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The principle of cooperation between libraries seems to be replaced by the principle of competition. On this subject the Conjoint Management Committee of the German Library Association (Deutscher Bibliotheksverband, dbv) and the Association of German Librarians (Verein Deutscher Bibliothekare, VDB) accomplished a workshop in Dortmund in 2013. This essay refers to the presentations of this workshop. Not only new providers that offer electronic access to global information undermine the unique position of libraries as main suppliers of literature. Also the universities compete for resources among themselves. Moreover, in Germany the organization of information and knowledge changes rapidly, library associations modify their tasks and extramural research is gaining in importance. Furthermore, libraries and library systems attempt to distinguish themselves from one another by special offers and new developments. But even if the ways of cooperation between libraries change fundamentally and the principle of competition becomes more important, libraries will only be able to remain competitive if they conceive ways to improve and to foster their cooperation. Libraries will gather strength only if they are willing and able to abandon local developments and special procedures in order to collaborate in larger contexts. Individual developments will prove to be inefficient.