Our Mission

South Central Regional Library Council leads, advocates for, and challenges libraries, promoting collaboration in a changing information environment.
 

Our Organization

The South Central Regional Library Council (SCRLC) is one of nine Reference and Research Library Resources Councils (NY3Rs) in New York State. As a multi-type library consortium, SCRLC serves approximately 75 members across 10,000 square miles in the counties of Allegany, Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, and Yates. SCRLC provides services to 20 academic, 23 hospital, and 23 corporate and non-profit libraries as well as 3 public library systems and 6 school library systems and their members. SCLRC reaches over 500 libraries in its service area.

SCRLC was chartered by the New York State Board of Regents in 1967 and functions under state law and the State Education Department. Funding sources include the State of New York, grants, and membership dues and fees. SCRLC is governed by a representative Board of Trustees elected by the membership. In this collaborative environment, SCRLC staff and Board are assisted in needs assessment, planning, and implementation of programs and services by advisory committees and task forces. SCRLC members actively participate in the Council’s programs and benefit from services and grant programs.

The SCRLC membership is strengthened by the diversity of resources, expertise, ideas, and perspective of its multi-type membership and unifies representation of library interests across library type. SCRLC is the means through which its diverse membership can coordinate, network, learn, advocate, discover, and build on their commonalities. Together, members can achieve a level of service for their users that would be impossible to do alone or as any one type of library. Multi-type library organizations like SCRLC strengthen library services, programs, and access to information for the benefit of all library users, the region, and society as a whole. Multi-type library organizations ensure everyone’s success.
 

Our Programs and Services

SCRLC’s programs and services enhance and facilitate member library cooperation, service delivery, resource sharing, and advocacy. Our Plan of Service describes in detail services, programs, and products available to member libraries. The following is an overview--click on the program titles to learn more.

Advocacy. Decisions regarding library funding are made at all levels of government, ranging from the city, state, and federal level. Legislators and other officials must be kept aware of the value of library services to their constituents. Library advocacy accomplishes this. Advocacy means communication—whether in groups or as individuals. SCRLC can facilitate communication, including meetings--with local officials and decision makers.

Consulting Services. SCRLC helps members with planning, grant opportunities, and challenges related to their library services and programs. SCRLC conducts focus groups and organizes special interest groups to enhance and improve library service. It also supports several discussion lists.

Continuing Education and Training. SCRLC delivers year-round learning opportunities on a wide variety of topics and in many formats, including hands-on training, face-to-face programs, and webinars.

Coordinated Collection Development Aid for Academic Libraries (CCDA). Academic libraries receive funding to improve identified areas of their collections to strengthen regional resource sharing.

Digitization. Tools of History is a regional program that creates digital records and images to improve access to historical materials. This benefits all citizens of New York and the research community at-large.

Electronic Resources. Member libraries receive access to databases, which are used by library staff and their users for research, education, and patient care. Consortial purchasing is used whenever possible to reduce costs.

Hospital Library Services Program. Twenty-three hospital libraries receive funding for collection development, training, consulting, and access to full-text patient care databases.

Information Technology Program/Regional Automation Grants (RBDB). The Council supports innovative information technology projects to strengthen members' ability to provide information access to their users.

Resource Sharing. SCRLC has supported resource sharing since 1967 and continually implements innovative programs to facilitate the process. Member libraries share resources freely with each other using an infrastructure and funding supported by the Council. Members receive delivery subsidies from SCRLC. They may receive support for some health-related requests through the Medical Information Services Program (MISP). Member libraries may also use the backup Bibliography and Referral Service (BARC).