As a further recognition of National Library Week, we offer this overview of several cooperative projects that benefit libraries statewide.

The WSL Library Development staff coordinates several cooperative statewide projects which leverage the combined purchasing power of libraries throughout the state to save significant amounts of money for Washington libraries. In addition, LSTA (Library Services & Technology Act) funds provided through IMLS (The Institute for Museum & Library Services) are used to subsidize or kick start cooperative purchasing arrangements, helping libraries break into new areas such as virtual reference, eBooks, or downloadable audiobooks.

The oldest example of these kinds of projects is Statewide Database Licensing (SDL), which since 1997 has been providing a suite of research databases to public, academic, K-12, medical, and research libraries statewide. Library Development staff also coordinate library funded group purchases for other products; past examples include the online version of Consumer Reports, and an automotive repair database; a current example is Zinio, a very popular new platform for reading magazines online. It has been conservatively estimated that SDL saves Washington libraries over $20 million annually.

A more recent example is Off the Page: Downloadable Audiobooks and eBooks for Washington, which has helped libraries provide these new formats to their patrons. 31 public library systems in Washington are now able to offer both e-books and audiobooks via the Washington Anytime Library, and several more libraries are in process to join this consortium. More than 40 public and academic libraries, as well as over 300 K-12 school libraries are offering downloadable audiobooks via a statewide contract with another vendor.

Another area in which Washington libraries are successfully working together is in providing access to 24×7  virtual reference services to their patrons. Via Ask-WA, more than 60 Washington libraries, both public and academic, are providing online reference services through chat, e-mail, and instant messaging (IM) technologies.

Just being rolled out as we write, is a brand new project, Connect with Your Library: A Mobile App for Washington, which in partnership with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, is providing the opportunity for public and academic libraries to offer their services via a user-friendly mobile application (app). The app will let users locate libraries, place holds, renew materials, download eBooks, or check to see if the library has an item, and more, all from the mobile device they carry in their hand.

These programs and others like them are great examples of how under the leadership provided by the WSL Library Development Program, LSTA funds are used to assist in providing a level playing field, such that smaller libraries can provide their patrons with the same kinds of services and resources that otherwise might be restricted to the larger library systems, while simultaneously providing assistance to all Washington libraries, both large and small.

It’s National Library Week at the Washington State Library and across our great country.

What is Library Development at the Washington State Library? In a nutshell, library development staff members provide “Services to Libraries.” The purpose of our work is to serve the residents of the State of Washington through their local library. We work with all types of libraries; public libraries, academic libraries, school libraries, and special libraries. We serve these libraries through the implementation of statewide projects, by providing training opportunities for those who work in Washington libraries, and through the award of grants to local libraries for the start-up of new services or the enhancement of existing services. We provide any number of additional services to libraries — read more about these services here.

Our work is dependent on the receipt of federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. As such, we would like to recognize and thank the President and members of Congress for their continued support of both IMLS and LSTA. We also need to recognize and thank the staff members who support this federal program at the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The funding Congress provides and the work done by both IMLS and the Washington State Library supports local libraries in opening the world of information and ideas to our communities across Washington.

Throughout today we will share brief overviews of the work we do through Facebook and Twitter.

Follow what is happening nationally this week using the Twitter hashtag #nlw13, or through the American Library Association, atyourlibrary.org.