Managing Vendor Relationships

Libraries and vendors are all too often trapped in the paradigm of swapping content and services for dollars. Pivoting from this transactional model, this preconference panel of one moderator and five speakers explored the following questions: How can librarians and vendors work together to develop better products and services? What can impede these relationships? What are best practices for collaborating effectively and ethically? How can everyone build, negotiate, and sustain these relationships for mutual benefit? And when conflict inevitably arises, how do we deal with it? This preconference featured perspectives from two vendors, three libraries, and one consortium, based in the United States. Each speaker shared stories illustrating principles and practices of good and bad relationship management. Subsequently the speakers facilitated group discussions and answered questions, including several questions that attendees shared in advance. Successfully managing relationships among libraries and vendors is vital because these relationships enable and sustain collaborations, aid negotiations, and mitigate discord