I'm writing an article for the journal "Technicalities" on working in a consortial environment. Throughout my career in librarianship, I've worked in one consortia or another. The first was in OhioLink which is a fantastic consortia. Led by Tom Sanville, OhioLink is the best example I know of a multitype consortia that has saved millions of dollars for taxpayers in Ohio. Which leads me to the one reason why consortial arrangements are beneficial: it can be economically advantageous. Tom negotiating for all of OhioLink can strike better deals than any library could do beneficially. Next, I worked in Illinois, in the ILCSO, now CARLI consortia. Additionally, the University of Illinois at Urbana, like Penn State, is a member of the CIC. Which brings me to another reason why consortia are great: wonderful colleagues. If I have a question about something and I need an answer both quickly and trustworthy, I can query my CIC colleagues and one or more of them will share their expertise, their knowledge.
So, I pose the question to any of you: what benefits do you see working in a consortial environment? Are there any downsides?