In December the Central Florida Library Cooperative (CFLC) membership voted to dissolve the organization and the State Library redrew the regions so that five additional counties – Indian River, Lake, Orange, Osceola, and St. Lucie, are now in TBLC’s service area. All of us who work at TBLC or serve on the board are excited about getting to work with staff from these libraries!
TBLC is obliged to help libraries in its region manage their records in OCLC and to provide staff with continuing education – and we receive grant funds to do so. We receive Library Cooperative funds from the legislature to support bibliographic services and LSTA funding through the State Library to provide CE. We are also interested in exploring membership with libraries that are value the networking and other services it provides.
To make the membership option more attractive to the new libraries, the TBLC Board has approved setting the dues for libraries in the counties formerly served by CFLC next year, 2011-12, at $500. This is the amount they would have paid as CFLC members and the Board is pro-rating that amount for current year membership. The Board will review the dues structure next January.
Currently we are reaching out to libraries and staff, helping them understand what we’re about, and identify ways TBLC can help them serve their customers, institutions and communities.
It is the Board’s view that this step is in the best interest of the current membership and TBLC. The expansion should bring additional resources to TBLC and make us a stronger organization. Implicit in the decision is a belief that a larger, healthier TBLC will be able to provide more and better services. Though these are uncertain times with respect funding and the evolving role of MLCs in Florida, the board felt that this is the kind of leadership libraries expect from TBLC when challenges and opportunities arise.
Please know that during this process the Board and staff have been committed to improving TBLC for all its members and that commitment will guide us through the coming months and years.
Many thanks!