The Council of Fisheries and Oceans Librarians / Conseil des bibliothèques de Pêches et Oceans : Twenty five years and still going strong Gordon Miller – Head, Library Services & Scientific Archives, Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, BC Pamela L. Olson – Librarian, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Sidney, BC Anna Fiander – Chief, Library Services – Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS

COFOL – what is it? committee of Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) librarians manages the DFO national library network

DFO regions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Maritimes, Gulf, Québec, National Capital, Central and Arctic, Pacific National Capital

1979/80 Department of Fisheries and Oceans established no national support for coordinated library service DFO librarians wanted to establish computer based systems COFOL - why was it established?

Library world – 1980 main frames off-the-shelf integrated library systems were rare online access to bibliographic databases available dialup library mediated hints of the future Apple computer OCLC expanding MELVYL testing online access

COFOL – characteristics promote discussion of matters of mutual concern promote collective action investigate and discuss new technologies make recommendations about library service within DFO meet as least once a year Chair is elected annually decisions are made by consensus cooperative activity – each library, each COFOL member contributes as time and resources permit

WAVES – model of COFOL activities financial resources for software and database maintenance – provided by Ottawa library WAVES database manager – provided by Ottawa library cataloguing standards, policies and procedures – WAVES committee (librarians from 5 libraries) cataloguing of core bibliographic record – first library to acquire item cooperative cataloguing agreements copy records – all libraries authority control – all libraries thesaurus – 2 libraries

Other COFOL accomplishments digital archive virtual library (ejournals) collections primary resource centre

COFOL challenges financial resources WAVES other information management activities organizational change

COFOL as model cooperation sharing consensus distributed participation

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