title: The role of CAUL (Council of Australian Libraries) in consortial purchasing
abstract: The Council of Australian University Librarians, constituted in 1965 for the purposes of cooperative action and the sharing of information, assumed the role of consortial purchasing agent in 1996 on behalf of its members and associate organisations in Australia and New Zealand. This role continues to grow in tandem with the burgeoning of electronic publication and the acceptance of publishers of the advantages of dealing with consortia. The needs of the Australian university community overlap significantly with consortia in North America and Europe, but important differences are highlighted
keyphrases: Australia consortial purchasing Council of Australian University Librarians cooperative action New Zealand electronic publication North America Europe information sharing