Consortium Manager, or may have created them on its own).

    Organizations That Might Choose This Structure

    • Large regional or state consortia managing resources for a variety of library types as well as Hybrid Members and Pass-Through Profiles, each of which has multiple Member Libraries and requires different sets of electronic resources


    • Date Created: 9-Feb-2014
    • Last Edited Date: 20-Feb-2014
    • Old Article Number: 7022