As outsourcing becomes more commonplace in libraries, the need for an authoritative guide becomes indisputable. This book, designed to give librarians a broad understanding of outsourcing issues in academic libraries, synthesizes prevailing theories on the topic and describes current outsourcing practices in all areas of librarianship. After a historical overview and a detailed analysis of the pros and cons of outsourcing, the authors outline the steps for planning and implementing a successful outsourcing programme. Individual chapters cover collection development, acquisitions and serials management, cataloguing, retrospective conversion, authority control, preservation and public services and systems. A special feature of the book is a detailed survey of more than 200 academic research libraries and other academic libraries on outsourcing practices.