Links between Libraries and Museums: Investigating Museum-Library Collaboration in England and the USA

Various government bodies have promoted library-museum collaboration in recent years but research is lacking about common practices and experiences, and, in particular, what has worked and what hasn't. The research presented in this paper addresses this gap. The first part outlines opinion and theory regarding library-museum collaboration as given in the professional literature. The second part describes practical findings from case-study investigations into public library-museum collaboration in England and the USA. This analysis takes a close look at the benefits of such collaborations. The paper concludes with guidelines on how library-museum collaboration can occur successfully.