Although not the first Universitywide plan for its libraries (that distinction appears to belong to a ten-year development plan prepared by the Regents in 1961), The University of California Libraries: A Plan for Development [PDF], published in 1977, launched the current era of sustained development of the libraries as a system of resources and services supporting a distinguished multi-campus university. By taking a Universitywide view of library collections and services, this plan laid the foundation for the collaborative, efficient, highly-leveraged system of strong, effective campus libraries and systemwide services that the University enjoys today. Among its key recommendations were:

• Establishment of a Universitywide online union library catalog
• Rapid adoption of then newly-emerging technologies for cataloging, processing and circulation of collections, to improve service while containing the rate of increase in costs
• Support for systems and services to facilitate the sharing of collections among the campuses
• Establishment of two regional compact shelving facilities to provide shared, cost-effective housing for infrequently-used library materials that were of enduring research value, combined with continued growth of on-campus library space for materials needed immediately and/or frequently

While many of the specific recommendations in the 1977 Plan have been superseded over the subsequent quarter-century, its valuable legacy remains with us in the form of the Melvyl online union catalog and related systemwide bibliographic services, the Regional Library Facilities in Richmond and at UCLA (currently accommodating nearly 11 million volumes, only a bit less than the total Universitywide library collection in 1977), and a host of services that support and improve the sharing of collection resources among the campuses. Of more importance, this plan established the principles of collaborative systemwide planning and development that paved the way for exciting recent service developments, such as the California Digital Library, shared print collections, the Online Archive of California, and the eScholarship Repository.

The University of California Libraries: A Plan for Development [PDF]

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